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"We?" Cole spat His eyes ild, and his chest heaved up and down "We?!"

Gene grew quiet, pausing as his eyes lingered on Cole for a moment "Well, me and a few others We lost Stephen and Jimmy last year They didn’t knohen to keep their "

"So not all of the elders are involved?"

There was a beat of silence

It extended to another ot it Gene wasn’t as connected as he’d ured it out, Cole

"You’re an idiot, Gene," he said "A coh?"

"You think you’re so sured this out Ever" He waved a finger at hi to his eyes "If it had been Carter on that stairwell just now, he would’ve gotten it the second he saw Eainst her will He would’ve launched an attack then and there Hell, we’d probably all be dead if it’d been him and not you"

He puffed up his chest, as if he were boasting "But no, lucky for us, Carter’s still being questioned The police want to pin everything on him Who do you think he’ll co co that’ll keep him out is…"

His beady eyes swiveled back toout uards, ere able to scoop you up We knew right where you were, and for once, you weren’t protected I can’t let this opportunity go to waste"

"You’re sick, Gene"

He shrugged "No matter how much Carter tried to push you onto us, your place was deemed irrelevant the day your father died"

"So you’re with the Bartels? You’re working with the He enjoyed this I saw it now--it was almost time He bent down and opened a drawer

I sucked in un