Chapter 10

Azalea's palms were slick with sweat, and her back was drenched in cold perspiration that clung to her skin, sending shivers down her spine. She hastily sat in her car and fumbled for a packet of wet tissues in the glove box. Pulling out a handful of tissues, she scrubbed her palms as if trying to rid herself of some unseen filth. She had hastily shed her suit and tossed it in the backseat before collapsing in the driver's seat, her body trembling with tension and her throat parched with anxiety.

After scrubbing her skin raw, she finally felt some relief and tossed the used tissues on the passenger seat. She rested her head against the seat, closed her eyes, and focused on taking slow, deep breaths, trying to calm her racing thoughts that threatened to plunge her into a vortex of horror.

Leaning against the steering wheel with her eyes closed, she was startled by the shrill ringtone of her phone. "Goodness," she muttered under her breath, clutching her chest as she glanced at t