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He just laughed and turned her back towards him

She clutched at it around her throat all the way in the car—which Rafaello drove at a pace that was almost sedate

‘I don’t want to muss your hair,’ he said, and s that for later,’ he aze back ahead

Did he really say that…? Magda wondered, thinking she ht came to her

‘Rafaello—’ it was still strange to say his name; it didn’t co so nice and kind to her ‘—what do I need to know about this evening?’

He glanced across at her again, one hand resting lightly on the wheel, the other dipping expertly to change gear and rev up the engine as they rounded a sharp bend in the road

‘Paolo and Sylvia have been married a couple of years—they have one little boy, and Sylvia is expecting her next I’ve known Paolo for ever He’ll be curious to knoe ended up together, but don’t worry’ He paused ear ‘He knohy I’ve married so suddenly He’s heard action replays of my battles with my father for years’

Magda sed ‘So he knows,’ she said aardly, ‘how you came to select me? And for what reasons?’ she added bravely ‘Won’t…won’t he think it strange that you are taking ?’

‘No,’ he replied tightly

A sudden new, hideous thought occurred to her ‘You’re not…you’re not taking ht to…to tell everyone…where…where you found me, are you? Part of…part of your…battle…with your father?’

There was fear in her voice, open and naked Was that what Rafaello was going to do tonight? Walk her into a rooers and tell the?

Rafaello swore Then, with a screech of tyre rubber, he pulled the car over to the side of the road He turned in his seat

She was looking at hiutted hi to hear his father spill his poison all over her—poison that he had fed his father in the first place