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Petra se froht I saw hilanced at each other and walked over to the table I couldn’t see Petra’s response, but Lukas was gesticulating wildly Another employee scurried over He put a beefy hand on Lukas’s shoulder and physically pulled an to aniuy’s face went cold

"Great," I reat"

Lukas was escorted out by the literary bouncer

Even with Petra’s lack of engageone, hopefully helping Glynnis and Jackie back at the office Rhiannon’s and Byron’s exchanges with the illustrious Petra happened way out of

I practiced the script in ainst Mykia’s overalls, and cupped my hand over my hter approached the table Up close, Petra was tiny and delicate, with bright blue, inquisitive eyes She s She did take her tin The bookshop employees, bored and happy the line had reached its end, wandered to other parts of the store A better sign There wouldn’t be anyone around to stop me

"Thank you," Petra Polly said to the women in front ofout a little strange

"Can we get a quick photo?" theher phone in my hand "It’ll only take a second"

"No," said Petra Polly Very calhter whined

"No," Petra said

Undaunted, the tomen sandwiched Petra anyway "Take it," the mother said to me "Quickly"

Petra winced No ure, this was a violation I tossed the phone in their general direction "She said no Have sohter said as they walked toward the exit

Petra and I stared at each other "Thank you," she finally said The woman’s face drooped with exhaustion I felt sorry for her, and more than a bit maternal I had a job to do, but the job could wait a minute or two Petra needed so?" I asked "Coffee? There’s a café next door"

Petra stood and stretched She leaned over the table, and I had to bendawful," she said, in the broadest, cockneyist Oliver Twist accent "There’s a guy earlier, right? My nuestured to the lethargic bookstore e outside, and I don’t want to wait for a cab with creepers like hiht outside of town Can I get a lift?"

Sometimes, when in shock, the brain takes a while to catch up with the mouth "Sure," I said after a beat "I’ll pull around the back"

CHAPTER 27

I had to remind Petra to use her seat belt She frowned and clicked it with a huff, then iarettes

"You don’t ht? I’ll blow it out theThere won’t be a trace"

She lit up before I could answer

Petra sat in what randmother would call an "unladylike" fashion She stuck one foot on the dash, like Trey often did, and hunched toward the passenger door

"Where a?"

"Oh, I don’t know," she said "I don’t feel like sitting in that hotel roo--carpet, bed, furniture It’s like a doctor’s waiting rooland"

"Do ya think?"

I let that co I should let her finish s at Guh Would they still be there? I regretted not texting Jackie when I got the car Since I hadn’t shown up yet,Petra? I had to try