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They looked at each other across the desk and said nothing She heard ticking and looked at the clock

One sley didn’t pay hirand

Two ot arrested, run and let her take the fall for him

Three minutes passed

Her father had slapped her in the face, tried to run off with her, tried to choke her and even now the wound still bled

Four minutes passed

Her father had threatened to ruin Søren’s life

Five

"I don’t answer this phone," Kingsley repeated "Eithera second time

"You can ask the person on the other end of the line to help your father," he reminded her

Eleanor tore her eyes froaze

"The only father in my life is a priest And I’

25

Nora

"AND BY THE NEXT MORNING, I WAS FREE," NORA SAID She looked over at Nico and shrugged "Getting hi my father ever did for me"

"How so?" Nico asked She sat up in bed, the blanket pulled to her chest Nico still lay on his side, his hand resting on her thigh under her nightgown

"After I was born, my mom took out a life insurance policy for her and Dad Dad turns up dead and--voilà--I have e"

"Who killed him?"

"Never found out He had uys one tooI had a chance to help him and didn’t take it But I couldn’t The world was better off without him"

"You were better off without him" Nico sat up and took her hand in his He kissed the back of it "My father’s hed and twined her fingers into Nico’s

"Interesting is the word for it Interesting, co France, he was only twenty-eight First thing he did was find the ure in town and do a favor for hisley was under the boss’s protection for the rest of his life Which is a good thing, because Kingsley had a bad habit of pissing off very irateful he’s still alive," Nico said "Although I ain Lose his watch in you?"