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"Maybe Maybe not You gonna have to figure that out for yourself"

"But what I don’t get is that Ginny must have kno to protect herself fro her Based on what you’ve told me, she must have accepted the intention of her attacker"

Jilo s the big picture now Who would that old woman have accepted her death from? That’s the question you need to be askin’" And with that I was standing by the river alone, as alone as if Jilo had never been there at all The air was as hot and h the ce, and I just hoped to make it home before it broke

TWENTY

The sky turned the orange of ripe cantaloupe, and the wind began to swirl aroundzipped overhead, followed by the peal of distant thunder Then the clouds opened up, rain falling in buckets as the quickening lightning chased it froed to catch an empty taxi that had just let off a bunch of fool tourists at the gates of Bonaventure I knew the driver, and she refused to turn the ot a hotel pickup on Bay anyway; I’ll drop you off on my way," she said "Sorry about all of your family’s troubles of late" I thanked her and forced her to take a five for an after work drink before letting her drive off

By then the worst of the wind had blown through, and the sky had gone froh the wind had relented, rain was still falling all around me as I tore up the steps to the front door

"Mercy" Jackson’s voice surprised me I hadn’t even noticed his presence until I heardin the rain that was still whipping through the porch’s coluht, so hefor you We need to talk"

"Sure," I replied "About Maisie?"

"No About us" Lightning flashed around us like a strobe light with a raine, and I wanted to be inside

"There is no ‘us’ " I wanted to put a barrier between myself and the elements I wanted to put a barrier between ic worked so co’s heel, with hardly a second between them I couldn’t just leave him out here I reached out and tried the door

"It’s locked," he said "I rang a few times No one’s hoet you a towel," I said and stepped into the di happened "Looks like we’ve lost power"

Jackson followedus nearly in the dark My eyes were slow to adjust, dazzled as they had been by the lightning I felt hi a tentative touch on ently at first, but with increasing urgency I tried to extract myself, but his other hand reached for me too, and before I knew it, I was in his arms His skin was hot beneath the chill of his wet shirt, and I could feel his heart thudding againstbetween us, but as my body’s eakened, my conscience took over I could not--would not--betray Maisie I reached up to push hiainst the steel of his chest, his shoulders, but his ue forced its way past s were there, as sharp and as intoxicating as they had always been My scruples deserted ht burned its way into an to strain to free itself froic wrestled withits color drain away until I felt nothing Peter’s face rose up in ain transformed itself into the passion I had sold my soul to Jilo to kindle