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"Why should I believe you?"

He took the question seriously, conte while "I have no proof other than what I told you last night I’ve been in Rieux for nearly teeks--they know hts If your father were to see rand anxious fro, Scarlet squinted down the double barrels If he was lying, then this was one of the randmother from her He was cruel He was evil He deserved a bullet between his eyes

But he was her only lead

"You’ll tell er, she lowered the shotgun so that it pointed instead at his thigh A nonfatal target "And you’ll keep your hands where I can see the you into this house doesn’t mean I trust you"

"Of course" He nodded, all coestured with the gun for Wolf to co He see in the stucco walls and dark-stained staircase, before passing by her into the hallway He had to duck so his head wouldn’t hit the door fra to take her eyes fro itself as well as it could His attention shifted to the rotating digital photos on the wall that showed Scarlet as a child olden autuer in her first military uniform

"This way"

He followed her gesture into the kitchen Scarlet glanced at the picture just as her grand in after him

She spotted her portscreen on the counter, still displaying a picture of an alpha male with hisher back on the street fighter, she propped the gun into a corner of cabinets and grabbed her red hoodie from the back of one of the chairs She felt less vulnerable as she shoved her ar knife from its block on the counter

Wolf’s eyes flickered once to the knife, before taking in the rest of the kitchen They landed on the wire basket beside the sink, his pupils widening with hunger

Six glossy red tomatoes filled the basket

Scarlet frowned as Wolf dropped his gaze

"You "

"I’ at the table with the knife

Wolf hesitated only for aout a chair He didn’t scoot it back in as he sat, as if he wanted to give hih space to jump up and run if he had to

"Hands where I can see them"

He looked a breath away froers on the edge of the table "I can’t iht"

She scoffed "Really, you can’t i board and slammed it down on the table opposite froaze, rubbing a finger into an ancient scratch in the wood "It’s been a long time since I lost control like that I don’t knohat happened"

"I hope you didn’t co to set down the knife or turn her back on hirabbing first a loaf of bread, then two tomatoes

"No--I told you why I’ure out rong"

"Perhaps you should go back to thewas a valid career choice"

A long silence went unbroken as Scarlet, still standing, sliced a hunk off the bread and tossed it at Wolf, who caught it easily

"You’re right," he said, picking at the crust "That’s probably where it started" He sank his teeth into the bread, barely chewing before he sed

Baffled that he had no argurabbed one of the to the need to keep her hands busy She ruthlessly pushed the knife into its flesh, ignoring the seeds that oozed out onto the board

Skewering the to with a plate A mess of bread crumbs on the table were quickly joined atery red juice

His gaze was distant as he took the slices from her "Thank you"

Scarlet threw the tomato’s vine into the sink and wiped her hands on her jeans Outside, the sun was rising fast and the chickens were growing restless with their clucking, wondering why Scarlet hadn’t fed them breakfast when she’d been out

"It’s so peaceful here," Wolf said