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“I don’t know,” he said to Alex “I haven’t spoken to her since the night of your party”

Alex sat again, but he didn’t look at Sloan, which he was grateful for Instead, he faced away fro played out

“Where’s Tara?” he asked Alex

“She’s over with some of the other subs I can watch over her fro He realized noanted that A relationship where he had the right to fuss and worry over his sub as much as Alex did over his He could have had that with Kinley Only you held back, didn’t you? You can’t blas fro the same

They both had a part to play in this mess Only question was, how did he fix it? Did he want to?

Yes, he did Life without her was miserable He was miserable

“When you left her was she all right?”

Yes No He took another sip of beer “Your show of concern for ,” he said sarcastically

Alex turned to give him a sharp look “I can see you You look like hell And you have a face like a thundercloud but you’re in one piece You’re here Nobody has heard from or seen Kinley in over teeks We’re worried about her She’s one of ours now”

He wondered how she would react to that He knew she didn’t quite feel that she fit in, although she got along with the other subs just fine But he knew she wouldn’t come here without him Not just because he’d paid for her membership, but because this was his place, not hers Or he thought it was The way Alex was fussing about her told him otherwise

“And if I told you she betrayed me? Cheated on me? Would you still be so concerned about her?”

“Kinley? Cheat on you? For soure out, that woman adores you”

“You think I’h for her? We can’t all be born intocohened hands “So”

“Oh, tell someone who believes your ‘poor me’ bullshit I kno successful that little construction coht-after contractor in the city and you know it I may have been born intoca hard, you know”

There was disgust and anger in Alex’s voice He stood, and Sloan reached out to grab his arm