Chapter 201

The phone rang just as Sloane was holding Jeremy, still trying to coax him into speaking. The screen lit up. A single name. Dominic. Her fingers paused for half a second before she answered. “Where are you?” His voice came through low and steady, but there was something different about it tonight. Through the phone, it carried a deeper resonance, almost magnetic, like a current running along the line and slipping quietly into her chest. Sloane adjusted Jeremy slightly in her arms. “I’m at Rhea’s place.” There was a brief pause on the other end. Subtle. But noticeable. “Hmm?” It sounded like a question, like he hadn’t expected that answer. Sloane explained simply, her tone returning to business without effort. “I found an alternative for the prescription, so I didn’t go to the research institute.” Another pause. Then, “I asked Rhea to take Jeremy for me earlier,” Dominic said. “If it’s convenient, could you bring him back?” A short silence followed, before he added, almost as an afterth