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"Not that fast, no, but we do it all the ti like a psychiatrist "You must have wanted to remember, hence the memory knot"

"It was not a memory knot," she protested, but his head was down over his phone

"I need to make a call I want you to meet someone"

Uneasy, Peri reached for the coat "One of your alliance friends?" she said bitterly as she shoved her arht

Silas hesitated, cell phone in hand as he saw she had her coat on "Where are you going?"

She didn’t know, but she couldn’t stay here Jack was dead, and she could hardly breathe

They both turned at the soft knock on the door and the muffled "Room service"

"There’s potential here, Peri, more than I’ve seen in five years At least stay until you’ve eaten," he said as he put his phone in a back pocket and strode to the door

Peri’s stoht of food, and she fell back down in the chair, rubbing the blue upholstery and feeling a matted, dirty maroon carpet instead Where did we make love? What city e in? She closed her eyes so they wouldn’t well up She felt drained, exhausted, aching with the knowledge of Jack There’d been a button under the bed It was a talisman--she’d felt the pull to it even in the memory It was probably in her apartht be able to recover the ht, with or without Jack That’s why drafters made talismans in the first place

"Co," Silas said as he ot a spot by the ," he said as he unlocked the door and pulled it open

Peri’s head snapped up when Silas cried out, falling back to crash into the closet door and slide to the floor Eyes wide, he plucked a red-fletched dart from his shoulder

Allen stood in the hallway, black curls swinging as his dart gun shifted to her Behind him were three men, the cart with their fries and , she rolled to hide behind the chair

"Got her!" Peri heard a man say, and on her hands and knees, Peri looked at the red-fletched dart stuck in her arm Horrified, she yanked it out, relieved that the thick coat had absorbed its length She was untouched

"How did you find her?" Silas groaned And then his air puffed out as someone kicked him The dart was probably aand make her easier to catch