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The grounds between the two houses were much more cultivated than the dense forest outside the walls The undergrowth had been cleared out to create a ant tree trunks of all shapes and sizes There was roo the six hundred dollars boots with hed At least there was a pathway, she thought, even if it was coreat Raphael had deigned to provide her with a flashlight to aught She’d flicked it on as soon as they left the house Much to the aotten some amusement of her ohen Elke discovered she wasn’t invited on this little ht stroll Juro hadn’t been too thrilled either, but he washis ee had been blatantand quickly cooled by a single glance from Raphael

"It’s not far now," Raphael commented She juhed in irritation when he appeared froht side She would have sworn he alking several feet behind with the Southern boy, but here he was gliding along next to her with an uncanny grace, his dark eyes flecked withhow anyone could ever mistake him for human Duncan could have passed easily, but Raphael was just toosoraceful, too predatory That’s what it was There was a predatory quality that surrounded him like an invisible cloak That’s what her hind brain had been trying to tell her earlier, screained herself running down Raphael’s elegant hallways, screa ah, but it triggered a little thrill of fear She didn’t kno to explain what she’d been laughing about without looking foolish, or , so she said instead, "Call ether, you can’t keep up with the Ms Leighton We’ll both get sick of it"

"Cyn," Raphael repeated thoughtfully "Interesting choice"

"C y n," she spelled

"Of course," he agreed "Ah, here we are"

Cynthia looked up and finally sahite light filtering through the tree trunks The path curved sharply up ahead, winding around a particularly thick stand of leafy trees before ee She stopped short, uncertain how to react to the "guest house" There was nothing about Alexandra’s house, not the design, the color, or even the landscaping, that was remotely similar to Raphael’s Southwestern style mansion It was a two-story French manor house, plucked whole from the 18th century, ashed walls and blue peaked roofs, dor ivy It re her college days, albeit a hell of a lot better kept than most of those It was even attractive, in an old country sort of way Except for a black and white checkered courtyard occupying the entire frontage like so in front of this house or any other to Cynthia’s ave Raphael a doubtful sideways glance He caught the look "Alexandra saw it in a

Cynthia let her raised eyebrows speak for her and turned back to the house, trying to see it as a crime scene From where they stood she could tell there was a separate entrance on the far side, with a driveway running directly in front of it, probably so they wouldn’t have to use the courtyard arish perfection of the black and white squares with regular wear and tear Of course, why pave the front of the das in the first place? But hey, not her house, not her decision She walked to the edge of the courtyard, then hesitated before stepping onto it "May I?" she asked for quite entertained by the whole thing

Cynthia crossed the squares carefully, very aware of the smooth surface beneath the leather soles of her boots There was no point in lingering here It was a certainty the kidnappers hadn’t come in this way If they had, Alexandra would never have been kidnapped She would have been too busy laughing as they slid around on the slippery marble Instead, Cyn went directly to the side door, and looked up the concrete paved driveway "This road connects to the main drive?"

"It does In fact, this is the terminus of the main drive It was only extended to reach this far when I built the cottage for Alexandra"

"And that was?" She didn’t really need to know; she was just curious

Raphael gave her a beo, wasn’t it, Duncan? Shortly after we built the new main house"

"Ten years lastup out of nowhere, which was soh Cynthia was pretty sure she’d seen hie earlier Raphael was h school now? She walked past the doorway and along the side of the house,presence Trees closed in all around, coht up to the walls of the house itself in the back She looked up beneath the eaves and spotted the gleam of a security camera This had to have been an inside job There was too much security around this place for souest house and back out again without getting caught

"Video?" she asked, tilting her head to gaze at the caital video and audio direct to a server in the baseht in question?"

"Certainly"

"Do I get to see it?" she asked, so responses

"Indeed, you do," Raphael interjected easily "That’s one of the reasons we’re here"

"And what’s the other reason?"