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The car pulled to the curb, Griffiths at the wheel Baker led She was cautious, spraying Griffiths with holy water froeneral purpose container bottle and from one that looked to be part of her own private stash, to make sure it was truly hiet into the backseat

"Where to?" Griffiths half turned, looking at me over the top of the front seat as Baker clier side

"Home," I answered "Take me home"

"Princ … Ms Graves, we’re here"

I blinked in surprise, waking Griffiths seemed to be a quick learner, or perhaps Baker had clued hi and pulled out the reranted me entry to arage-door opener I have to enter a code and press ical bioe estate with elaborate security, for which I’h manicured lawns that leads to thelot

"How long was I asleep?" I was shocked It wasn’t even ten in the h couple of days," Baker said "And there are ht, of course My life had been rough, and for longer than a few days But the fact that I’d fallen asleep was a good sign--I’d chosen well With Helen Baker as my "partner," I felt secure And Griffiths must have proven hi As Griffiths pulled the car into the little parking lot near the guest cottage, I made up ot things straight into be useless "I’ to the beach"

They didn’t say a word Of course, they were sirens, so they’d know all about the call of the ocean I pulled my house key from my pocket and tossed it to Baker "My bedroom is the yellow one Feel free to take either the blue or the white"

I clie box on the back deck, and went looking for peace My private bit of beach is a little strip of sand and rocks that edge onto the ocean It’s too rough and rocky for good boating or surfing, but it’s beautiful I found a sandy spot next toat the ocean and watching the gulls play

Within ten minutes I reached an unpleasant conclusion Two hours later, I hadn’t changed my mind

I couldn’t help Okalani, no iven my information to the police via Alex and to Rizzoli via voice ood at her job If she found the kid, Okalani would be arrested and probably turned over to the feds If the feds found her, or got her froht be able to e for witness protection I’d seen it happen before

But if the sirens found her, she’d be killed Honorably or dishonorably, she’d be just as dead

The best thing I could do for Okalani was stay the hell away frouys who didn’t want her dead found her before the ones who did; and that either set found her before the villains

It sucked

Staring at the ocean didn’t ry I wished … Not that it mattered what I wished As my mom used to say, "If wishes were horses, we’d be up to our eyeballs in shit" In fact, I ht would leave at 2:00 PM from a private airstrip not far from town It was probably an hour’s drive from the office Since it was private, I’d be able to pack whatever weaponry I cared to bring I could strip the safe bare if I wanted I was going to take spell disks, uns, various auns filled with holy water I probably wouldn’t need the special loads on Serenity; there are no monsters on the islands Well, there aren’t supposed to be But we’d be going straight froht need them there, so I needed to pack them now if I wanted them later

I would also have time to ot back in town

I could hear Ron and Dawna arguing the moment I clio to the bathroom so bad I would’ve climbed back in and have Griffiths drive us so rush hour had offered up bus of coffee So I steeled myself and entered the lion’s den