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"I’ve got a problem, Aunt Linds And I think you’re the only one who can help"

--

With apologies to the training group, Luc, Rachel, and I reconvened next door in the Operations Rooe conference table, the ed a hip onto the table across from us

"Any niece of Lindsey’s is a niece of reat-niece," I clarified

"That just rin It was ed to enerations The look clutched at

"So why haven’t we met you before?" Luc asked

"I try to keep the fa conspiratorially at her "It’s like a vaed"

"That’s kind of the thing," she said, tracing a nervous finger across the tabletop "So happened, and I’m not really sure what to do about it And I think it falls in your territory"

"Start at the beginning," I suggested

She nodded, fidgeted in her seat "So you know I share a house near caht," I said, although I wasn’t sure I ree, she had a fluid roommate situation But that wasn’t the point, so I nodded

"I just finished a really massive lab project I didn’t even leave caht, and when I did, I found this"

She opened her azine, which she placed on the table

It was a copy of the Chicago World Weekly, a gossipat our most popular, the Weekly kept paparazzi stationed outside the House and followed us around town In this particular issue, lasses, and I earing stilettos and jeans that couldn’t have been any tighter or

But the denim was hardly the point

Soe, so it looked like my body was riddled with bullet holes And scratched across the bottoe:

Dearest Rose:

Mad

Conition--and fear That was a naain, and shouldn’t be seeing now

I pushed the azine closer to Luc for his review

"Where did you find this?" I asked her

"Onher lip nervously "In my house Why, Aunt Lindsey? Are you in trouble? How did they knoere related? And who’s Rose?"

"I’ to cause trouble Someone from my past They left it with you because they knew you’d come to me, and they knew I’d pay attention"

"What kind of trouble?" she asked

"I’h that they’d azine and delivered it to et here?"

She opened her e in topic "I drove Emily let me borrow her car Why?"

"Because I want you to stay at the House for a few days while I deal with this" I putwith fear, and that killed ainst her That wasn’t fair

It wasn’t how the game was played

"Get your car warmed up," I said Her chaotic emotions--fear for herself, concern for e of ate I’ll get my car and follow you back to the house You can drop off Eirl--a s She rose and nodded, slinging the er pack over her shoulder "I’ll be out front"

I waited until she’d disappeared into the hallway before looking back at Luc

"That da to throb behindnasty I should have been more careful"