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His grin widened

"I don’t-- How are you--? How is this--?"

He pointed up and shrugged "They said it wasn’t my time"

"They? You mean--?" I stopped to catch oing ood thing I couldn’t question it My eyes landed on him "Wait, if you’re alive, how are you here?"

"This is your world, Charles, I just live in it"

"Would you come in here so we don’t have to yell across my apartment?"

"First, your apartment is the size of one of those balls that hauardian takes her job very seriously"

"What? Where?" I glanced around "He’s a she?"

After trying unsuccessfully to sit up again, I ainst the headboard, when a low ru , and I scanned the roo I held out my hand, pal uttural bark exploded beside me, shook the walls, and echoed around the room My bed dipped as Arte She wanted to play but seeeda mile a minute

"I tried to co, she goes for the jugular"

"Arteht I was indirectly responsible for her death restled behind the asylu left behind That o to heaven" I scratched her ears and hugged her to me Suddenly the pain seemed minor "I wonder if I should tell Donovan"

"Is that your new boyfriend?"

Oh, geez, not that crap again "Look, I get enough of that from Reyes about you"

"He thinks I’m your boyfriend?"

"That’s what he calls you"

He frowned "So aonna hit it?"

"Ew Not if you were the last skiptracer in the known universe"

"What the fuck?" he asked, all offended-like "You al the operative word"

"And you practically raped that biker guy, which, by the hat the fuck was that about? Scraping the bottom of the barrel there, Charles"

"And that barrel is hot" I looked down at Artehest bidder for a carburetor, and we both know it So when it happens, when he lies and cheats and uses me as bait, I won’t be totally blindsided like I am when all the other men in my life lie and cheat and use me as bait It’s called self-preservation"