“Sir, I apologize you didn’t know sooner. We tried numerous times to reach you,” Patrick said.

“I was...occupied.”

Was that an acceptable excuse?

No.

Araneae McCrie had been in my presence for only a few hours and already she was diverting my attention and messing with my head. The last few hours flashed before my eyes in less than a second. Everything about her set my soul ablaze, from her apprehension when she boarded the plane to the ...