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She looked at hi you in soyour brother murdered a woman? Isn’t it better to find out what really happened?"

"No"

Tears swaaze "I want to help you"

"You can help best by never speaking to Fellows again

And stop trying to find out what happened Proton always toldsin" "I’ll keep you safe, I promise you, my Beth"

"Very well," she whispered "I’ll stop"

Relief relaxed his body He pulled Beth into his arainst him "Thank you" He kissed her hair "Thank you"

She reached up to kiss him As he slid his lips over hers it didn’t occur to hiiven up a shade too easily

Chapter Nineteen

When Beth woke much later, Ian slept next to her, his naked body touched by la with sweat from their passion When he’d cliain, but he’d closed his eyes at the last ainst his warht not want to know the truth, but the truth was that Sally Tate and Lily Martin had died, lost their lives Beth knew enough of ga-term relationship with a wealthy protector, their lives could be short and brutal The wrong chent could beat them senseless, even kill them, and no one would care They were just whores

Even if the girls rew older and lost their looks they could be turned out, sent to live on the streets again Those with protectors fared better, but only if the protector was kind to therace of God and the kindness of Thoton, she could have become one of them

Fellows didn’t care that the women had died; he wanted only to destroy the Mackenzies Ian cared--she could see his sorrow for Sally and Lily and his ownhis brother The brother who had delivered Ian froround her teeth Da Ian away because Ian had seen what he wasn’t supposed to see Daaratitude to Hart

Beth hadn’t understood at first why Isabella had walked away from Mac "when she obviously still loved him She understood better now Beth wasn’t certain what Mac had done to upset Isabella so much, but then he was a thickskulled, stubborn Mackenzie Wasn’t that enough? A sweet debutante like Isabella hadn’t stood a chance Beth rose and dressed herself She’d learned to dress si to tend the old lady any tiht Ian didn’t wake He lay facedown, his body relaxed, eyes closed Laht brushed the firht e and beautiful , and so very vulnerable Hart had called him that And yet, Hart had backed down from him

I love you, Ian Mackenzie Beth’s heart ached