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"On second thought," Ria said, o out for a walk--I can show Emmett where I was a inwardly at how neatly she’d cut off all options but the one she wanted, Emmett stepped out onto the drive and waited for her to join him

"You’ve done this before," he said when she carow a fairly strong personality inwith her lips "It’s a survivalinto the pocket of her coat, she passed over a folded piece of paper "The account nu at the bruise she’d tried to hide under makeup "Showokay"

"The bastard is in a co her hands so he could inspect the da her marked up So did the

man "You know a Psy we could chat up?"

"Well," she said when he forced hio, "my mother’s accountant is Psy but I don’t think Ms Bhaskar is into interrogations"

"Pity"

"So, last night"

"Can you talk about it?" He paused to look down into her face "If it’s too hard, we can delay it for a few days"

A hint of open irritation flared in her eyes "What about hters?"

"It’s i, Vincent’s Crew, they’re taunting us If we don’t get theht to hold it"

"Really?" Lines marked her forehead "Why?"

"It’s about power," he told her "A predatory changeling pack can only legiti it of all other predators The Crew calls our authority into question Another changeling group could decide that ht to this area"

"And then blood would spill," she said, voice soleerous," he told her "But they’re holding a massive aot the manpower to push us out"

"But they’re not the only ones are they?" Sliding her hands into the pockets of her vivid red coat, Ria nodded left "That’s the alley where he grabbed ht class My last class actually"

"Why were you alone?" he asked, a slight growl in his voice "It was after dark"

"It was barely eight" Irritation sparked again--E to show the same overprotective tendencies as her parents "And I’m an adult in case you haven’t noticed"

A slow blink "Oh, I noticed"

THREE

Heat curled up froh her limbs, threatened to color her face

"Then don’t patronize eous eyes of his "My decision was a solid one There were a lot of people around, heading out to restaurants or co tooka split-second respite in the foot traffic"

"Means he had to have been following you, just waiting for an opportunity" Emmett stared into the dark maw of the alley, his eyes narrowed

She wondered if he’d even heard her first two sentences "That’s what I thought I’et off the skytrain, but it’s hard to pick up that sort of thing when so ht, the round, but there’d been enough of a crowd going her way that she hadn’t really paid attention to anyone in particular

"Until we neutralize the Crew," Eo anywhere alone"

Herto face her, "that’s their motto They follow their quarry to death

They’ll coain It’s a matter of

‘honor’ " He all but spat on the street "What the fuck kind of honor is it to hurt a woht through to the warm feminine core of her But--"I can’t sit at ho for jobs for one" Work was her ticket to freedorandmother to her appointments--"