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Her heart climbed up into her throat

"Hey Aunt T" Essie's chipper alrown-up voice came over the line "What's up?"

The breath she'd been holding escaped and her internal organs shifted back into their nor for the special ring"

"You're paranoid," she said in the diser, and with one as smart as Essie it was even worse

Ta frustration stea her from the inside out "No I'm not There was a bounty hunter here today That iven up"

Dead air

Finally, Essie let out a loud breath "Shit"

She winced at the word "Don't use that language" Not because she thought it was out of bounds but because her sister Amelia had always been so proper and restrained She'd never cursed, not even when she'd been diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer The least Tashoreman "And yes, shit"

"So I guess you weren't being overly cautious when you went back to Texas instead of staying here with me in Colorado"

That had hurt, like gnawing-off-your-own-limb pain, but Jarrod's only tie to Essie's location was Taain This ti her sister's advice "Layers It's important to have layers of safety"

"Okay, I get it"

The sad note in Essie's voice gutted Tae it, but the truth was she couldn't She didn't have the ht Jarrod in court even if he didn't have the local judges in his pocket If only she'd put away so thehter She kicked the bag hard enough that it slid under her desk

"Es, we should be okay, but be on the lookout"

"Always I'm like an owl on Ritalin"

Tauard"