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“Jace, I don’t—”

“He works for a place that specializes in helping people with trouble At least let’s talk, all right?”

It was ridiculous True, she’d called on an iretted, but she had called hi even letting him in the door?

The dog whined again, and she looked down at hied her, as if asking for attention Automatically she reached down to pet him The feel of the silky dark fur on his head was oddly soothing He kept looking at her, as if trying to tell her it would be all right

She nearly laughed at herself, putting hus who had a knack for reading human emotion, but that was a bit much Still, it steadied her to the point where she realized that she was leaving the person she’d called for help literally standing out in the cold

“I’m sorry,” she said as the other man reached the porch, “come in I’ll put coffee on—it’s cold out there”

The ot a closer look at thethe car, she al, she guessed they could be terrifying

“No one around,” thea cat”

“Mr Snider,” Cassidy said, then processed the rest of what he’d said That while she and Jace were talking, he’d beenwhat? Checking out the neighbors?

He works for a place that specializes in helping people with trouble

She would not, she decided iainst thishi But it was silly to think, for if he was a pro, then he was going to think just like the police—that either she was is or the threat wasn’t real Not that they’d said that, they’d been very polite, even gentle, but in truth she had nothing to give them in the way of proof

She gestured the, who see room, then walked toward the kitchen She wanted to run, but they could still see her and she didn’t want it to be quite that obvious that she was nervous, still wishing she’d never made that call It was only that she’d decided Jace wouldn’t show up and then he had, she told herself It was the unexpectedness of it

When she cay, but better She took a seat on the couch, safely at the other end from Jace The man Jace had introduced as Rafe sat in one of the ar politely but alertly at his feet