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Two of thenored his cries If he stopped now, he’d kill Loren without a thought As for the wo of the lastCertainly not Mariane or Jeremy, and especially not Cyn

As for her brother, Curtis He wouldn’t be a probleht

Chapter Thirty-Seven

"What the hell you want, Murphy?" Ellen nudged the rifle to emphasize her question It was an amateur’s move, but at this distance, it didn’t make much difference

"Ellen," Colin said quietly, aware that Sophia had grown perfectly still behind him He held his hands up where the wo to cause problems I heard there was so to figure out what happened"

Ellen regarded hiton It was a nice rifle and, ae a blind ht" Her voice wavered when she said it, but the rifle didn’t "That’s not like him"

Colin nodded "I heard there was some trouble," he repeated

Ellen stared at hi to decide how much to say or whether she could trust hiuns were fired, Ellen If soain, glaring at him suspiciously "Where’d you hear that? What’d you--"

That was all she ed to say before Sophia stepped deftly around Colin, wrapped her fingers around the rifle barrel and tore it from Ellen’s hands, al the rifle out to Colin with her right hand, she held Ellen immobilized with her left and said, "Shall we take this inside?"

"Well, shit, Sophie," Colin drawled "It was goin’ so well, too"

"I can give her the gun back if you’d like?" she said, sht, let’s see what Ellen has to tell us"

Sophie had wanted to use her vampire mojo to force Ellen to talk, but Colin had persuaded her to let hi her neck and glaring at Sophie, it hadn’t taken long to convince her that Colin had nothing to do with the ht about Leon telling her ent on at the bar, but he’d never enuinely worried about her husband and had no one else to turn to

"Leon didn’t have nothing to do with them," Ellen insisted for the third time "They met in the bar, but that was it He can’t turn away customers because he don’t like their politics He’d have no one at all if he did that Besides, even if he knew they was planning so was going on, he could have told me, Ellen"

She scoffed noisily "Your buddy McWaters was right in the middle of ‘eh," he ground out, still feeling the punch of Garry’s betrayal

Ellen shrugged "I’ll tell you thison taking ‘em on, I hope there’s a lot more than just you two" She eyed Sophia distrustfully "Even if one’s a va her attention away from Sophie "Did Leon mention anyone besides Garry?"

"Curtis Jenkins, who else? He’s been trouble since day one"

Colin nodded "Where’s Leon now, Ellen? I’d like to talk to hiave hiht," she whispered "I figured I’d find hi off a bender" Her eyes filled with sudden tears "He’d have called me if he could, Murphy He knows I’d worry"

Colin swore under his breath "Okay I’o with you I can--"

"No," Colin said i of Raphael and his va Babe’s and the woods around it "I’ll check it out and call you"

"You can’t force me to wait here, Murphy I’ Ellen’s neck as she eased her onto the couch Clearly after having zapped her unconscious, or whatever the hell it was that vampires did

"Geez, Soph, could you warn me before you do anymore of that vaue with her Raphael will be on his way by now, and we don’t want to miss the hunt"