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I told the round check on the John, pick through his finances, and trace where the text to the wife originated I also pro up whatever I could on the hooker I refrained fro her that because I didn’t have the time or the patience for a lecture on how people did what they had to do to survive in the Point, and no one should judge those choices It was a co more than a simple label There was always a story behind how they had earned that title, but I wasn’t the kind of guy who ever cared about the story Probably because I spent so et ood with co less Si with Noe, it was clear some stories couldn’t remain unspoken Sometimes they were told without words History andlooks, soft touches, and surprising sweetness She’d barely scratched the surface of where I’d been or what I’d done, but she was a girl who had the skills to look deeper, unearthing the truth I couldn’t be anything but who I ith her, because she was the one person who could uncover the lies I’d been living for so long

When I made ain and didn’t bother to look up when I entered She was scowling at so in oons held round It’s all over the local news Three people died because the fire suppression syste bars on the s He’s covering his tracks He even released a stateoes out to the victie up with the fact that losing such a disreputable business is no great loss to the coht line and her dark eyes were alight with anger "I can’t believe anyone re-elected hie of the rim determination "That’s e have to stop hih and pushed the red part of her hair off her forehead "I’m all atwitter with anticipation to hear exactly how you plan to do that, Stark The more I think about it, the more he seems untouchable The man killed three innocent people to cover up the fact he kidnapped reedy He wants to keep his standing in the coood name He wants to keep his title and his money But oing to take each and every one of those things fro to burn his entire world from the inside out" My hands curled into fists on top of the marble; her eyes widened a fraction as she stared at et, a pointed direction to blow The heated vengeance wasn’t curling wildly and furiously around everything in er felt like I needed to get a grip on it I wanted to let it run wild and see what it would do

"How?" The word escaped on a breath, and I couldn’t bla blind faith in h for her I’d already let her down

I cocked my head to the side and watched her carefully as I told her, "You knohat’s worse than death for a man like Goddard?" She shook her head, eyes curious,airrelevant It’s torture for aat his feet, to have everything he’s ever wanted within reach but not able to touch any of it We’re going to leave the walls of his e on the inside to ash We’re going to kill hi to wipe any trace of the man off the face of the Earth but leave the old, tired, helpless vessel afloat in his sea of corruption, constantly searching for a life raft froet a hold on any of them

She blinked at me for a second and then cocked her head to the opposite side of mine "Like steal his identity?"

I grunted, "Oh, soto electronically wipe him out of his life Not before we take histo ensure Goddard has a sizeable life insurance policy, na to expose every bribe, payout, andhis ti to make sure the city and the rest of the world knows that he likes to play grab ass with young girls, proving he’s not the man they think he is Once we have hiital life A signed death certificate trumps all other forms of identification Goddard can show his ID, flash his passport, he can screas that he’s alive, but if there’s a death certificate on file, it doesn’t matter That piece of paper means you’re dead, which age, noYou don’t exist, even if you are so his life to a total standstill so that even while he’s in the public eye, he loses control of everything We take it all away from him We put him on the streets and teach hioing to live the way Noe did, frightened and alone I wanted hiht me out for help

Noe slowly reached out to close the computer in front of her and delicately cleared her throat She tapped her bare, broken fingernails on the counter and watchedeyes "That’sambitious Wouldn’t it be a whole lot easier to let one of those guys you ith take care of the probleo aith a whole lot less work?"

I bristled a little at the i my hands dirty but took a deep breath and reminded myself I had yet to prove to her just how capable I could be I’d had to proveher I could fix this for her was a challenge that n anticipation course under er and helplessness I’d felt before when dealing with her, these emotions weren’t unpleasant at all This hat I wasto be ht a bullet between the eyes was the right answer, I would be the one pulling the trigger We can put Goddard in the ground, but then who to behis secrets hidden If we take Goddard downreminder of what happens when you mess with the kind of people who can be just as ruthless and cold-blooded as most politicians tend to be If we strip Goddard bare in front of the entire city, we set a precedent We show everyone who is really calling the shots and it sure as hell isn’t anyone they voted for That man and the promises he made don’t exist And with our skills, he won’t exist"

I couldn’t keep the edge out of my tone, the harshness Of course, Noe picked it up and, of course, she rele with any kind of governive to do that entire day over again I would be eneral After our kiss, I knew she was all kinds of soft and sweet under her prickly shell She was just as vulnerable as I was, and it was clear neither one of us was very good at keeping our battered armor in place ere around each other In fact, if she kept looking at le question she ever had, there was a chance there would be nothing between us at all before the day was done The i but defiance and bravery, tripped unwanted and unstoppable through my mind It was my favorite memory to date, but it bothered me to no end that it was more powerful than the task at hand I needed to focus on I needed to get shit done, not get my dick wet That could cole to concentrate on one and not the other before She waswith the way I ired and it didn’t feel hts you weren’t sure you could hen I asked you for help with Goddard What makes you so sure we can do this? What ht we can win?" She didn’t sound doubtful, just careful and curious

I blew out a long breath and closed my eyes so her earnest expression was blacked out "Because I can’t afford to lose again" Last ti My freedom My faer now, thanks to the guys I lost to last tiedat all costs thanks to them