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"And Murphy?"

"Hmm?" He walked back to the booth

"We also must be honest about ill profit fro about blood-wine," Murphy said "Do you think Terry, Jean, or Leonor could be behind this?"

"The Elixir? No But who is producing this and who is s it are not necessarily the salers It’s how they made their money"

Murphy mouth lifted in the corner "We all have a bit of pirate blood, Rens"

"Yes, but not rapes or the expertise to uarded secret There are tests running right now in both France and England It is believed that blood preserved by this method cannot carry the Elixir’s taint If that is true, blood-wine may be the most profitable venture in our history"

"So Terry, Jean, and Leonor don’t have much incentive to find who’s really behind this"

"Perhaps Perhaps not No o away"

"Then why do we bother with this, Rens?"

He was genuinely curious what the vampire would say, because Murphy had asked himself the same question too ht now--it isn’t about a drug It’s about power About one of our own kind seeking to control us all Seeking to destroy our world and profit from the deaths of our children" For the first time, Rens showed a hint of passion "I have no patience for this spider’s web"

MURPHY’S mind was exhausted by the time he returned to Terry and Ges with Anne He’d been an arse when confronted by the fact that there were things in her life that he couldn’t be a part of It was one more reminder that they had many steps to take before their relationship could ht her out in the pool, but she wasn’t there The servants said she had been to the fa but had left hours before He walked into his suite, ready to leave his jacket and return to searching for her, only to see Anne sitting at the desk, calht

"Anne--"

"Can I borrow your notes fro? I’d like to review them before I start the rest of the translation"

"I’ the corner of herthat messy?"

He dropped his jacket on the armchair near the entryway "You know that’s not what I’ about"

She took a deep breath "I know"

"I am sorry"

"For what?"