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Chapter 24

Hallie

I woke up as the sun rose, openingabove me

Two levels of s, plus an observation deck The paint was a graying white, and the blue and yellow triy brass, and the s past

There was an echoing pain in h the open wounds were healed The irony that my mother had chosen my Achilles’ heels wasn’t lost on et me here? Where was Dune?

Black, low-heeled boots echoed across the boat deck Her apple red coat matched the color in her cheeks, and she should’ve painted a sunny picture But the brightness in her eyes wasrather than cheerful

"Hello, sunshine Did you sleep well?"

"Bitch" I flexed ht I’m aware of what Lily can do But Dune’s the one you want, and he’s going to think twice about the river"

"He’ll handle the water" And if he couldn’t, his friends could

"Doesn’ta ride" She curled her lip at our dilapidated surroundings "There’s a speedboat waiting a few miles away Our next destination involves a lot of open water It’s difficult to pinpoint a location when you’re always htness inits way through the railings and the wood, catching in the paddles at the stern There werethis

Aa tailored suit stood behind her Not part of the crew

"Oh, where are my manners?" Mom actually clucked "Let me formally introduce Jack Landers"

Jack was so pale he was almost transparent His eyes were dead in his face

"Pleased to ested that he was used to getting what he wanted, and his slick smile told me the rest A woman in a dirty yellow coat stepped out froers worried the buttons--open and closed, open and closed, over and over again She didn’t look atHer eyes were vacant Lost She had to be strung out on so heavily on a cane, the s ti business with you"

"I can’t say the saht me not to do deals with the devil It was always a bitch when he came to collect

Jack studied me "What have they told you about et what you want" I rolled to a sitting position, wincing when I tried to stand and couldn’t My ankles weren’t ready, and I felt too vulnerable on the ground "I’ with her"

He looked at the wo she didn’t ask me to do"

"You steal memories, and she doesn’t look like she can remember her own name" The woman stared vacantly in the direction of the shore Flecks of spittle gathered at the corners of her mouth "Did she ask for that?"

"She askedsoet It took a while, since there were a lot of … situations to work through" The two of them came closer Her hair was short and unke foryou from the me all of theht be"

The hair on the back oferased resulted in the ruin of the wo ankles It was tiain

"You think they’re your friends, but they’ll forget you easily They’re all so malleable" Jack looked at my mother "Does Hallie know Lily told us where to find the pendant? On Halloween, when I ‘borrowed’ her froht of Lily doing anything to help Jack or my mother "What pendant?"