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Now she ht have lost Careat to consider that for even a second

Andshe could do Elise drew to a halt at the rain-spatteredHer breath stealass as she peered out, desperate to knohere her son ht be

With a burst of resolve, she pivoted around and went to the closet to retrieve her coat fro navy wool covered her ’s whites, falling down around her ankles Elise put on a pair of pale leather boots and left her quarters before fear could call her back She dashed down the stairwell to the door at street level It took her a couple of attempts to punch in the correct security code needed to unlock the door, for she couldn’t remember the last time she’d been out of the Darkhaven property The outside world had long represented pain to her, but maybe now she could bear it

For Ca Couldn’t she?

As she pushed the door open, chilly sleet stung her cheeks, carried toward her on a rush of cool fresh air Elise braced herself, then walked out, down the brick steps with their wrought-iron railing On the sidewalk below, thin clusters of people passed, so alone, dark uaits

For a moment--the smallest suspension of time--there was silence But then the ability that had forever been her bane, the extraordinary skill that came in unique form to every Breedmate, pressed down upon her like a hammer

--I should have told hi to miss twenty measly bucks, after all--

--told that old woain--

--he’ll never even knoas gone if I just go hoht her hands up to her ears as all the ugly thoughts of the human passersby bombarded her She couldn’t blot theed bats, a frenzied assault of lies, betrayals, and all manner of sin

She couldn’t take another step She stood there getting soaked with drizzle, her body frozen on the ay below her Darkhaven apartments, unable to will herself toher--anyone--to find hi but hold her head in her hands and weep

Chapter Nineteen

Dusk caht, ushered in on the steady spit of a cold Nove of thick black clouds The Flats section of Boston’s Southie neighborhood--probably nothing special to look at during the day, with its thickly settled collection of aluminum-sided duplexes and brick three-decker tenements--was reduced to a wet, colorless slue

Dante and Chase had arrived on Ben Sullivan’s dilapidated block about an hour ago, right after sunset, where they still waited in one of the Order’s dark-ed SUVs The vehicle was out of place here simply on the basis of its well-tended appearance, but it put off a distinct don’t-fuck-with-ers and other street thugs fro too close The feho had wandered near theto have a peek decided to lass fro and half-hoped one of the idiot huh to y

"You’re sure this is the dealer’s address?" Chase asked fro his fingers on the steering wheel "Yeah I’ this visit to Tess’s Criht he’ d better bring along some backup just in case Backup for Ben Sullivan, not himself Dante wasn’t at all sure the hu when he was finished with him if he’d co scuuy knew Tess, and no doubt knew her intie An unbidden sense of possession stole over him, a need to protect her froht Like Dante himself was some kind of prize

"How did you find it?" Chase’s question cut into his thoughts, snapping hi the huht, we didn’t have lance over at Chase, just lifted his shoulder in a shrug as memories of his hours with Tess swaot it," he said after a long minute " You Darkhaven suits have your methods; we have ours"

Just as another wave of itchy ilimpse of his quarry He sat up in the driver’s seat of the vehicle, glaring out into the dark The human caray hooded sweatshirt His hands were thrust into the pockets of a bulky parkalike vest, and the guy alking fast, throwing continuous looks over his shoulder as if he expected trouble on his heels But it was him, Dante was certain

"Here’s our ed up the concrete steps outside his flat "Let’s go, Harvard Look alive"

They left the vehicle on alar before the door closed behind hiility that came naturally to those of the vampire race By the time the human stuck his key in the lock of his third-floor apart hi room

"Motherfu--" Sullivan caht in a wedge of light fro flashed in the hunition, Dante thought, figuring he probably reer there too Pureout of the huot to his feet "What the fuck’s going on?" "How about you tell us," Dante said, willing a lamp to come on as he strode farther into the place Behind him, Chase closed and locked the door "I’uess this isn’t a social call"

"What do you want?"

"We’ll start with infor it"

"What kind of infor anxiously between Dante and Chase "I don’t knoho you guys are, and I don’t have any idea what you’re talking abou--"

"Now, see," Dante said, cutting him off with a chuckle, "that kind of bullshit answer puts us off to a real bad start" As the huht hand slid into the deep pocket of his down-filled vest, Dante so ahead and pull that gun out Just so we’re clear, I really hope you do"

Ben Sullivan’s face blanched as white as his apartment’s unpainted walls He pulled his hand back out, nice and slow "How did you--"

"You expecting soht?" Dante strode up to him and removed the beat-up 45-caliber pistol from his pocket without any resistance He turned to Chase and handed hi hardware for a piece-of-shit drug dealer, eh?"