Chapter TWO

MEREDITH

Spring was unpredictable in the Northeast.

Always had been.

The trip to Manhattan to meet Josef Aziz in a boardroom in the imposing building that was Volkov Towers had been long.

Morristown, New Jersey, was not terribly far, but traffic sucked.

The room itself was comfortable enough. Masculine furniture made of dark stained wood, wrought iron, and leather with neutral beige walls that were softened somehow by the lighting comprised the interior.

There’d been tall, fresh floral arrangements in the hallway. The scent they gave off was light and pleasant. But there were no flowers or plants inside the room. No sign of life at all.

The temperature had to be set at seventy degrees. Maybe slightly higher. But the hum of the vent told me they were filtering the air, which made me relax.

I hated the idea of breathing stale air.