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She'd itched That was one of the worst things--a full-body itch When she'd looked down, she'd seen so beneath her skin, like a parasite, alive and seeking a way out It had pushed against her, her skin rising and lowering as it moved around her Every muscle had screamed in pain

She re of dooed to clulanced back over his shoulder, a look of horror on his face at what he'd seen Then she'd been flying out of the vehicle as it sped into one of the tight turns overlooking the sea She'd been in another body, the cat leaping a good thirty feet and clearing the road to land in the grass on the other side She'd turned briefly, crouching as the car blew apart, pieces of the vehicle raining down into the ocean below

She'd been so scared as the leopard ran, going into the grass, instinctively heading for hoet that either Those were Gatita's first words to her That quiet, very cal it a fact, one she hadn't been able to dispute with the car in the ocean

Gatita had taken her to the s she kept with clothes and money, just as her mother had instructed her to have prepared She had two ready now, one in her house and the other buried down the road She'd gotten the her what to do and how to do it Later, she'd caught a ride froood to her She'd ridden in silence, crying silent tears, but he hadn't asked questions When they'd stopped for gas, or a food break, she'd used the restroo carefully first to lione inside to eat, just told the driver she wasn't hungry He'd brought her food without a word

When she'd told him to let her off near the swamp, he'd objected, but finally pulled the truck to the side of the road He'd offered her one He'd been nice, leaving her to absorb all that had happened

"I heard thee wasn't legal and then they talked about killing me" The moment she'd overheard the conversation between Sasha and his father, she'd really stashed et her hands on in preparation She'd wiped out the accounts that et away fro, return unseen, get the "go" bag and disappear for good "I took ether as I could I wanted to do it before I left, so they didn't have a starting point to track me"

"That is so horrible Couldn't you go to the police?"

Sonia shook her head "Like you, that's not an option for me He owns a few cops, and I don't knohich ones He could get to me It's better that he thinks I'm dead It's safer"

"Are you certain they think that?"

"I read all the papers, everything I could get my hands on It was sad, my poor husband, a er so early in his life He was thirty-three and his young bride had died They found pieces of her burned clothing, but not her body My father-in-law loved hter, poor man They really played to the press"

Molly took a deep breath and let it out "I really hate that men did this to us and we can't make them pay I have to live in fear for the rest of my life, and so do you Why?"

Sonia forced a sment? I think we're in the sa men and noe're in a mess"

"I love that little accent, the way you twist your words Has Joshua noticed it?"

Her heart reacted with a sht" What else had he found out about her? Her age He'd been clever going about it How long she'd been married When her mother had died He worked with Donovan in security They had to investigate the people they were going to go after That ated Were the things she'd told hih to ferret out who she'd been married to?

"I bet he loves it"

Sonia nodded a little absently "That's what he said, but he's always saying things like that He compliments me quite a bit"

"I wouldn't mind a few coh

"Bastien doesn't compliment you?"

At the ain "He does, but he flirts so much with other wo female"

"He's seeking you out How ot the gossip on him"

She shook her head "I've never asked"

"Well, I did," Sonia said She crooked her fingers until Molly was leaning across the table very close "I asked Jerry, and he gets all the good gossip on everyone He said Bastien flirts with anything in skirts, but he's never taken a woman out that he can re anyone, she isn't frorocery store that he's smitten with you That's the word she used Smitten"

Molly's wild blush turned to a deep rose "He's not smitten He just sat with ets lonely always eating alone"

"He has sat in here dozens of time alone and never once ate with anyone else that was alone He's into you Seriously into you"

"You think?"

"I know Call him up and ask him out Women can do that"

"Not this woo out with hisoul who gets in trouble again Once was enough for me"

Sonia glanced at her watch "I've got to go, honey I'et a move on I told the work crew I'd be out there this afternoon"

Molly caught her wrist as she tossed bills onto the table "Just be careful, Sonia Just in case Sorounded in fact Maybe ask Joshua about how he knows Elijah Lospostos, just to be safe Where did they ain"

Sonia knew her heart was already at risk If Joshua wasn't who he said he was, she was afraid the consequence was going to be worse than what it had been when she'd discovered her husband of almost two years didn't really love her--that he never had She'd been too young and too desperate and shocked to knohat love was She'd been grateful to Sasha and she'd needed him She'd loved him, she knew that, but not the way a wife should love her husband Maybe over time she would have come to love him the way she was supposed to

Joshua talked to her more than Sasha ever had They spent hours on her bed, the plans she was drawing spread out for hiestions, but o-ahead each tis He would have told her they needed someone far more experienced than she was Joshua complimented her all the tis Sasha had told her she needed more work before they could ever be shown in public

"You've got that goofy look on your face again," Molly said "I' envious I want that look on my face"

"Then ask Bastien out Go to bed with hihly"

Molly laughed "I have a toy"

"Not the same, I can testify to that" Sonia ju to her truck She hadn't been late once She wanted Joshua to take her seriously She loved what she did, and she was good at it

As she pulled onto the highway, she glanced back and noticed the dark SUV that had been parked just down fronized it immediately Joshua's men favored the four-wheel-drive, tinted-s kind of vehicle This was one she'd seen two of them use One was named Kai and the other Gray They were close friends of Joshua and came from the rain forest in Borneo She'd noticed the suspicion they were foll

owing her

She turned into the uard post was there, still un fence blocked off all roads other than the one from the swamp to the back of the house Joshua hadn't built the fence, souard shack The gates were open and no one was there, no gri all kinds of scary Still, the SUV followed her up the drive to the main house She waited for the two , she walked right up to them

"Are you following me?"

They exchanged a glance over her head, and then Kai nodded "Yep"

"Why? You do know I' my way from point A to point B without help I also, just to et a flat, I's I keep the tank filled It's very sweet of you to worry, but I can handle things all by myself"

"Gotta talk to the boss, Sonia," Gray said "He gives the orders, we just follow them"

She nodded She didn't like bodyguards She'd had that Those guards hadn't been there for her protection, they'd been there to et away She should have been suspicious when Sasha and Nikita had sent her off to the mall with just a driver Not once had that ever happened before

I was suspicious Gatita was s

You smelled conspiracy

That too Now there was the impression of amusement

Why did Joshua send them after me?

To make certain no one hurts you

Is that what his leopard told you? Gatita was such a little hussy Every night she wanted to go running with her mate, and if Sonia was too tired from work, she sulked, so Sonia made certain she was never that tired