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I grih ot your text with the address and your o in, and that I needed to take care of Charlie if you didn’t come out Then when you wouldn’t answer your phone…" He shook his head

"You called Luc" It wasn’t a question, not really I’d texted Claude out of desperation, knowing that he probably wouldn’t be back in town yet But I’d relied on hi, I knew that if I could count on anyone to help me rescue Mason, it would be him

"Of course I did"

"You were certain you could trust hiet there in time? Yes But his methods aren’t what I would have hoped for"

Luc had killed Min I’d killed Jarvis No witnesses Nothing concrete to tie Nicolas to any criister had killed Min?

The question must have flashed acrossthat he orried for your lives It’s not so I think we can disprove And…"

"And?"

"Luc and Nicolas are clai that Min killed Jake of her own volition, because she wanted to see Nicolas happy Then she killed Mary because she decided she wasn’t good enough for Nicolas" He shook his head "Hell, Luc has gone so far as to suggest that he invited Isaiah to coh he, of course, didn’t realize how far gone she really was"

I laughed, a short huretted as pain spiked fro that up to re Jarvis’s involvement? And if that’s true about Isaiah, why didn’t he tell us that e spoke to hi Jarvis was in it for the ood reason to help her As far as Isaiah is concerned, since Luc wasn’t willing to co about hiht answer there And we don’t have anything to charge Isaiah with either The evidence just isn’t there to charge him with the other victims the OWEA is certain are his So he’s hardly inspired to talk to us about anything"

"But it’s all bullshit, Claude" For once, h rimaced "Soht now, but the Covenant is petitioning for it Soic that needs to be destroyed They claim that the enchantment on the coin is old It’s probably been enchanted for the centuries that Min has carried it, and ht have been that way since before she owned it"

Destroyed? Far more likely the coin would find its way into a witch’s research A perends A lot of witches would be interested in seeing hoas accomplished "What does Vasquez say about all this?"

"He’s buying uess is that he just wants this e Nicolas He’s not willing to make a stink about it when he knoe can’t prove any of it in court" He grinned "He’s pretty pissed at you, though So a direct order I don’t think he’ll fire you, your powers are too valuable But I’d i while"

Relief rushed through ht not love the field, but I did lovedown Min and Jarvis, nothing sounded so good as my nice, safe desk At least for a while And Min and Jarvis were gone They’d never hurt anyone again

But it wasn’t good enough

"He did this, Claude Nicolas was behind all of this I know it"

"I know And Nicolas won’t get aith this, Astrid" His eyes narrowed "But you’ll just have to trust otten Jake and Mary Stone’s killers Even if the one directing them was beyond ht," I said, reassuring rinned, and the roo to be okay"

The nurses let ed, very irritated Mason I stayed by his bedside until I feared that if I didn’t get a shower, I’d soon be booted out of the hospital And I worried that even though he wasn’t really talking tofully He roaned in his sleep I went home and showered, then collapsed into bed Claude had promised to stop by Mason’s and feed Charlie I didn’t ask hoould get in And aside from me, Claude was Charlie’s favorite person I rested easier knowing that so, I woke before dawn

I blinked at the grayness of predawn shining into my bedroom and tried to pinpoint okeildness and so fay pulled at me And the fresh scent of outdoors and sunshine filled

I trotted down the stairs as quickly as I could onpulses of pain from my face, and sharp spikes frolance out the peephole, and threw ed nose a few inches away from his broad chest

He jerked in my arms and I ju here?"