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Seeing Molly in a prison situation left me momentarily speechless, but Jesse filled in the silence "Is anyone coail a little aardly I could practically see hi not to look at the wheelchair

Her brother, as leaning against the wall, quirked his lips in amusement "No We need to stay up here and keep watch, in case any of our afternoon staff shows up early But we’ll both be ail shook her head and reached down near one leg to tap a large hard drive "We render our footage once every month, which means the cameras are offline for about an hour, one area at a time We were due for an update three days from now, but Dashiell has asked me to move it forward" She sniffed, and I realized that to her, Dashiell’s precautions would look a lot like ail already disliked me, both because I constantly messed with her security--they had to redo all the wards and witch bags every tie liability, a security breach just waiting to happen It also didn’t help that every tiot nervous and eneral i her et down there," she said in a frosty voice "You’re already late"

Hayne stepped forward "I have to search you," he said, a little apologetic

He was extreh, but professional about it Jesse and I had been expecting this and left our weapons in the car, though I felt jittery without my Taser and my knives The Polaroids and the address book were in the pockets of my excellent new jacket, but Hayne letfor weapons, or a way to help Molly escape He wouldn’t have cared if I’d brought Molly porn, so long as there wasn’t aJesse, Hayne walked us through the door to the east-wing base talker--but at one point he reached over and gaveat ed to Dashiell in a lot of ways, but he wasn’t unsympathetic to my situation

I had never actually been in the basement of Dashiell’s mansion, and I have to ad so the wall, lots of black iron, and, I don’t know, maybe hay on the floor? At any rate, I was disappointed The base was sparse and efficient but clean, hite drywall and low-pile utility carpeting It looked like the kind of space where suburbanthere wasn’t e they could do

I expanded ive Molly a few extra seconds to acclimate before we arrived When we reached the cell door, I sidestepped Hayne, as fu with a set of keys, so I could stand on

Most vaet close toup from a coma only to realize you’d been beaten half to death But Molly had lived with me, so she was more accustomed to daytilass she was already sitting up on the cot, her eyes trained on the door, waiting for us She gave ain I worked to s the lump in my throat She looked so small

Jesse and I crowded inside the tiny room, and Hayne took a step backward "I have to lock you in," he said, not unkindly "I’ll be back at ten to one, and you need to be ready tobriefly at Molly, he turned on his heel I heard the sound of the heavy-duty bolt grinding over

Molly looked pasttiently buainst hers "Wouldn’t miss it"

Molly looked atto conceal it, but I saw the hope gli in her eyes "I don’t suppose you’re here to sneak ot some questions And soainst a wall, trying not to loo controlled by so the recent events Molly was so relieved to hear about boundaryshe’d heard of, but knew little about, much like myself--that silent tears leaked down her cheeks when I explained it "So I really didn’t blood-gorge?" she whispered, her fingers encircling h to bruise She was human at the moment, too "Are you sure?"

I was taken aback With the exception of the previous night’s freak-out, I’d never seen Molly so intense about anything "I’e," I told her "And this boundaryis the only alternative that makes sense, soyeah I’ into the collar of her dress It was the sa, although someone had taken away the belt