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"Yeah, I guess you’re right," she said, changing her tune "Okay, maybe he’s not so sexist, after all"

Woirl power

We arrive back in Hallowell before dark and head to The Cove on the Kennebec River to meet up with the other packs Fortunately, we didn’t have to make the trip to New Jersey to find Treven and his pack After calling three of Treven’s last known phone numbers, by the fourth, his ht one of his pack e Nathan for control of the Maine territory, that if I ever needed hi that he’d be there

And he held true to his word

"Isaac," Treven announces enthusiastically as Nathan and I get out of the Jeep in the Cove parking lot

He’s a tall, broad-shouldered black guy alrabseach other’s backs with our free hands He does the saet out of Xavier’s red and black Dodge Challenger

"So it’s finally going down?" Treven says, turning his attention back tos his head in that kneas-coirlfriend, waves at us from their car

Six more vehicles pull into the lot; all of thereet each other when they get out

"Look, ht into the inevitable, "I just want to say up front that I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want any part of this--you knohat my father is capable of and I don’t want to leave anyone with any delusions"

Three , toothy smile returns "I wouldn’t miss this, man," he says and his voice rises so that everyone, even those walking toward us can hear hi tyranny--I may not have been here for randfather?"

No, I did not know that…

Treven goes on, still sainst you or your brothers--been kinda’ waitin’ on this day, to be honest I think everybody kneould be one of his own sons ould dethrone hi about this that I don’t like," so!"

A tall, blond-haired guy speaks up, "Your father scares the shit outta me," he says with his hands buried in his pockets, "but count me in"

"So why now?" Treven says and all of the voices carrying around on the air beco the answer ht not be what any of them are prepared for

I take a very deep breath, "The truth?"

"Yeah, out with it," Treven says

"Adria killed Aramei"

The s back at me just freezes in a shocked mosaic of wide eyes and open mouths and immobile limbs

It takes Treven all of twelve seconds to blink "You’re fking serious?" He turns his chin in a sidelong glance

Isis gets out of the car and struts over in her high-heeled black boots "What did you just say?" She’s not ser points upward ather by the waist

"No, Trev," she argues, pushing his hand away, "if he said what I think he said, this won’t be a battle, it’ll be a h without this, but it bein’ about the murder of his wife?" She draws in a deep, abrasive breath and shakes her head over and over

"It doesn’t ," Nathan speaks out besideto happen no hting with hi to rebuke it

"Look," I say, putting up my hand--(Isis hates ainst you if you don’t fight, but Nathan’s right: if you choose his side over mine, ill treat you and kill you as one of therily away from Treven and walks back to the car "Lunatics," she hisses just before the car door closes off her voice

Two iant monster truck