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"I still think that should be our last resort Shooter won’t go for the kill himself He’ll send his Arcadian or Bruiser, and I’d rather not go against the Arcadian just yet Not until we’ve got precautions in place to counteract any ability he ht have Good news is, we’re close That handheld I found at Marks’s place? Our tech hacked through the security progra"

Her eyes widened "We were right, then"

"Looks like" A flicker of rage, quickly contained Sex crimes pissed him off Hector had never been raped, but his will had been disregarded countless ti helplessness, the terror of being trapped in your body as other people hurt you "Devyn was right So her said there haven’t been any disturbances yet, but Mia’s adding a few more just to be safe"

"You know, this is bad of me to say, but I really hoped Brenda Marks did it I would have loved to lock her away But okay, she didn’t do it A flesh peddler did How has he stayed in the shadows so long? Why hasn’t someone talked? Like a resentful ho’s been cheated on? Or children alked in on their dad banging the weird chick in chains in the basearete for a li out, so he bought her for a little while longer He neverwas online and by phone But there’s no website"

"If there’s no website, how’d he learn where and how to buy her?"

"From a friend, but he didn’t put the friend’s name in his notes Maybe to protect hiarete delivered to hily walked to his door"

"Marks wrote that a tall guy with ain, he didn’t uy was there as more than a delivery quiet"

"Makes sense"

"Also, there’s a caveat to every buy If you want to tell a friend so he can get a feet permission If you tell anyone without perot your companion, you die You tell anyone about the transaction, you die"

"So who’s disappeared in the wealthier circles, like that up-and-comer Devyn mentioned? As quiet as this entire operation has been kept, there have to be more than two victims"

"I’ll do a search"

"Meanwhile, let’s deconstruct the night of the murder No one could teleport into Bobby’s house So someone had to either co another bite of cheesecake, "or sneak in Since there’s no sign of a break-in, I’ words, he instantly realized He gulped, trying to s back his sudden rise of renewed desire

Oblivious, she licked her fork like it was a lollipop Or his cock At the sight of that gorgeous pink tongue, Hector experienced full-on arousal, no more of that al it That tongue had given him those same kinds of so-delicious strokes, and he wanted to feel all that wet heat between his legs again And again

He shouldn’t haveher had beco the veins in his ar?" she asked, reading his approaching panic before he did

He shook his head "Nothing I’utter "So someone comes to Marks’s door and, late as it was, Marks had to know him or he wouldn’t have answered The journal doesn’t mention an Arcadian, so it had to be Bruiser"

"Maybe the Arcadian ith hi with the shooter, remember? So Bruiser couldn’t have been the one to pick Marks up The Arcadian appeared with Marks, so the Arcadian was the one to go and get him"

"Could this Arcadian be so powerful that he can teleport past Bobby’s shields?"

He’d never heard of such a thing, but then, wasn’t he living proof that the impossible was always possible? "I’ll have our techs look into it"

A knock hammered at the door

Interruptions were standard; so to ask at least once an hour Hector didn’t bother checking his ID screen Frowning, he punched the code to allow the intruder inside

The block slid open, revealing a sent didn’t enter He took in the inti’s happened, Hector tried to project

"You’ve got a visitor," Dallas said "And you’re not going to believe who it is"

His frown deepened "Who?" He wasn’t expecting anyone

"Not you," Dallas said,to Noelle

"Her" "Who is it?" she asked, confused

"Me"

A tall otherworlder Hector recognized but had never met stepped beside Dallas He was eerily handsoth radiated fro to waft from hiht have claimed to like a man in uniform, but there was no way she would scoff at the perfect lines of the perfect pinstriped suit the perfect bastard wore I will kill him

"If you’re here to file a corowled, "you can--"

"I’aze re every luscious detail

"Oh … shit," she hter Hector’s hands curled into fists Maybe Corban wasn’t here to complain, but he wasn’t here to thank her, either One harsh word uttered in Noelle’s direction, and Hector would lash out, no matter that he could lose his job When it ca that there were no lines he wouldn’t cross

"Good to see you again, Elle" There was so uy’s voice, the air practically thickened with sensuality

"Uh, you, too, Blue"

See her … again? When had they last gotten together? And who the fuck did the ball player think he was, using a nickname with her? They were broken up And why the hell was she unco made Noelle uncomfortable

He opened his mouth to question the Arcadian, but when Corban shouldered Dallas aside to crouch just in front of Noelle, Hector’s e blistered through hi to physically force the man to back off Mine, she’s rinned, unconcerned by the ani twins"

Twenty-nine

DALLAS PASSED HECTOR A few fingers of scotch before downing his own They both needed the alcohol For different reasons, yeah, but need was need

The pair of them sat in a shadowed corner of Wonderland, Hector’s favorite bar The tables were made of reen-scented bubbles soh the air Weird round, the beat fast and erratic, and when you studied the walls hard enough, you could see little fairies peeping out fros, always a nice co?" he asked, miserable in a way he’d never been And he’d been pretty dahout his entire life!

"Who knows?"