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"Pross house," she said shortly, getting out of the car and striding, unafraid, through the worst neighborhood in the city There were hts out than on, more shattered store s than whole and entirely toohis Kara the once-over Jared could feel hi one for a good glare "Keep up, please"

"I don’t like the looks of those guys," he said, nodding to a gang of thugs clustered under a broken streetlight "Ya want I should rough ‘ehed "Aren’t you cute Jared, trust me Worry about the ones you don’t see"

She bounded up the steps to a battered brownstone, nodding politely to the two teens--either of which could have given your average beat cop a run for herthe buzzer The teens appeared to conore her, but Jared noticed they both ed Kara’s elbow just as she was buzzed in "I’nored hiet smart or I’ll have her whup you both"

Inside, he was pleasantly surprised to find a ho," he said, looking around "First, the Playboy Mansion Then the fence…that’s the guy who cashed in the necklace, right? Noe’re…I have no idea where What’s a pross house?"

"This isn’t a pross house," a warm, pleasant voice said Jared jumped and spun; Kara turned unhurriedly toward the voice; Jared realized Kara had known they weren’t alone in the hall "That’s a place where prostitutes…ah…ply their trade This is a shelter for soiled doves trying to make new lives for thely beautiful, despite the knife scar that bisected her right cheek

Far fro from her beauty, the scar served to accent the flawless state of the rest of her face

She had shoulder-length, rich brown hair the color of dark chocolate, eyes the color of a sea lagoon and skin the color of a really good espresso She was quite a bit shorter than Kara and if she weighed more than a hundred pounds, Jared vowed to eat the scale

"Ma’am," he said politely

"Madam, actually," she said and tittered "Well, for" Kara handed her the shoe box in which, Jared knew, there nestled close to half a ht the box and tucked it under her ar Who’s the stiff stud?"

"I happen," he said with aslady’s personal physician

I started by advising her that this neighborhood is bad for her health, but--"

Meg brayed laughter, cutting hihborhood bad for AA She’s safer here than anywhere"

Click Everything fell into place But instead of being shocked, he felt like nodding thoughtfully

Shocked? Hell, he wasn’t even ured it out earlier was, he’d always thought AA--whenever he thought about AA at all--wasdoctors fro"

"I know Can’t stay away, can you? Good for us" Meg’s sard, old "Bad for you"

Kara shrugged and left without another word Jared offered his hand to Meg, who only looked at it, aot it," he said on the street

"Whatever it is, put it back," she said reasonably, opening the car door and sliding inside

Jared realized with a start that she hadn’t bothered to lock the car…and it had remained unmolested the entire time they were inside Well, no wonder Given who she was