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Dean"

"Thanks, I’ve got a million of ‘em" Pause "How did you know my name?"

She smiled It was a nice smile, warm, with no condescension "It wasn’t hard to find out"

"What’s your name?" he asked boldly He should have been nervous about the locked door, about the threat to his life He wasn’t Instead, he was delighted at the chance to talk to her, after a day of thinking about her and wondering how she ho she was

"Kara"

"That’s gorgeous," he informed her, "and I, of course, am unsurprised You’re so pretty! And so deadly," he added with relish, "you’re like one of those flowers that people can’t resist picking and then--ba-time rash"

"Thanks," she said, "I think" She blushed, which gave her high color and made her eyes bluer He stared, besotted He didn’t think wos blushed at all He was veryopen and unable to do a thing about it

"Dr Dean--"

"Umm?"

"--I’m not sure you understand the seriousness of the situation--"

"Long, tall and ugly is out to getdown opposite her He shoved a pile of charts aside; several clattered to the floor and she watched them fall, bemused "But since you’re not the hitman, I’uard"

"Oh, well, then I’ned carelessness, while his brain chewed that one… bodyguard? …over

"You could take on an assassin with one hand while writing a grocery list with the other You’re certainly a uy sends afterabout money? What’s the etiquette here?"

She blinked "Uh…that won’t be necessary Dr Dean--"

"Jared"

"-- this remarkably well?"

"Work in an ER for a year," he said, suddenly grim "You learn to recover your equilibrium pretty damned quickly"

"Touché," she said quietly

"So nohat?"

"Now you don’t get killed"

"I ot to sic the cops on the bad guy, right? Do we--er--drop a di hi to smash her face in "We’ll keep you out of trouble until this blows over End of plan"

"Blows over?" he practically shouted "I have to-- we have to put our lives on hold until ole’ One Eyebrow goes away? Forgive ht you were a little ht," she admitted, "but when the law is involved, I can’t be as pro-active as I’d like"

"But…aren’t you in trouble, too? Won’t Jerkoff try to kill you?"

"Oh, he’s been trying," she said casually, as if a large, frightening, uglyto kill her was of asshower "For years He’ll never get uy, sounds like," heto be on his shit list"

She frowned "This is serious You’re a sitting duck because you’re different"

"You led into her cup and he was absurdly pleased with hiood guys Not like Carlotti"