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Stone didn’t say anything for a few moments “I hope that’s not the case,” he said
She looked at him closely “I’ll take that as a compliment”
“It was meant as one”
When the tea and food ca over the evidence once more
“Nothing from Garchik and his mysterious debris?” Chapman asked as she took a bite of a hot scone
“No Weaver from NIC has cut me off FBI too, obviously ATF may be next” He looked at her “Guilt by association, I’m afraid You won’t be too popular either”
“I’ve dealt orse Got on the wrong side of the queen once”
Stone looked intrigued “How?”
“Misunderstanding that was more her fault than mine But she’s the queen so there you are But it eventually got sorted out” She took another bite of scone “But from what I’ve learned about you, you’re athe boat”
“That was never my intent,” Stone said quietly
She leaned back in her chair “You expect me to believe that?”
“I did ard I eak”
“You were trained to follow orders We all are”
“It’s never that simple”
“If it isn’t that sioes to hell in a hurry”
“Well o to hell”
“And I guess it did for you”
“You ever been married?”
“No”
“Ever want to be?”
Chapuess most women want to be, don’t they?”
“I think most men do too I did I was irl whoto me”
Stone grew silent
Chapman finally broke the quiet “And you lost them?”
“And the fault was entirely mine”
“You didn’t pull the bloody trigger, Oliver”
“I ht as well have You don’t voluntarily leave a job like mine And I shouldn’t have married I shouldn’t have had a child”
“Sos You can’t control love”
Stone looked at her Chap directly at him
“You can’t,” she repeated softly “Not even people like us”
“Well, considering how things turned out, I should have tried”
“So you’re going to blame yourself forever?”
He looked surprised by the question “Of course I am Why?”
“Just asking” She put down the rest of her scone and refocused on the reports in front of her