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"Did I put you to too much inconvenience withhat ies "I find that I like you the best You’re so entler than the other Js"

"Did you know, Mr Bonner," she said conversationally, "that in the early part of this century, they still incarcerated aze, let hi he said could touch her--"do you think you would haveenjoyed"--a deliberate echo of his word, his tone--"being in a cell with another inht not have shared your more sophisticated tastes?"

Bonner didn’t like that, his eyes showing the sadistic bite of ot it under control "I’m sure I would have survived, Sophia Hmm, does anyone call you Sophie?"

She hated that he’d used Max’s pet name for her, hated it so much that for an instant, she wondered if she’d betrayed herself, because Bonner’s blue eyes glinted with pleasure

"You ood enough that it had fooled the medics all these years "All I care about are your liness inside hi instant "Then take them, Sophie" Vicious words laced with charm "Take what you caot such a pretty, pretty face"

She did nothing, felt nothing His words didn’t matter--not when Max saw her, knew her, accepted her "I’er hunt in your brain, Mr Bonner If you want to cooperate, then cooperate If not, I’ll make a final recommendation that your offers to share infor but a waste of tinored"

"Bitch" It was said in that sa "Is the rest of your skin ht artist?"

"One last time, Mr Bonner--are you ready to cooperate?"

"Of course"

She held the eye contact, sweeping out with her unique telepathic gift Some Js needed physical contact with those they scanned, but she never had And noith her Sensitivity, touch would take her too deep, lock her into another’s mind And if there was one consciousness she did not want to be trapped within, it was that of the sociopath on the other side of the table

Moving effortlessly through the easily permeable barrier that was the weakness of a human shield, she stepped into his mind It was as calm, as orderlybut the pieces had shifted Bonner was rearranging his memories of the past, perhaps to better fit his own personal view of the world

A woony, her eyes bleeding at the corners Sophia recoiled inside, but years of training kept her fro her abhorrence on her face "We already knohat you did to Carissa White," she said "If that’s all you’ve got--"

A slade, peaceful almost

She felt the handle of the shovel vibrate under her hands as he/they drove it into the earth, heard the eerie quiet, felt the cool crackle of the plastic under his/their hands as he/ they rolled the body into the shallowest of graves Bonner didn’t waste any tiain, his/their actions as iarden The body had ceased to have anyafterward, the earth covered the plastic, and then they alking through the forest, exiting less than five

Firs--deep green, thick with foliage--their tips disappearing into the fine white mist, surrounded therowth, a few spindly trees of other species So not a tree farot into the vehicle, started the engine after stripping off heavy gardening gloves The four-wheel drive took the rickety road with ease, until half an hour later, she appeared out of the fog and found herself at a T-junction, a sealed road in front of her Her heart was cal herself in Bonner, fought to bring herself back "I need a location" She could see nothing but the infrequent car zipping by fast--a lonely highway

"Patience,hard, excited by theher relive it with him

That hen she saw it, the board on the left thatValley Track"

She took note of the kinds of flowers she’d seen, the angle of the sun, the weather, everything she could