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Rob?

I have to protect you

Chris untied the scarf, grabbed another from her drawer, and tied it as she walked out

She found Special Agent Ray Hutchins in the kitchen, where he stood pouring coffee froray chauffeur’s uniform, which he wore as part of his cover, emphasized the darkness of his skin and eyes Her new departe ball as a line it up to join the bureau, and he still had the broad, heavy build and lightness on his feet that had made quarterbacks quail

Chris didn’t know Ray Hutchins well, but she liked what she knew of hiuess I should have mentioned that we all have keys to this place" He offered her a ht? It feels like aplant in here"

She frowned "No one mentioned where the thermostat is, so it wasn’t me"

"Dennis probably fooled with it He’s frorees is Death Valley to him" He subjected her to a swift but frank inspection "You look a little frayed about the edges Bad night?"

"Trouble sleeping The bed in there is a little too soft" She sipped froht try out the guest rooenerous aar to his cup "What did you think of the bar? Good place for our boy?"

"It’s a pickup palace" And didn’t she know it "I doubt he goes there at all; he’s older, and he’d stand out too ician likes to blend We’ve never been able to get a description of him, even from people who should have been eyewitnesses"

"You’re the expert" He regarded her for athis kind of duty?"

"The Chicago office first tagged me to ith Interpol on the Poleteze case" she said "They set up my identity as a fine-art expert and dealer, and hadas a buyer’s rep Luckily my cover was never compromised, so they’ve used ame"

"You do look the part"

Chris noted the time--she’d overslept by thirty minutes--and quickly finished the coffee "A/V are supposed to be finishing wiring the gallery showroo They’ll need us for voiceprints"

"I’d like a ith you before we go" Hutchins pulled out one of the dainty little chairs encircling her bistro table, carefully lowering his bulk onto it When Chris sat down across fro for us He said you breezed in here around five thirty a was ot lives Chief would say, ’As long as it doesn’t interfere with the op, what you do on your time is your business’ " He turned the coffee cup between his ician because he killed your partner I get that But there’son us to uess what I’ is, I’m your partner now What you do at any tiician didn’t kill DeLuca" Chris kept her voice bland "He co happened in that bank," Hutchins insisted "Soe to sleep, wiped out theirwhile it was surrounded by SWAT and every cop in the metro area An hour later your partner writes you a note, tells you the Magician pulled the job, and then blows his head off That’d be enough to ht"

Chris wondered if he’d heard any of the rued fro hi hiun "This isn’ta partner is as personal as it gets," he told her bluntly "You wouldn’t have taken a permanent transfer down here if it wasn’t But you’re on point with this, and we need you sharp If you’re tired, you could slip up and blow your cover Have you thought about that?"

"I knohat I’"

"Do you?" Hutchins shook his head as if to answer his own question "This guy has moved two billion dollars plus in stolen art over the years He’s wanted in twenty-two countries besides this one We take hiends"

"That’s not important to me" She needed closure for DeLuca, and justice for all the victiician had robbed over the years "What I want is to put hiood"