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She waited

He didn’t blink

"No"

Okay, so he was good at this gaave hi a handsouts or the chance to try it

"Too bad"

"Eleanor, we need to discuss the predicareelare? Nothing

"You were arrested on suspicion of grand theft auto Several luxury vehicles with a combined value of a quarter of a ht You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?"

"I take the Fifth," she said, proud of her legal knowledge "That’s what I’lare she’d been hoping for

"To the courts, yes To me, never To me, you will tell the truth always"

"I don’t think you want to know the truth about me, Søren" She dropped her voice to a whisper at the ic word to her, his na special like it did in fairy tales

"Eleanor, there is nothing I don’t want to know about you Nothing you tell e e your mind? You’ve already made up your mind aboutthe answer They had nothing in common, she and her priest He looked like ernails she’d ever seen on a ernails, perfect hands like atrain wreck Chipped black nail polish, soaked clothes, dripping wet hair and her entire life over in one night

"The verdict is this--I aotten yourself into tonight"

"Can we call it a pickle? Pickle sounds less scary than ht you stealing belongs to a very powerfulthe police try you as an adult and put you away for the maximum sentence You could spend years in juvenile detention, or worse--an adult facility At the very least, this ht until you’re twenty-one years old Blessedly, I have some connections in this area Or, more accurately, I have someone who has some connections in this area"

For the first ti, he broke eye contact with her He glanced away into the corner of the rooest expression Whoever this powerful person was, Søren didn’t seeuess, she’d say he was dreading it

"You’re going to go through all this trouble for ave her a smile that stripped her soul naked and put it on its knees

"Because there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you, Eleanor Nothing I wouldn’t do to help you and nothing I wouldn’t do to save you Nothing"

The way he spoke the final "nothing" sent a chill through her body It scared her instead of co her He meant it That hy it scared her

"That’s not an answer You’re saying you’re helpingme"

"I am"

"There’s no other reason?"

"There is, but I can’t tell what it is yet"