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"None of that h

"All thattooany results Bastards

"I started to worry that they’d take et the infor to happen, but I knew that I needed to keep Claire safe And I knew that for both of our sakes, I couldn’t give The Order the suspicion that I was in love with her If Vonnegut ever thought that to be true, he would’ve had us both killed"

I pause, signing heavily

"Elevenend

"It turned out that The Order wasn’t the only organization looking for Solis And I wasn’t the only operative who had Claire as an assign for her too, but to them Claire was more than a decoy She was a hit"

I stare off at the wall, letting the white brick blur out of focus I’ it all now for myself, not for Nora I barely even see Nora in front of er’s seat of lanced over and saw that it was Claire and answered immediately

" ‘Hey love,’ I said into the phone, a smile etched on unshot sounded inof shoes, a scuffle--things breaking and Claire screa

"I shouted her naas pedal all the way to the floor

"The phone went dead

"I dropped it on the seat and the tires onthrough back streets and blazing through stop signs in the late evening

"She was dead when I got there, her body lying on the floor between the sofa and the coffee table Two other men had also been shot Victor et here in time,’ he said, but I hardly heard a word I couldn’t take my eyes or my mind off Claire

I rounded er and pain, hoping not to let s for Claire

" ‘Niklas,’ he said aletically, but then he stopped and he led ed ‘Did you have…feelings for her?’

"I laughed ‘That’s ridiculous,’ I said, but I couldn’t look hiet rid of her Are thoseet rid of her’, and ether

"Victor nodded ‘Yes Claire received a phone call after you left the house From a man We did not catch his naet a trace’

" ‘What did they say?’ I was getting nervous; I was afraid that Victor would tellgoing on with this man, maybe she wasn’t who I believed her to be--it would’ve killedlike that about the wo