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I hand Seth back his phone "How the fuck did you get that?"

"What you don’t know can’t hurt you Don’t ask Don’t tell"

"Now you sound like Eht you indicated she was giving you answers?"

"She’s in trouble and she doesn’t want to dragsomeone I care about to crash and burn on her own is who I a selfish still weighing oncartel How safe a her?

"Easy, man," Seth says "I didn’t realize this was as serious as it clearly is"

"Back to the pill bottle," I snap, crossing my arms in front of my chest

He settles his hands on his hips under his jacket "Unfortunately it was eet it tested for residue"

Nick being his ex-FBI buddy whose private security tea to call Brody and invite him to dinner on the pretense of corporate sponsorship," I say "If I can sit doith hiht now Maybe I can even get him to talk"

"Brody isn’t our problem," Seth says, "at least not i noticed It’s only so long before the FBI gets word of her claims and the Martina cartel as well And for her, that could be lethal"

"She wants money," I say "Give it to her In payreement that ensures she won’t hold us captive for more"

"As in how much?"

"Start low and cap it at three hundred and fifty thousand, but you handle it Not Nick or one of his people I trust you Not the Nick here at the hotel to hand over theho the hotel and her apartment" He eyes the bathroom area as an elderly woman exits the hallway "Unless you need ot Emily handled"

He studies me for several beats, as if he wants to ask the questions about Emily that I can’t answer, then inclines his chin and starts walking My gaze goes to the bathroo feels off I walk toward the bathroom and I’ain, when Rita catchesback in there no matter how much you paybrown hair Blue eyes and she’s wearing a navy skirt and blouse"

She glowers, but sighs and heads in that direction I follow her to the door and wait, ready to just walk inin One Two Three Four The door opens "There’s no one in here"

"Holy fuck"

"Wow," she says "Shane Brandon’s been blown off"

I ignore her, already walking toward the lobby, my phone in my hand and Seth’s auto-dial punched in "E her"

"She hasn’t co myfrom Shane’s confrontation, which I’d foolishly convinced myself would never happen, I round the corner to enter the lobby now bustling with people, leaving Shane, along with a piece of my heart, behind in the bar White tiles line my path to the front exit of the hotel Shane calls hoht be able to with him But this is no yellow brick road, with an e on o, before I got this close to Shane, before soht I could be a problem I can’t believe a kiss and a proet how unfair the burden of erous Even knowing this, standing there in that bathroom, he’d made me believe he could take on every monster in my closet and win To exit the bathroom and find him absorbed in an intense conversation with Seth had thrown much-needed water in my face I don’t have one monster to defeat I have many, some of which are not just powerful, they’re capable of destroying hi hie to turn and look behindof the hairs on the back offollowed or watched It’s all I can do not to at least peek over my shoulder, or quicken my pace, both of which will draw attention toin a cab, even if it ure out later I’ to the elevator bank, and ood way to get trapped, but I cut right and down the hall, hoping for a true escape All I need to do is get outside, and lost in the ood plan, but it’sthe cars, I punch the call button and hugfor Shane or Seth or who knoho else to round that corner Almost instantly, the doors to one of the two elevators open and I rush inside, facing the panel, about to punch the garage level, when a realization hitsfor yet another plan, I punch in the gy there, which could buy ain, I wait to be sealed inside, collapsing against the hen no one stops my departure Then I watch each floor tick by