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I turned away froot out, I had a new text Dad, requesting an audience
I avoided looking at the bench as I crossed the courtyard No little girl, but the lullaby still hung in the air, floating on the cold autumn wind
The Chronos offices occupied a full square block in the Central Business District, just off Canal, in a building designated for Girard Industries Heavy security discouraged h, two floors of apparent telemarketers would’ve bored the But today, I’d been called to his home office
I liked to call it the throne room He didn’t like it at all
"Poe is where?"
"Tennessee" Dad wore his usual poker face "ICU at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center He was hurt, badly, but is expected to recover"
"How--"
"I don’t kno, Hallie Just that he had a terrible knife injury and almost bled to death But he didn’t"
I blew out a deep breath Dad’s words rolled through my brain like the crawler at the botto back to New Orleans?" I asked
Dad’s eyes closed briefly, and he pinched the bridge of his nose between his thuer
"Dad?"
"No idea" He dropped his hand "But if I let hie"
If I wanted to let loose, like Godzilla on an unsuspecting city, but people crossed oceans to avoid Paul Girard’s anger Not a good idea to cause et Poe back
"No one else has the sa to reason "Are you really willing to let him walk?"
"Possibly, yes"
"Can we talk about why?"
My father went to the any liquor cabinet, took a few ice cubes frolass half full of amber-colored liquid It was only on the rocks because lunchtiht-up
"Poe’s loyalties have come into question"
"Who would he be loyal to besides us?"
Dad set his glass down firmly and wiped hisback his suit jacket, exposing the lines of his holster
"No," I said "No way Not Poe"
The cutting edge of betrayal overrode the feeling of dread she usually conjured up
My mother
"How did you find out?" I asked
"She called As a courtesy"
I could iine how courteous that conversation had been
Dad and I didn’t talk about her, and only in business terh she’d stayed at Chronos I rarely went on jobs for her and had started to refuse thes easier for all of us" by choosing to operate out of her own office She’d only ht be able to give up her family, but she’d sure as hell stick around for science
"Why? Why would Poe do that?"