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n The filing cabinets' eartener without his front teeth, their contents covering the floor Books littered the once clean desk, volume upon volume lay where they'd been thrown from the shelf Worst of all, Uncle Harlan sat sluht chair, a clump of bloody paper towels pressed to his nose and a wicked shiner turning his right eye an unappealing shade of deep purple as he answered a campus police officer's questions Uncle Harlan had left Sam's house a bit scraped up, but not bruised and battered like this

“I'rowled as they stood in the doorway

She yanked hi and down the hall before anyone spotted them “Don't talk like that Snips is a shithead, but he's still a guy with muscle and a mean streak as wide as the Rockies Do not fuck with him I couldn't live with myself if you were hurt” The truth of the statement hit her like a slap across the cheek, hard and crisp

Soleamed in his eyes and he kept his jaw clamped shut

“We have to handle this ourselves or we'll make it worse”

“And what do you recoh his clenched teeth

“Cards close to the vest We get Snips what he wants and he leaves us alone”

“Do you really think it will be that easy?”

No, but what other choice did they have than to play Snips' game? “It has to be”

“Another leap of faith, huh?”

Gazing into his lion-like eyes, Josie searched for the ht The one ould take a chance and step into uncertainty without hesitation “Please”

“This is idiotic” Saer “But I'll do it—my way”

His caveat hung in the air between the the tension holding her lungs tight

“I ondering as keeping you Now I understand” A ht hitch in his gait He grinned at Josie, his hazel eyes shot with green instead of Saold “Sheriff Hank Layton, at your service You are?”

She shook his hand “Josie Winarsky”