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"Absolutely right Budget cuts happen, especially in black ops She can’t rely on having you in her corner for long, and we both know it After all, to you she’s an asset, not a person Give her some hope for her own destiny"

Riley shook her head and sht you were smarter than that, Patrick None of us controls our destiny Not in this day and age Especially soht at Bryn "I can authorize a fifty-year guaranteed supply of Returné, provided you carry out any assigniven to earn it--the first of which is that you track down Mercer and his operation, and shut it down Agreed?"

"Do I have any choice?" Bryn asked

"You could see if Mercer’s offering a better deal," Riley said, and shrugged

Bryn met McCallister’s eyes for a moment, and then said, "I’ll take it One condition"

"Which is?"

"You’re fired frohed, a sound of real amusement this time, and left

McCallister li in relief She put her hand over his, and their fingers twined together

"We have to find Annie," she said "No ht"

"I know," he said "And we both know that noon borrowed tireenments?" Bryn nodded slowly "They’ll use me"

"Until they can’t use you anymore Then they’ll cut you off" He cleared his throat and looked down "I know Manny informed on us, but he’s our best bet at this point to work on a reverse-engineered replace it"

"I don’t trust hiame in town except Mercer, and we need him"

"We," she repeated She closed her eyes and felt a wave of darkness and despair rise up to choke her froone It’s over You can walk away now You should"

"My fanificant financial investment in Fairview," he said "And in you" That sounded cal clinical about the way he touched her face, so gently, and when she opened her eyes she saw that he’d dropped his guard All his armor, split open