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“He was,” she looked down again, but kept speaking, “hard He talked to me, but that was it He stayed away from our mother He was quiet He did his job, but I could tell that the other men didn’t want him there They feared him When Marco found out who Clay was, I’d never seen my brother like that He killed everyone”

My mouth dried

I didn’t think she was talking about Marco

“I missed him when he left, then I heard that he was alive I was happy”

“When they brought you froed?”

Her eyes jerked to mine, and she stared at me “I love Marco, but I’ve always been scared of hi to me except keep me away from everyone Abraham was kind tohier ti about The Scooper and Abrahaed I didn’t knohat No one would tell me and one of the ave it to me and it was Abraham He told me what happened, with my father, my mother I kneas Marco who killed the for uilt because I know that the ht die because she helpedout in a whisper “I cannot even think of her naht now because it tears at me”

“I didn’t know about the girl,” a low, masculine voice from the doorway

Raize stood there, a torapped around one of his hands

Verónica ju back her chair She went to the kitchen “Would you like a bowl of soup?”

His eyes went to ry Thank you, though”

She nodded, her head going back down She stepped back fro low

“Where are the others?”

He answeredin” He said to his sister, “They’ll be starving, V They’ll appreciate the food”

Her eyes lifted and she gave hi

He went back to watching her in silence And she was doing the saround She’d peek a look every now and then

And yep, this was a fa it now, but I also knewunder that towel, and I knew he needed ave it to Verónica with a thank you and a smile She returned with another one of those bea were hers

I took Raize’s other hand

“Co him upstairs and to the farthest bathroom

Once inside, he saw that I had our bags brought up here I say that like I had anything to do with it I didn’t But I’d walked through the hallway earlier and saw sos to this room, so this was ours We weren’t on the main floor, but we had a patio and our own bathroom

I wasn’t co