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"So I hear You ready?"

"Yeah This your car?" she asked, eyeing the big SUV "Nice Can I drive?"

"You got a license?" Liz shook her head "Then the answer’s no But we’ll see about fixing that real soon Come on, it’s not far"

"Are we alht you said it wasn’t that far?"

Cyn didn’t answer i four lanes of congested traffic in a lasthorns from her fellow drivers

A few h McLaren Tunnel and were du less than an hour isn’t far in this town But it won’t be long now," Cyn assured her

Liz stared at the tight row of expensive houses sitting next to the highway, their front doors only feet away fro but the sand and the roiling black velvet of the Pacific Ocean beneath a nearly full ht," she said in a sreed "The problem is there’s no real center It’s sort of spread out all over the place"

"I guess"

Cyn glanced over "Mirabelle’s really excited about seeing you"

"Mave Cyn a sideways look "You’re sure it’s okay, right? I mean, Luci said I should trust you and all, but you don’t knohat Jabril’s like He’s really sneaky, and he gives the judges and everyone money, so they do whatever--"

"Liz"

"I love Mirabelle, and I know she tries, but he hurts her and--"

"Liz"

Elizabeth stared at her, eyes ith trepidation

"Elizabeth, honey, it’s okay Jabril doesn’t have any power here, and you can trust Raphael I trust him He won’t hurt Mirabelle and he won’t hurt you And even if someone tried to hurt you, I wouldn’t let the as you want, until you feel safe And anytio back to Luci’s, you say the word and we’re gone"

Liz sed hard

"Okay?" Cyn asked

"Okay" It eak, but definite

"Good enough," Cyn said with a grin "Because this is it" She gestured ahead and to the left where Raphael’s estate was nothing more than a dark forest of tall trees on the side of the road "It looks worse than it is," she confided "Once we get through the gate, it’s pretty nice" She ate "You’re sure you’re okay with this, right? If not, we’ll turn around right now and forget the whole thing"

Liz bobbed her head, sucking in a deep breath "No No, I’ood I want to see my sister"

"Don’t worry about theate Raphael’s va it and theed Cyn with a friendly nod, and she knew Alexandra had warned them about Elizabeth’s visit, but they followed procedure anyhich was the way it should be She heard Liz’s relieved exhale when the guards backed away and waved theate

"Scary," Liz said

"Yeah, pretty hter to me than Jabril’s"