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"Then back to the office grind on Monday" I wrinkleda part of the task force, but I had no desire to be a full-tih Beaulac was the parish seat of St Long Parish, it was barely big enough to be called a city by census definitions, ed to be friendly and holy insular The city of Beaulac curved around Lake Pearl and for decades had survived primarily on an industry of sports The area was experiencing a feing pains asParish, especially since the parish was still within coured that such things were inevitable, and it would likely be decades yet before Beaulac and St Long Parish had to worry about the kind of issues that plagued the immediate suburbs of New Orleans

Besides, this wasa part of its protection, as corny as that ht sound Sometimes the fact that I was on the task force put me in a bit of a precarious position when it came to office politics, especially when there was a shift in the workload But, then again, I knew that sorumble no matter what I did I tried to take extra cases to s, which then earned ood cases" I’d prettya shit

Ryan nodded "Okay, then we’ll starting figuring out strategy for this whole thing e’ve all had some sleep"

I cli out and walking me up to the porch I almost made a setting ed in the ten feet between the car anda lot of "joking" back and forth lately, and it was beginning to feel forced, as if ere desperately clinging to the friendship portion of our relationship

"Okay, you and Zack are hiding so froure it has to be so that the demon told you, and the only reason for you two to hide it from me would be if it had to do with my favorite de boy, and I don’t want you to feel any more stress about any of this because of me" He put his hands on ed with soh I couldn’t tell if it was for himself or me "I worry about you," he said, in an echo of what Zack had said earlier, "and I fucking hate that you’re in this situation, but I also know that I have no business judging orharder on you"

I blinked at hi all hed, then surprised oddaive him a return squeeze, then he stepped back He’d started with the "friend-hug that was a little " shortly after I’d s, but they confused the shit out ofto tell him to stop Ryan was solid and muscled, and he smelled da out with me," I countered "And I’m not the one atches Star Trek and all that stuff"

He heaved a dra to lared at him "I like my reality shows" One of my current addictions was a show about preschool beauty queens and their white trasha train wreck I loved it

He shuddered "The horror"

I poked a finger at his chest "Right, and you want me to watch some show about a cheerleader who kills vaave a derisive snort, but then I sobered He knew so was up, so this was probably the best time to fill him in on what had happened "Okay, so here’s the deal Skalz offered me protection"

All humor vanished from his face "Tell e "enviable," but ruefully adet it all out in the open now Besides, Zack would tell him eventually anyway

"And so now you have the dilemma of whether to ask Rhyzkahl to provide protection for you instead," Ryan said, expression grim

I exhaled in relief He understood "Yeah Exactly If I use another deotiate terms But if I accept it from Rhyzkahl, it seems"

"Like another way for hirowl

I nodded

He started to run his fingers through his hair, then scowled as he realized that it was glued into place with a hed "I’lad you toldthat I could trust him There were times when I really wasn’t sure