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He put the lid back on the box "Thank you for getting my stuff"

"Ah, don’t thank s"

He set the box on the floor "This has been one hell of a day I used to think est day of my life, but I really had no idea" He rubbed a hand over his chest, shaking his head slightly "I guess I don’t have to worry about days on the force anymore, huh?"

"Why?"

His expression becao back to work after this Hopefully, the Sanctuary pays well"

"The Sanctuary pays extreet to keep your day job if you want" She waited while a slow smile crept across his face For soood reason why you had a faency when your four weeks are over"

"Great," he joked "That should be easy Maybe I should tell them I had a psychotic break with reality"

She chuckled "Yeah, I don’t know if that would be such a great idea"

"Well, after all the crap I learned today about your…el stuff? I feel like I need to see a head doctor"

"What did Luke talk to you about?"

He folded his ar all that he had learned while Lily listened attentively to what Luke had divulged It was all the basics, nothing too spectacular By the time Michael had finished, his shoulders had slumped forward and he rubbed under his eyes wearily

Lily stood and offered hienuine soing to be a long couple of weeks for you" It would be for her, too Just because she was training Michael didn’tthe candle at both ends

He nodded, seehts She made it to the door before she remembered the fraot" She pulled out the photo along with the two sured you may want these"

He took the picture and necklaces, his throat working "This was my favorite picture I was four," he murmured

Lily placed one hand on the door She couldn’t read his expression, but he sounded sad "Your lanced up "She was She was always happy" He set the picture on his nightstand, next to a tattered book "I guess that’s why I never understood…" He trailed off

"Why she would take her own life?" she said softly

"Yeah, I guess we never know people"

She focused on the picture The woain, she was struck by the difference between her ht and, after afrom the rooging out her cell The phone rang twice "Hey, Lily, good to see you’re still alive What’s up?"

She frowned "Danyal, can you do hed loudly "I’m afraid to ask after the last one"

"No, it’s nothing like that I wanted to see if you could pull an autopsy for ot a suspicious death?"

"I’m not sure," she admitted "It’s on a Sharon Cons I believe she inia"

"Wait Is this Michael’s mother?"

"Yeah" She unlocked the heavy steel door and stepped out onto the rooftop "Can you look into it for me?"

There was a pause before he answered "Sure I’ll let you know in a little while"

"Thanks" Lily slipped the cell back into her pocket and headed toward the edge of the rooftop She couldn’t shake the feeling that soht As far as she knew, all of their mothers had been miserable and broken women, but the pictures of Michael’s mother proved differently There was more to it She was certain

The resonance of a soul slipping into the body of a hu her breathing Alert, she zeroed in on the possessed’s location in the teeht over the rooftops Another night, another innocent hurade

Chapter Fourteen

"Rafe,a yaith one s your ass for the foreseeable future"

Rafe chuckled, extending his hand "It’s nice to meet you Don’t listen to Lily There will be "

Michael shook the et any sleep last night? She’d appeared in his room at the crack of dawn, dressed in sweats and a tank top with a strong cup of coffee in hand She looked better prepared for bed than training

When he first laid eyes on the tall Spaniard, all he could think was this erous Well over six feet tall and built like a pro wrestler, he was certain Rafe was the kind of oing to be fun