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Glen shook his head "It doesn’t have to be you Shine has a board"

Yes, it did And that board was now made up of men and women ouldn’t simply look the other ahen reality becaood leader never asks his troops to do anything he can’t" Shifting on his heel, he said, "Go home, Glen Get so to do with her"

That hen Dev realized Glen didn’t trust him to not hurt the woman who, by her simple existence, her survival, reached parts of him he preferred to leave in darkness It was a blowand it showed just how ed from the one yet," he said softly

"Nonot yet," the doctor echoed as Dev crossed the doorway into Katya’s roo on the bed dressed in a new pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt, having thrown on a heavy gray sweatshirt over the top Her shoulder-length hair had been plaited into a tight French braid, and there were out-of-the-box-white sneakers on her feet Her lips lifted in a tentative smile when she saw him "Hi"

And that quickly, the ing protectiveness that slammed into his skin with brutal force "Where’re your boots, your coat?" he asked, and the words were hard

"In here" S, she patted a khaki-colored duffel with a quietly possessive hand "Thank you for the clothes And the other things"

"Maggie bought them" He jerked his head toward the door as he reached for her bag "Co away fro to take me?" The finest thread of steel

Not that surprised, he dropped his hand "For now, to my place in Vermont"

"What about your work?"

He looked into that still-pale face, wondering if the question was si far more sinister However, the ansasn’t exactly a state secret "I can handle things reardless of location "If necessary, I can commute" Shine had access to several jet-choppers, but Dev preferred to drive most of the tih-speed vehicle, and it gave him time to think free of distractions

"Why?" Katya’s eyes were crystal clear as they reen, yellow - perfectly defined "Why not just du a threat you are," he answered, and it was a truth She had no need to know about the complex, unwanted emotions she aroused, the buriedwith ure out what to do with you"

"You could let ers curled on top of the duffel

"Not possible"

"So I’ into the core of honor he’d soed to retain He wondered if it would still be there after this was all over "No, you’re the eneree back and forced herself to get off the bed For the first time since she’d woken in this place, she felt not fear, not terror, not worry Instead, so

"Move it" It was a coh, she had to fight to find her voice "Are we going on the train?"

"No I’ll drive"

She walked to hi his stride short to accorace that told her she’d never be able to h to escape hi up her ht, it had to do with the car If she had the car, she could find -

Another black screen, herout like a badly tuned co into the soft flesh of her palers with effort, she lifted her hand to look at one palm It was hers, she knew that Those life lines, they were hers But there were other lines, thin white lines that crisscrossed skin unbroken except for the bloodred crescents she’d just created How had she gotten those lines? Head beginning to pound in a dull, heavy beat, she stared, deterly