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Nerd. Hurry back. He kissed the top of her head, and she rushed off happily around the corner.
There was nothing she loved better than an old city. All of the buildings here were 17th century or
earlier; she felt like a time traveler, walking over these ancient cobblestones.
A car rumbled by, distracting her from her reverie and jerking her back into the 21st century. She
fought a twinge of annoyance, turning her back on the car to stare at the church, which was bathed in
sunbeams.
The car door opened and shut, and oddly, she felt a sudden trill of alarm shoot through her.
Well, well, well. You and the playboy. Wasn t that a touching scene, a familiar voice said right
behind Chloe s ear.
It was Alfonse. He had a computer tablet in his hand, which he held up to show her. A lightning bolt
of shock zapped through her as she saw the picture on its screen: it was a close up picture of her
mother s face, looking angry and afraid.
He no longer had that fake, polite smile pasted on his face. You could have made this much easier on
all of us, he said reprovingly. You could have just come with me when I asked you to.
You son of a bitch, she hissed. If you hurt her-
Keep your voice down, he said. We have your mother, and your grandmother.
You bastard! she hissed. She was so furious that it was all she could do to keep from shifting and
ripping his smug face off. The only thing stopping her was fear for her family.
He gestured at the car.
Get in now, or your mother and grandmother die.
She looked around frantically. Kenneth was nowhere in sight. A small group of tourists was standing
across the street by the church, a family was strolling with a baby& no Kenneth.
Some of the tourists casually glanced their way.
Act as if we re together, Alfonse said, and tried to put his arm around her waist. A wave of
revulsion washed over her, and she jumped back, knocking his arm away.
Don t touch me, she hissed.
His eyes blazed with anger. Get in the car now, if you ever want to see your mother again, he
snarled at her.
She had no choice. Quickly, she slid into the car, heart sinking in her chest as he slid in next to her
and slammed the car door shut.
From now on, do what I say, or it will go badly for your family.
How had she ever thought he was handsome? His eyes had a maniacal gleam to them, practically
bulging from his face like a chihuahua s. His lips were thin and white with anger.
What is all of this about? Who is behind this? she demanded. Are you really working for
Hammersmith?
No questions. There was a briefcase on the seat next to him, and he grabbed a pad of paper from it,
and a pen, and handed them to her.
Now you re going to write Kenneth a note, which we will have delivered to him. I will dictate it to
you. Write exactly what I tell you to.
He dictated a note to Kenneth in which she told him that she and Alfonse were lovers and she d been
playing him for a fool. She wrote down that she d gotten all the information that she needed from
Kenneth, and mocked him for ever thinking that she could care for someone as stupid and shallow as
him. He told her to conclude it This is payback for Sophronia, and then sign her name.
She kept her face expressionless as she wrote the letter, stuffing her rage deep down inside.
Kenneth. Would she ever see him again? The thought of being torn away from him made her
physically ill, but she had no choice. They had her mother. As soon as she was reunited with her
mother, she d find a way to make this bastard pay for this. She didn t care what it cost her.
She handed him the note, picturing Kenneth s reaction when he saw it and struggling not to vomit.
Alfonse read what she d written, and then nodded.
So, you know that I was at Kenneth s villa helping him do research. You must have an inside man
there, she said, and the thought of somebody on the inside, betraying Kenneth, made her claws shoot
from her fingertips.
I said no questions, you stuck up shifter bitch, he snarled, and she felt a sudden prick in her leg, and
realized he d jabbed her with a needle.
Suddenly she was terribly, terribly sleepy and dizzy. Her mother s face, brave and frightened, swam
before her before her, and then Kenneth s face floated by, and then a dark cloud enveloped her and
she was gone.
Chapter Eleven
The breeze is kind of nice, Pixie observed, sipping her coffee and admiring the view of the alley at
the back of The Date Tree café. The café s got an open air feel to it.
That s what I love about you, Pixie. Your ridiculous and misplaced optimism. The way you can look
at giant gaping mortar holes as a positive. Bobbi drank sweet, hot coffee and dipped into her goat
stew with a piece of flatbread.
Ha! You admit that you love me!
When I m not fighting the temptation to kill you. It s about 80-20.
Eighty percent of the time, you love me, Pixie said smugly.
Nope. Bobbi shook her head and took another swig of coffee. Hey. Is that Karesh heading our
way?
It sure is, Pixie said. I wonder if that means his family is ready to cooperate.
I doubt it. Bobbi frowned. He came here by himself. His father was clearly the one in charge; if
they were ready to work with us, they d have come here with him.
Karesh glanced around the shop as if making sure nobody noticed him, before sitting at the table with
them.
Sure, pull up a chair, Pixie said.
I just did. He looked puzzled.
Pixie and Bobbi exchanged a glance. I don t think sarcarsm translates well across cultures, Bobbi
said. She turned to Karesh. So, you re here without your father s knowledge or consent. If you have
the information that we need, my boss s offer still holds even if the rest of your family won t come
with you. You do know that staying here is suicide, right?
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