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“It took him less than five minutes to fillet ers into a fist a few ti the carved-in brand appear and disappear without even a flicker of rage or hurt or fear appearing on her face “Really, you have to ade to serve as a reminder of what happens to anyone who steals froured he was doing ave me my first sketch pad”

His head said she was lying, but his gut said soness in her calive her—and the truth—away

“And your father accepted this?” he asked, working hard to keep his tone neutral so as to not betray the sudden flash of fury tensing his muscles

“Accepted?” She laughed, a joyless, brittle sound that bounced off the dining rooed’ is the word I’d use”

“Your mother? Another adult? No one stopped this?” Her story ether to solve the puzzle of Ruby Macintosh—spoiledhiht hole

“Is that hoorked when you were growing up?” she asked, a knife-sharp edge to her question “You had a mummy and dadums who loved you and looked out for you? Not all of us were so lucky”

An ihtened around her upper arainst her pale skin flashed in his mind before he could drive it back into the darkest recesses of his subconscious where it belonged

Focus, Bendtsen Don’t let her drag you down that path

He folded his napkin in half and then half again before placing it over his eet away from him Why not make a clean break?”

“Do you really think I got away?” She rubbed her thumb over the initials etched into her palood trick”

“You’re saying you didn’t?”

“No, he sied my wish to leave until he decides that he won’t anymore”

Now that fit in with the information in her file Rolf Macintosh was like a spider with a very large web He’d let the little flies roa

es, but he’d never let theo

“What does he hold over your head?”