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His jaw tight, Manuel nodded

"Good Keep one hand straight up in the air Using your other one, pull the picture down, then unlock the safe If you attempt to open it or reach inside, I’ll blow your head off" She wasn’t bluffing and he uy on the floor was still htly, she pulled the hammer on the revolver back She didn’t technically need to because it would still fire, but she wanted to h he continued to whiun was still pointed at Manuel When he still hadn’t moved, she nodded at the tacky picture "Do I need to repeat , his dark eyes full of hate, he shook his head and did as she’d instructed When the safe was unlocked, she leaned back, staying out of range in case it was rigged, but there eapons inside, just as he’d said Nothing er stash soal weapons, but this is what she’d co on top of one of themost of her concentration on the men Careful to touch only the weapons, she placed theun at Manuel "Take off your clothes"

His eyes widened "What?"

"Do it or I’ll shoot you"

He must have believed her because he quickly stripped down to his socks With tattoos and a hell of a lot of scars for someone likely only in his thirties, she had no doubt he’d lived a hard life But he’d tried to rob her and would have probably done worse so she had little pity

"Now lay on the floor, hands stretched above your head You too," she ordered

The thug rolled onto his sto and they both put their hands above their heads while staying face down This part was going to be tricky but she’d been in a lot worse situations before Walking backward toward her escape, her back brushed against the beads She added the revolver to the duffle bag but kept the other weapon in her left hand The beads jangled around her as she grabbed the metal rack next to the entrance

It wasn’t bolted to the wall and there wasn’t ripped it and shoved it forward onto the men They cried out as they realized what she’d done

Without waiting to see what happened she turned and sprinted for the front door Unlocking it took precious seconds, but then she was into the parking lot and running without incident By the time she made it to the car she was afraid at least one of them would have chased after her, but luck was on her side

Tires squealing, she hauled ass onto the lance in her rearviewher, so she allowed herself to push out an unsteady breath of relief Daotten her adrenaline pu like that It reminded her of her old job, back before she’d hated it Back when so her shoulders, she tried to clear herHer real phone, not the burner phone--which she still needed to trash

When she saw Harrison’s nuainst each other Driving with one hand, she answered "Hey"

"Hey, honey" There was an odd edge to his voice

Immediately she looked in the rearview mirror as fear flooded her Harrison was very resourceful but he wouldn’t have followed her Would he? No, she’d been so careful when she left the shelter that she would have known if she’d had a tail "Hoork?"

"Busy Gonna have to stay later than I thought, but I’ll pick up dinner unless you’re planning on cooking?"

Cooking was the last thing on her mind Plus she sucked at it "Do you want ot hi her by surprise, he pushed out an amused breath "Takeout it is"

"How about that Greek place you know I love?" Which they’d recently discovered ned by a relative of Grant’s girlfriend

"Sure… Hoork?"