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Noelle bolted fro She tried to breathe, tried to push away the i in her head, the ones that lay on the surface of the table only five feet away

It didn't help She couldn't stop her sto

And then David was there He put a hand on her head and wrapped his ar He said nothing, but just the touch of another huain control

Slowly, she was able to breathe again and she leaned back against his chest, panting

He stroked the cold, sweat-da for her to calm down

Noelle didn't dare turn around and risk seeing those pictures again She didn't think her sanity would hold out if she did "I didn't know," she said

She felt David nod behind her He was close, holding her tight, coood men kill"

"Did you, uh, kill the men who did that to your wife?"

He went stiff, every ht so, but I rong There was at least one left Maybe uessed

"Yeah," he said, his voice tight with hatred

Noelle had no idea how difficult itviolence There was nothing natural about his loss He could find no coo, as had been the case for Noelle's grandmother His wife's life had been cut out from under her, spilled onto a cold cement floor Stolen

Noelle wondered what sort of strength it had to take for David to go on after soht I'dhke that to a woed her death and protected countless others fro," he said "The Swarain I can't let that happen I need your help"

Noelle understood what heMen like David did horrible things so that normal people didn't even need to know about the kind of evil they fought It was an honorable, messy, thankless job

One she could help make easier One he couldn't do without her help

Noelle wasn't convinced that violence would prevent violence, but e only she could provide

Noelle steeled herself for what she was about to do, unwilling to turn away from David's plea for help His wife's plea She didn't want to deal with the guilt of causing the death of another, no matter how distanced she was fro had to be done to stop the Swarht Maybe the only way to stop them was to kill the the e that could be used offensively, she had to be strong like David and do so she hated because it was necessary Noelle only prayed that what she was about to do wouldn't murder her own soul

She pulled away froainst the wall for support She needed to look into his face andher the truth "If I help, can you givein your power to see ainst anyone but the Swar to find the rest of the overnment property"

"And can you proive them what they want?"

"No, but I can proo, I'll break you out of wherever they're holding you" He gave her a feral smile "Even if it kills me"

Noelle pinned him with a fierce stare "I won't let you die for me, David I'm not worth the price of another hued as if his life orth no esture "You're a lot more valuable than you think"

"So are you," she told hi in his expression shifted, softened "Does thatDavid recover fros she wishedcode Noelie didn't know Mary, but helping David see tribute to the woman who had loved hi to do everything in her power to prove to David that Mary's death wasn't his fault "Yeah It does"

CHAPTER EIGHT

David desperately needed so so badly that he didn't trust hi hot coffee onto his lap He stared at the stea himself to relax

Monroe placed a fatherly hand on David's shoulder "You did the right thing by showing her those photos, son"