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Ally winced as I nored it and asked, "And Remo, he knows you’re out of prison now? He knows you’re in Seattle?" Her voice had gotten higher and higher the ed "He’ll know by now, no doubt Souards were easy to buy off Someone will have sent word"

"Then you have to tell someone!" she half-shouted, her cheeks pale and her face panicked "The police, soot the et out here and he’s wanted by the feds He won’t dare risk it He doesn’t knohere in Seattle I am, and he definitely doesn’t know about the exhibition and… Elpidio and all that shit"

"Christ, Axel…" Ally said, her voice cracking "I… I’ut twisted at the pain in her voice "Don’t be I’ve gotten through tougher shit People have wantedbullets" I tried tothe whiskey, I shoved it in her hands "You better take a drink"

Doing as I said, Ally knocked a shit load of the amber liquid down her throat But when she lowered the bottle, I could still see the concern in her expression

"Fuck, Ally," I said and, taking her arms, pushed her down beside me and crushed my mouth to hers Within seconds she’d melted under me and I pulled back "Don’t over-think all this"

Her eyes filled with tears and her fingers wrapped around the long hair falling in front of et a break, do you? There’s always so that haunts you"

The sadness in her voice cutmy throat, I said, "I did this all to myself, carina I caused the war, this is the fallout It’s karma"

"You deserve better," she whispered I could see how she much she believed that in her expression I had no idea what I did to deserve her

I closed ot more than I deserve One brother isin the NFL The other is heading to the NFL I got a wo wants to be withWhat more could I want?"

"For people to trust you For your brothers to know you’re a sculptor, for your brothers to accept you again… for you to be at peace, to be happy"

Shuddering a breath, I said, "I ain’t sure any of that will ever happen, and if it doesn’t, it’s fine I gotto say more, but I really didn’t wanna talk about this shit no more She could see it my expression

"Lay besidedown to her left, I cracked a hint of a grin when she lifted ht, huh?" she said, her finger tracing down the rosary tattoo on my chest