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“Why, Julia, do you think I would try to get you to play strip poker? Shame on you”

He was grinning now Playing with her Teasing All things Julia didn’t kno to deal with Her face burned and she didn’t knohat to say Even if she did, it would invariably be the wrong thing anyway

She concentrated on her luggage instead, even though she was finished checking it A couple of seconds passed before she felt Joe come up behind her When his hands softly cupped her shoulders, she froze in place Now, she not only didn’t knohat to say, she also didn’t knohat to do

“I’,” he said softly “You’re safe with ”

Her body was so tense and tight that she was sure she’d snap in two if she tried to bend

“Cos I can pro” He kissed her te

Julia started to breathe again as he walked away That was, until she heard him say one word— “Yet”

Chapter 3

“I don’t think we should be playing cards,” Julia said as she sat at the tiny dining table opposite Joe “Alice isabout that instead of wasting time”

Joe started shuffling cards “We’ve called the cops, the hospitals and the airlines Elle is checking hotels, bus co door to door, I don’t knohat else we can do to find her right now As for your gran, Ed’s dealing with her, and they don’t let visitors hang out at the prison overnight” He started dealing cards “And it’s dark outside You can’t go wandering around the streets with a photo of Alice, looking for leads, in the dark It’s a much better idea to stay in here and play with me”

“It feels wrong I should be doing so”

“Like what?”

She moved the cards he’d dealt, to ensure they were parallel with the table’s edge Better “I don’t know” And she hated that she didn’t

“Then we play cards We eat We sleep And toain”

Julia looked up at hi she could do except worry—and she was fantastic at worrying—but the thought of her gran spending another night in that awful jail and Alice lost or worse… What if she was suffering? What if Gran got ill or hurt? What if?