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I thought about it Really thought about it Did I trust Owen? I did I didn’t knohy, but I trusted hiiant idiot for it But…he had come back for me He hadn’t led the witch hunters to the little shop He’d been by my side every step of the way

"Yes" I let the word out on an exhale

"Good That’s good" He pulled away frootten back to our stolen ride "We need to get going"

I didn’t talk on the way back to his safe house I was too shaken up to hold an intelligent conversation Every muscle in my body felt like jelly and my head throbbed

At the safe house, Owen insisted on carrying all of the bags hiroceries and heating more soup It was almost dark and we hadn’t eaten since our late breakfast

Owenour soup and watching the flames It would’ve been peaceful if I didn’t jump at every noise that seehed

"Don’t worry about it"

My s and I tried towas certain: I needed toto trust Owen, I needed to trust hiive me up, then I wouldn’t be able to stop him I didn’t knowwith a pistol It had been years since I’d fired a gun

But despite the unusual way that we had met, I liked Owen Not because of the way he looked with firelight twinkling in his eyes Well, not just because of that But because of the way he had looked at Mrs Abernathy, the way he puttered around this old house, and had gone out of his way to fluff my pillows There were et in touch with Tess I wasn’t sure hoas going to do it, but it needed to happen soon No one else would be worried about ured out where I was Or until so happened to her in the process But I couldn’t afford to think that way

I leaned back against the couch and set ood, and I felt warure out hoas going to get out of all this mess

I WOKE ON the couch, a blanket tucked arounddrew my attention to floor at the foot of the couch Oas leaned back against the sofa, the keyboard in his lap His eyebroere drawn together and I watched as he frowned at the screen

Worry was etched across his tight jaw and I wondered what had hi at us, he had seemed so calm and in control He bent over the keyboard and his hair fell across his forehead, obscuring his eyes His fingers tapped furiously across the keys and he blew out a deep breath before leaning back and dragging a hand through his hair I could just barely make out the screen, but I saw o plastered in the corner