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He folded her hand into his own "You know I enjoy it, right?"

Her laugh sounded pitiful But she still reiven in because of her Cannon had found those hteen he’d made them pay with his fists--because of her

She’d influenced hihter

And it was because of her that he’d forhborhood watch Everyone loved Cannon, but no one could love him more than she did

"Superman," she teased "This tiht knock on the door made her jump

"It’s just Armie," Cannon said with a squeeze to her shoulder "I’ll let hiht of the way Ar to block bullets if necessary

E her

She quickly took the aspirin and tried to get herself together

Armie peeked in cautiously, saw her on the couch and came in farther "She okay?"

"Yes," Merissa and Cannon said at the saht, tilted smile "Hey, Stretch" He came over to her, laid her keys on the coffee table, then winced at the darkening discoloration on her jaw

"I bruise easily," she explained "By to to look worse, believe uys would have even noticed"

Arhter, hon"

She liked it when he called her so affectionate "No kidding" She hadn’t fought at all; fear and the furious beating of her heart had kept her , but I lack uts

"Tall," Ar More like"

"What?"

He thought about it "Delicate"

A genuine smile took her by surprise So Ar she needed to get this over with, Merissa took another drink, then set her glass aside and stood

Ar her Cannon stood near hi her to lose it at any second

And maybe she would--if she didn’t have an audience

She et it said "I think that man just wanted to toy with me I mean, no matter what he said, there wasn’t time toto"

Armie and Cannon both went so still, they see on a smirk, she said, "He claimed he wanted to rape me, but we all knoouldn’t have Not in the rope led in her throat; she touched the front of her sweater with thebutton and made herself continue "He slapped me when I pushed away from him That’s the mark on my jaw I stu after ether, she looked at the two people ere most important to her She loved theuys I pro worse than that"

"Rissy"

That single whispered word froo," she insisted urgently "Both of you" An invisible cla tortured, Cannon said, "You’ll call ?"

She nodded fast "Yes"

"And you’ll check in just so I know--"

"I’ll text you a couple of ti before work, too, I proo before I coh his hair, then cursed low