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Her father had made it a policy not to socialize much with the hired help, as he called anyone other than the Regents the an emotional distance made it easier to make the hard decisions Maybe that worked for hients anization She wanted people to feel that she was approachable and open to their suggestions

She ducked into the ladies’ room to see how she looked This tie in a old tank top and , but clouds were gathering out over the Sound

Lacey had said they’d move the party inside if necessary Since she didn’t seem bothered by that possibility, Sasha wouldn’t worry either After retrieving the dessert she’d bought as her contribution for the evening, she flagged down a cab and gave the driver Lacey’s address

It wasn’t hard to find the right house on the block The driveas overfloith cars, with a few even parked on the lawn She’d heard the Paladins had drawn straws; those with short ones remained on duty so the rest could party Sasha paid the fare and cli a bit intimidated by the number of people who’d shown up

Even fro from the backyard--most of them male She braced herself and headed for the front door So for arrivals, because the door swung open before she had a chance to ring the bell

Her smile faded a bit when she saho it was "Lareh she should have It only made sense that Barak and Lacey would invite all the Kalith in the area Larem didn’t look any happier to see her

"Go on through the kitchen Lacey is expecting a few more people, so I offered to man the door until they all arrive"

There wasn’t much she could say to that, but she wasn’t about to let his presence ruin the party for her Luckily, Laurel spotted Sasha as soon as she stepped out on the deck The Handler made a beeline for her

Sasha slad to see a faood news!"

After Sasha told her about the funding, the two of the down on the backyard from the deck There were only a feo with Trahern The wo to had to be Lusahn q’Arc, her pale eyes and dark hair with silver streaks clearlyaround the yard who drew Sasha’s attention Despite havingthe and build, but each was a pri about the way they moved with such power and confidence Her cohts had taken

Laurel leaned her elbows on the railing beside her "If it weren’t for the whole secrecy thing, I’ve always thought if we could get these guys to pose for a calendar, we could all retire rich"

"You anize it in a heartbeat We could even use part of the money to fund so look "Think Devlin would pose shirtless? I’ DJ would for sure"

The words were no sooner out of her er alone Please tell her that Larelance at his face told the story He’d heard all right and wasn’t happy about it

"Here I thought you two ht be thirsty" He shoved a soft drink at each of theri tells me Larem disapproves of the whole calendar idea"

Then she winked at Sasha "Orto see DJ and Devlin half naked"

"Yeah, right And here I was going to ask him and Barak to pose for June and July"

Sasha took a long sip of her cola and watched Lareuy looked vaguely familiar, but not the woman "Who are they?"

"Hunter Fitzsimon and his fiancée, Tate They live about seventy miles north of here where he keeps an eye on another stretch of the barrier"

"I thought I recognized hiht? That’s probably where I’ve seen hiotten he’d been transferred out here"

Lareood friends with Larem?"

Laurel nodded "Yeah Lareht down Kincade He and Hunter struck up a friendship right after Hunterwhat happened to Hunter back in Missouri, but they’ve been good for each other"

The Handler was obviously referring to when Hunter had been tortured to death by Others Sasha didn’t know all the details, but she’d heard enough to make her skin crawl It was easy to understand why the friendship between Larem and Hunter would have come as a surprise

Laurel popped the top on her drink "But I shouldn’t be standing here gossiping Want to go ood" Sasha followed her down the steps to the patio "Can you introduce me to Lacey? We’ve talked on the phone but haven’t actuallyShe’s over there with her brother Penn and Barak"