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I stood there, absorbing the news, then grabbed soe tray out of the kitchen drawers and cabinets, along with an ice pack from the freezer for Owen's black eye I added a pitcher of lasses I reached for lasses, so the milk would stay nice and cold inside the All I could focus on was the four men Salina had married, and how they'd all appeared to be substitutes for Owen

Still on autopilot, I carried everything into the den, with Finn following along behind me Owen and Eva were exactly where I'd left the in front of the mantel

"Eat up," I said, putting the tray on the scarred coffee table between them "Because we need to talk "

Finn didn't have to be told twice He sat in a chair, leaned forward, grabbed two of the apple pies and wolfed thelass of h and sweet apples failed to satisfy rabbing the ice pack and holding it against his bruised face Eva didn't eat anything at all, although she did finally sit down on the opposite end of the sofa from her brother

Chapter 13

After a few , except for Finn, who never let aardness get in the way of so another pie when I wiped my hands on a napkin, turned off the television, and stared at Eva

"Why don't you tell me how you know Kincaid, and why he said that Salina tried to kill him?"

Instead of answering"Ask Owen He's the one who brought Salina into our lives, and he's the one who always took her side over everyone else's - noit was "

I knew that Owen and Salina had been involved, but Eva made it sound like there was more to the story than just an old relationship - a whole hell of a lothim see the questions in my face

My lover sighed, and his shoulders sluht had just been yoked across them He slowly lowered the ice pack from his bruised features and put it on the tray After a moment, he drew in a breath and raised his eyes to mine

"Salina was my fiancee," Owen said

of the shelters where I took her to beg for food He said we could do a lot better if we started working together So we did "

"So the two of you hooked up and then what?" Finn asked "It was mayhem on the mean streets of Ashland?"

Owen s like that We started s food and clothes, s like that Just enough to keep us fro to death "

I could see the into the man he would soon become Kincaid still a scrawny kid, but one who knew the score better than Owen did The two of the forces to survive Desperationyou were