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We drove back to D my parents (I’d flat-out refused to be babysat by ht) Dmitri had been quiet on the ride home, and noent ahead of me into the foyer and switched off the alarm Catherine wasn’t due hoh with the date in its entirely before bringing this guy hoht was kind of an interesting choice

I hung back by the front door He turned when he reached the foot of the staircase, seeing that I hadn’t followed hio through with this plan?”

“It’s not ive you”

He was quiet for ahere Ok, so ht not earn the Ja”

“I know you are” I leaned back against the door

And he said, “I keep trying to tell you I’ surprised when I act like one”

“Look, who cares what I think? You’re doing what you think you should And hell, even my dad, a decorated police officer, is doith it So who aue?” My emotions were in turmoil I really didn’t knohat to think, what to feel about any of this What I really needed was soh all of it

“You really don’t want to be here right now, do you?” he asked

“I really don’t”

He controlledo,” he said His voice was perfectly level “But please, go somewhere other than your apart alone now that my uncle has shown his hand”

I crossed the room to him and kissed his cheek, and said, “I’ll be fine And I’ll talk to you tomorrow” And then I turned and left the house

I felt guilty as I walked down the stairs and across the driveway I knew he had to be feeling rejected right now But I just really needed a little tiet a handle on all of this

I sat in ers laced on top ofthis thing tonight for etan asshole leaving like this Sure, I was thrown by the thing with ness to bend the law to suit his needs And ok, I was upset that D aas not the answer

I swung the van door open again to go back and talk to nuuy with a thick beard and a thicker neck grinned at me and said, “Well hey there, Jaood boy And try not to do anything stupid”

Chapter Sixteen

I couldn’t take e, of course The whole point of a 44 Magnulued to it as I gingerly cli uy any reason to blow uns pointed atsucked

The panel door on the side of the van renched open with its usual shriek of rusty uy cliun pointed at my head, too He ssters – and said, “Hand me your cell phone, lover boy” I pulled it out of the pocket of my t-shirt and handed it over, and he shut it off and pitched it into a thick hedge at the edge of Dmitri’s property Then he said, “Put your hands behind the seat”

I hesitated for athat once my hands were tied I had pretty much zero chance of escape That hesitation earned un driven hard into the side of hfor the pain to ebb as my wrists were bound behind the seat The blow must have broken the skin, because I felt a warm trickle down the side of my face Well, fuck Head wounds always bled like crazy, and losing a lot of blood right noasn’t going to do me any favors