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"No, I’ about any of these things, and you need to figure them out, not for us, but for yourself What is it you want?"

That part was easy I wanted to wake up next to Rogan everySoan, and I was good with that I loved all of hi it one day at a time"

"We’ll be fine," Bern said "You don’t need to worry about us"

"What do you h money to survive on for about tenin"

"I know that"

"You don’t need to worry about s like House security Don’t ju because you think that the fas, because we’ve become a House"

Thank you, Garen Shaffer "It’s not like that I love him, Bern I mean that"

"I was afraid of that," he said quietly "I don’t want you to be hurt"

"Thank you Rogan won’t hurtyou with Garen His face was flat Cold He stood there, without an expression on his face, and twisted solid metal into bows like it was Play-Doh"

"He didn’t prevent o When Garen walked into my office, he didn’t storm over and try to throw him out He put himself on a chain for my benefit, because as much as he wants to wrap me in bubble wrap and kidnaptoHouse As alking home, after he watched enetic perspective, Garen was the better choice"

"Is Garen the better choice?"

"No Because I don’t love hian over hi’s cistern, Rogan sacrificed himself for er, and only one of us could make it, Garen would rationalize why he was the better choice to survive and leave me"

"Just be careful, Nevada"

It was too late for that I was all in "I will"

The phone rang An unfamiliar number I accepted "You’ve reached Nevada Baylor"

"You wanted to talk," a cultured female voice said "I will meet you at Takara in fifteen minutes If you do not show, I’ll knohere we stand"

The call ended

"Was that?" Bern blinked

"That was Victoria Tremaine" When Linus Duncan made you a promise, he kept it She’d picked Takara, the place where I often ate It was a dig at me See, I knohere you eat and what you like to order I have your whole life under surveillance

I locked my jaw and took the exit

"You can’t be serious," Bern said

"She tried twice and failed both times She wants to talk, I’ll talk to her"

"This isn’t wise"

"If we don’t talk, she’ll just keep trying and we can’t afford that Eventually the girls and Leon have to go to school We have to live normal lives Our House status will protect us, but she’s deter wrenches into it"

"How do you know it’s safe?"

"Because Linus Duncan arranged it Do you want me to drop you off?"

"No" Bern pulled out his phone