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Her nightti punished for running aithout a word and not telling hiht She was safe, at least as safe as she could be, with this wolf business that plagued her now… and Mario’sher froht had been following her Although having found "bugs" on her car four times in the early days while she tried to track down Mario, she thought maybe someone else was on her trail

But Mario had said Jake would be dead if he continued to tag along with her, and she knew that hadn’t been idle bullying Mario’s kind didn’t ain She’d had the notion that she ain incarcerated, but that didn’t matter now Not hat she’d becohter, then released it and sighed With nerves steeled, she paid for her tea, left the restaurant, and headed across the street to the gallery before the shop closed for the evening Chi when she opened the door and stepped inside

A wo to a oth The man’s chin rested on his fist while he nodded and stared at a blob of orange splashed against a sea of purple Alicia raised her brows If only she could get thousands of dollars for "artwork" like that while staying hidden at ho, ith the unpredictability of her new condition She wasn’t sure how she was going to earn a living in the future

Another woroup of what looked to be college students and a slightly older woht have been their art teacher

A suited ued by hi in front of

Alicia frowned She needed to question the staff pronto and return to her hotel rooht about how she wouldn’t be able to visit her h she’d made one last trip there before she’d stopped at the restaurant

The art gallery staff continued to court those they had been speaking to when she’d arrived Not being able to question theroup of paintings of naked wo of her conversation with hiirlfriends in the nude and the sexy sned at the bottom wasn’t Jake Silver

She checked on landscapes next, nature either Lots more blob pictures were featured all over the place, not his unless he was too en what he painted and used a different nauise his own

But then she carossed in them Wildflowers of Colorado Wild, exotic, in colors so vivid that they looked unreal The details so defined that she felt she could reach out and touch thee paintbrush and red fairy-trumpet flowers, cinnabar-red alpine wallflowers and rosy pussytoes, fuchsia fairy slipper orchids, bright pink prierine color

Her ht Alicia the beauty of wildflowers in their natural habitats when she was younger Her reat blue sky, wisps of clouds, h her mother had been an extrovert and fed off the hustle and bustle of being around tons of people as she waitressed in a busy cafeteria, she still liked to soak in the beauty of nature, and Alicia had shared her mother’s love of the wilderness

Alicia tried to rein in her sadness when she thought of heralone in that wilderness with no one to protect her She took a deep shuddering breath, re herself why she’d become a bounty hunter, which had ultimately led her to the unfortunate condition she was in now Who would have ever thought?

But for the ht back the happier memories of Alicia and her mother on nature walks, and tears formed in her eyes

"May I help you?" the woman in the flowery skirt asked Ponytail e blob as it was still hanging on the wall

"Yes, I wonder if you could telloff at the art gallery a feeeks back I need to get in touch with hihtly "Oh yes, he’s…" She sighed and didn’t have to say as on her uy was a virile, hunky stud The wo are his"

"JS?" Alicia looked down at the extremely small print Modest, or embarrassed to proclairaph We just started carrying his work I hope we sell a lot and he makes more trips up here"

"Up here?"

"Yes, he’s not from around here I don’t recall where he’s froe He did co for a dark-haired woman, who--" The woman’s eyes widened "Who looked like you, from his description Are you Alicia Greiston?"