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It was official, I was part of the fa in to take care of me just like she did the rest of the crew I could have kissed her for it I looked at ood She had dark circles under her eyes and looked worn down and empty I could literally see the way her heart and soul were hurting in her shadowed gaze

"I think that’s a good idea I’ll call Royal on the way and see if they have any information on Oliver as well"

Cora told uy that just couldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer has wreaked havoc with one of our girls I kno stressful and dangerous the situation can be You need to take care of her"

I walked around the lounger and wrapped Cora in a tight hug, and so really struck me as permanent and definite when I told her thank you and she pulled back and told me point-blank, "We take care of our own"

Poppy climbed to her feet as well and offered Cora a wobbly suys and this place I really think it here she was always destined to be"

Cora laughed and followed us down the stairs as we headed back into the shop "Of course it’s where Salem was supposed to be Rowdy is here and I think it’s pretty obvious to anyone that’s been paying attention that they were bound to end up together"

We went downstairs and I had to wait a second for Rowdy to look up fro on When he did, those summery eyes chased soonna take Poppy to your place She’s exhausted and hanging on by a thread"

He looked around ht Wanna give me twenty minutes and I’ll follow you so that I know you’re safe? I can cancel my last two appointments for the day"

I would feel better with hi as we stuck together and eren’t going to my place but to his "I think it’ll be fine, but if you want to come home early when you’re done, I won’t complain Poppy really needs to rest Can you stop by rab Jimbo and soive hi down and snapped off the black latex gloves covering his hands He got to his feet and dug his keys out of his pocket He fiddled with the ring until he handed two loose keys over to me He placed theht next to irl has ever had the keys to ot hot all over and wanted to kiss his face off, but ere at work and it wasn’t the tiers around the metal and sreeeisha tattoo he was putting on his client

I went back to Poppy and hooked uided side er seat and didn’t say anything toand disheartening, to say the least I just let her be, and once we got to Rowdy’s apartreement that we planned to hustle inside just to be safe Neither of us wanted to linger out in the open until we knew for sure the authorities had located Poppy’s soon-to-be ex-husband

I had some stuff scattered around Rowdy’s place already I had beenmy way into his life, into his space, subconsciously for weeks and weeks I wasthat’s what I was doing I just neededand some provisions for my sister and I could camp out there indefinitely

I was just about to shut the car door and click the locks closed behindbrakes made me pull up short I looked over the top of the open door I was holding and felt all the blood rush out of ht next toopen violently Before I could react in any way other than to freeze in surprise and shock, a short ot out of the car and pointed atnervously next to ood situation

"Get in this car, Poppy" He didn’t yell, didn’t posture, he just told her what to do in a coolly cla

"No" Poppy didn’t say it I did But there was no way I was letting her go anywhere with hier staative at hi his voice and coun froht at ood part of town I had seen guns before and even witnessed gun violence at a club here or there along the way What I had never had happen to bedown the barrel of one with a er on the other side of it

"Get In The Car Poppy" Each as hollow, deliberate, and laced with evil

I could hearand felt the tension between all of us wind up and scream with the need to break My hands curled around the fraun

"Move! I will shoot your sister I should do it anyway as a favor to your father"

I sed hard but refused to react I had a feeling if I soway he would feel justified in pulling the trigger Why hadn’t I thought this through? Of course, if he had followed me home to see where I lived, the lunatic would have followed ht have been lurking outside of the shop all day just waiting for his moment I felt like an idiot, andto suffer

"Oh my God" Poppy whispered the words and I saw her move out of the corner of my eye

"Don’t!" I couldn’t stop the coun went off in a thunderous BANG I gasped and watched at the bullet skated across the hood ofin terror I had always been independent and confident that I could take care oftwenty minutes for Rowdy to co about having hiht noI could desperately use right now as the gun was leveled at ain

"I will shoot you I don’t care about you I just hat’s un I wanted to reach out and grab her and pull her back to er and shooting her

"Poppy, if you get in that car he’s just going to shootto hurt us both"

She was shaking so badly that she could hardly stand up Her honey-colored eyes were gigantic in her face and I couldn’t see any way this was going to end without bloodshed

"No, he won’t Put the gun down, Oliver, and I’ll get in the car"