Chapter 46 Chapter Forty Six

• CRYSTAL
• The hospital entrance loomed before me far too quickly. The drive that should have taken twenty minutes felt like it had compressed into mere seconds of panicked thought and racing heartbeat. My bodyguards, who'd followed in a separate vehicle, emerged first to scan the area with practiced vigilance.
• I stepped out into the morning sunlight and took a breath that did nothing to steady my nerves. I walked inside with what I desperately hoped looked like confidence rather than barely contained panic.