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"I don’t believe our friend here fully appreciates the dangers of his chosen profession I think a small lesson is in order, after which you can send him back into the wild and let nature take its course"

Duncan released the human from the hold he had on his brain, and watched fear reassert itself as all the appropriate chemicals filtered back into thearound ide, terrified eyes as he took in his predicarinned at the struggling hu when Duncan left the base idly where Emma was It ell past the one hour after sunset tiuard he’d assigned to her and find out what she was doing But if anything significant had happened the guard would have called him by now Perhaps she’d had to work late or perhapsHis phone rang as he sat behind his desk Glancing at the caller ID, he saw that it was Jackson Hissong, the huuards Duncan frowned It wasn’t usual for Jackson to be around this late

"Jackson," he said, answering "You’re here late"

"Yes, ned to follow Emma Duquet today just reported in"

"Emma?" Duncan said, alert but not yet alarmed, since there was no tension in Jackson’s voice "Did soer, my lord, but she didn’t exactly sit in her office all day, so I thought you’d want to knohere she went"

"Why, yes," Duncan agreed "I’d be very interested in knowing that, Jackson"

Eate opened and she drove onto the estate She parked in her usual spot to the right side of the front door and got out of the car, slinging her purse and laptop over her shoulder Still riding the high of having found Violet, she practically skipped up the stairs

She opened the front door and stepped inside, blinking in surprise The big house was even noisier tonight It sounded as if they were tearing the place down fro to be neat about it, either Ducking her head against the possibility of flying debris, she skirted a pile ofas that anyway? Walls, maybe Walls that had been torn apart and--

"Look out below!" the warning shout sounded from above, and E the new layer of debris which plu pile

"Good God," she muttered, and peered back into the entryway

"Emma! There you are"

Emma did a double take as Baldwin joined her in the s hihed at her surprise "Va We heal like crazy, especially when someone like Duncan does the honors"

E his wrist for Baldwin to drink "Duncan’s blood did that?"

Baldwin nodded, suddenly serious "Duncan’s über powerful, you know"

She nodded slowly Baldwin had been dying on her floor last night This was beyond powerful This was fucking incredible "I’rinned "Me, too"

"I, u to say "I parked out front Should I move around back?"

"Nah GiveYou’re working with Louis, right? I’ll bring the keys up, but the big man wants to see you first He put out the word and didn’t seem too happy about it either"

"He didn’t?" Eave her a sympathetic look "Don’t worry, sweetheart He likes you, so it won’t be too bad You got those keys?"

She dug out her keys and handed the her a wink before disappearing outside Emma stood in the relative safety of the for So, Duncan was unhappy with her? Okay, so she hadn’t gone to work and rushed right back here, like a good little worker bee And maybe she was a little late, and maybe he’d been worried, but she had called And she’d found Violet Slayton, which was huge, if only anyone would listen Wasn’t this what she was supposed to be doing? Wasn’t that what this was all about?

Mentally squaring her shoulders, and kind of pissed that her good neas being trale step out of the former library, looked up carefully, then dashed up the stairs

Duncan was on the phone when she stuck her head around the half-open door of his office She had already started to step back into the hallhen he caught her eye and pointed at the chair in front of his desk Not that she had to obey him, but it would have been too cowardly to pretend that she hadn’t seen nor understood his gesture And as she worried about anyway? She sat on the designated chair and wished she’d changed clothes before co here At least then she could have sluht in her pencil skirt and heels like little Miss Priss

Duncan ignored her once she was in the chair He was sitting sideways to the desk and speaking to so about the basement and a vault and the water table She yawned pointedly A point which Duncan obviously got and didn’t appreciate, if the look he gave her was any indication Gee Too bad

Eerent with every et off the phone Who did he think he was anyway? She didn’t work for hiest break yet, and she was being irl And all because she’d taken the initiative instead of waiting hours for Duncan’s perhteous anger by the time Duncan disconnected and tossed the phone to his desk He stood and strolled over to the door, closing it quietly