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I’m dumped into a chair The unpleasant screech of duct tape acco ain--

Then it hits me Maybe this isn’t random

A criminal operation--a professional one--that could be run by someone with a lot of et others to do his dirty work

But no, I tell myself He’s in love with my sister--for real, I’m sure of it Conley wouldn’t do this, unless--unless he realized I suspected hiot her," says the man just by my shoulder

Sonize his voice

Because it’s Paul

15

I CAN’T SPEAK CAN’T SWALLOW CAN’T BLINK

The unbearable terror of the past hour expands, explodes Every thought I have vaporizes Nothing remains but the hard truth: Paul kidnapped me

Who is he in this world? How can he be a part of this?

I hear hi Yet he speaks to the others in the rooirl I checked She’s not even as old as I am"

"Leonid said to pick her up if we had the chance," says one of therabbed me, I think From the sharper diction of his words, I can tell he’s pulled off the ski mask; I hope he stays behind me, because I don’t want to see his face I can’t see his face "We got the chance"

Paul swears under his breath; I rery Furious

And I’ry with

He didn’t mean for this to happen That has to be it Someone else, this Leonid person--that’s who kidnapped me Paul’s ht, but apparently he never meant for me to be hurt

Besides, a splinter of uy I love is in there, just beneath the surface I tella part in his decisions My Paul will protect et me out of this And now I have the chance I need to retrieve the next piece of Paul’s soul But the terror of the past hour will take a long time to subside My breaths coainst the duct tape every ti at the bottom of the black sack over ?"

Paul says, "The rest of you stay behind her She already knohat I look like"

Then he lifts the edge of the bag In the first instant, the light see a di in front of me He’s no er to be cruel Instead, he looks at me with much the same expression my own Paul would have in this kind of situation: worried for ry with my kidnappers, and determined to find the best way out

Really, the only different thing about hi Even if Paul could afford a sli Designer jeans, either The outfit suits hie way