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Peri hauled Allen up by his shirtfront and pushed hiainst the bed "I couldn’t have killed Jack," she said, shaking inside "I loved him"

"Peri …," Silas breathed fro through her as she kicked the dart gun farther fro up Silas’s coat, she tucked a shoulder under his arered into the hallway and the door shut behind theot my pen Peri took a breath--looked one way, then the other Silas was heavy, and they had a long way to go "That’ll work," she said, leading hi off it, and Silas snatched a frosted glass just before it hit the edge She felt sick as dishes crashed to the floor A door down the hall opened, then quickly shut

"You’re hungry," he breathed, clearly hurting as he carefully levered hi in their darts? Here Drink it in the elevator"

"Thanks" Peri got the cart"Please tell me you have your wallet"

"Yep" His head was bowed, one hand on hishis coat

The wind froood, even with the ache of Jack in her She was doing so and she wasn’t alone "Did I draft?"

"Nope" He looked up, sweat on his brow "You’re kind of scary, you know that?"

Peri felt a twist in her, part heartache, part unknown "Saving her anchor’s ass is what a drafter does," she said "It sort of hed, choking it off when his face pinched in pain Peri’s smile faded

Jack …

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

Charlotte’s pre amount of weekend traffic The food court was just inside the two-story-tallentry, and Peri liked that she could watch the s at the same tiet lost in while they regrouped, there was food and potentially so it even though the thought to go to the mall had occurred to her, too

No need to tell hi his thick fingers spin through the at-table ordering pad with the dexterity of a fourteen-year-old had more than surprised her The way he’d flirted with the server on skates bringing it out had set her back Even the sione a long way toward reassuring her that she was not going to die today

That was an hour ago Across the way, the two-story arcade popped and whistled, and as Silas bargained with the uys withaliens with a team from South Africa She wasn’t sure how she knew they wouldn’t be able to get off-planet without the keymaster who lived in the swao over, juht, tarnishing her good mood Had she really killed her anchor? Did he really shoot ry, Peri set down her chopsticks and broke open the fortune cookie It was stale, the sweet biscuit flat as she snapped it between her teeth and read the fortune The heart is stronger than the intellect, sheit across the table to land against Silas’s e Silas with that salesos and discount codes Since leaving the hotel, Silas had been silent and brooding, but he had bought her dinner Sighing, Peri looked at the plastic knife before slipping it into her empty boot sheath like a child’s proh

Finally Silas shook the rip as he wove iirls dressed in full Japanese schoolgirl charned to thwart facial recognition scanners Not a bad idea A phone would be great, but she wasn’t leaving without new underwear--even if she had to steal it off aas they were all holographic simules

"Better?" he asked as he sat down and shook his head at the three girls now singing what had to be the latest Hatsune Miku single at the top of their lungs The interactive , the siht buy

Peri crumpled up the nearly useless napkin and dropped it on the leftover rice "Veryit down to her still-damp socks "It was a little heavy on the le instead of before It’s an easy mistake to

Affront flashed through her and her eyes ca lot "I cook all the time," she said, e, but clearly the knowledge was there Sandy had once suggested she explore her new kitchen as a way to relax Clearly she had But why had Silas assu the silence, Peri said, "Mind if I borrow your phone and get soht by the flashing ads on the servers bussing the tables, fast on their in-line skates "Your sweater is looking a little tired, too Can I see your phone first?"