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I collected my files and notebook and preceded Kyle out the door and down the corridor to the et through the rest ofa bit of calm into my voice

On the inside, however, I was nothing short of a nervous wreck

chapter 22

MyMy tension hadn’t eased the slightest bit from the day before Especially when Dane had told uy and that he’d apparently skipped town after paying off a few debts Dane suspected he hadn’t acted solely on his own—that someone had likely offered him substantial cash to torture me The very cryptic, “Don’t worry, I’ll find him,” from Dane only made me more apprehensive

“I don’t have anything new to say to you,” I told my mother

“It was all a bluff,” she unexpectedly blurted, her voice cracking “There is no synopsis, chapters, proposal I made it all up”

I sank onto the arreat room and asked, “You what?”

“I had no choice but to blackmail you, Aria Lynne I needed the money”

“Needed?” As in past tense

“Everything’s fine now,” she rushed on, as though she wanted off the phone ASAP “I won’t bother you again Ever I understand you don’t want one”

My stomach knotted “Just like that?”

“I don’t knohat sort of people you associate with—I’m not even really sure who you are But you won’t hear froain” The line went dead

I sat for a fewto process what had just happened Then I slowly got to ht out Dane in his office

“You couldn’t be in two places at once yesterday,” I said without preauy, you were … what? Buying off my mother?”

“She won’t cause trouble for you in the future I made sure of it” He didn’t even look up fro