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"She needs to be controlled The way she spoke to me I nearly struck her, Eve"

"But you didn’t When she threatened to leave, you backed off and told her what she wanted to hear-that you wanted to knohat she had to say as well as this Ra back on Then she said, "You flattered her and she fell for it You did control her, Mason"

"No," he said, "really, she didn’t fall for anything She’s scared for her daughter She’d hter safe, even if the devil is me" But he knew if he hadn’t backed off, she’d have been out of there, and thatwith him, to have him so pussy whipped He looked at his wife She’d turned back to her ga rooave onto a walled-in, quite lovely English garden The air was soft, redolent with the inter scents of hyacinths, roses, and star jasarden There were no sounds to break the quiet Very few people knew that half a dozen men were stationed in and around the house As soon as Molly, Euards He turned to see Miles cohetti I made for her," he said "The pasta was shaped like Jurassic Park dinosaurs"

Mason Lord could only stare at a man who’d been loyal only to him, at his beck and call only, for twenty-two years He’d begun here when Molly was a little girl, but he’d never

paid her much attention Why Emma? Sure she was pretty, she was the very picture of Alicia, but so what? He’d never paid any attention to Alicia either

He saw Raht He was dressed well in black slacks and a white shirt No tie, but that was all right They’d been on the run He called to him, "Did you deal with Molly?"

"Yes"

"You told her how she was to behave in h at the heavy-handed tactics He just smiled "She knows exactly what to do Now, I hear from Miles that you want to speak to me"

"Yes, but just you, not Molly She doesn’t understand either business or strategy"

"Last I knew, Molly was in her bedroo lesson The kid’s really bright"

"I read Moby Dick when I was five years old"

"I understand that Molly was reading very early on as well That’s reotten that He nodded "Come to my study It’s quiet there" He shut the double oak doors, cutting off the repulsive sound of that ga low-class slugs

Ramsey said without preamble, "I understand that when you heard that Louey Santera had beaten Molly you were out there like a flash That ell done"

Mason Lord stared at the bigin front of his desk, at ease, his face open, his expression even adone to Denver if it hadn’t been for what Louey had done "I wasn’t about to let that little creep hurt one of mine"

And that was the bottoht, relieved and pleased "And naturally you’d feel the same about Emma She’s also one of yours Who do you think is behind this?"

"It’s a kidnapping Louey is rich-well, not as rich as he was beforevery

well His European tours net him literally millions, the wretched little shit"

"No, it’s not just a kidnapping I told you there were a lot more men after us Howoperation like that? Say at least two , sir So else I’d stake a lot on that" Ramsey paused a moment, then said, "I’m sorry to have to tell you, but you don’t know yet that Eh in the Rockies, and sexually abused and beaten It’s another thing we have to think about Emhtmares Neither Molly nor I have spoken about this because we’re afraid of s worse"

The blood drained froht he’d be sick-that, or explode He did neither Gradually the color returned His breathing was slo, calned their death warrants"

"I shouldn’t, but I feel the same way"