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Lareotten lost I’ll act as if I were just leaving and guide her back toward the exit"

Barak stopped hi ahead with our plan?"

"That depends on whether she’s learned that I’h, if she sees the two of us together, she’s ht," Lacey agreed "But if she insists on seeing my lab, let her in We have orders to cooperate within reason"

Lareh to look out Just as he suspected, it was Sasha Willis When she recognized him, she took a step backward and then another, which irritated hi as if he had?

"Ms Willis, are you lost?"

Without waiting for her to answer, he closed the door behind him and headed off in the direction of the exit "If you’ll follow me, I can show you the way out"

She looked past hi in step beside him He automatically adjusted his strides to make it easier for her to keep pace with hiy lab was only a short distance from the exit At the end of the hall, he stopped

"The door to the outside is in that direction," he said, pointing to the left "Devlin Bane’s office is back the other way"

"I knoas just doing so up at Larem, she finally smiled "However, this is the second time you’ve offered to couess we haven’t actually been introduced I’ve been trying to put faces with naured everyone out yet After all, there’s only one of ht She’d assumed he was a Paladin "My na of his last na she wouldn’t pick up on the prefix that would label hie, but neither would he flaunt it right now

Rather than continue the conversation, he stepped past her to lead the way the last little distance to the exit He pushed the heavy door open and stood back to let her walk out ahead of him as he debated whether to pursue the unexpected opportunity to spend more time in her company For the sake of Bavi and Shiri, Lusahn’s children, he’d make the effort and see where it led hiet to know her for his own selfish reasons was beside the point

His decision was further solidified as soon as he spotted the guard on duty Duke had made it abundantly clear that he had little use for any of the Kalith Theand frohen he spotted Lare with the new administrator

If Lare Sasha Willis on her own, Duke wouldn’t hesitate to give her an earful about the Kalith in general and hi Larem needed, especially under the circu right in front of hiuards had a healthy respect for Larem’s ability to wield a sword If the man shot his mouth off now, he had to know he’d pay for it the next time they faced each other in weapons practice

She interrupted his thoughts "Thank you, Mr Jones"

"Please, call me Larem, and actually I was about to leave when you knocked on the door I have to be somewhere soon anyway"

As they passed Duke’s position, he sensed the hatred couard in waves Thethe way he did, but Lare to warrant such hostility Luckily, it appeared that his companion was unaware of the situation

Or maybe not When the two of them had turned the corner, she looked back and frowned "Weird That’s the sauard as on duty when I arrived, but he seemed much friendlier then"

What could Larem say to that? The ansas simple On the way in, she hadn’t been in the coht the new administrator was soft on the issue of the Kalith, they wouldn’t take it well Their previous boss, Colonel Kincade, had done his best to instill a great deal of aniuards and both the Paladins and their Kalith allies

Sasha continued speaking "He wouldn’t be the only one asn’t happy to have me underfoot around here I know my presence lanced back at Duke, resisting the urge to s a bad day"

And Larem’s presence had surely made it worse

"Maybe" She sounded doubtful "I don’t kno anyone could be having a bad day when the weather is so beautiful"

She s "I’d heard that Seattle was always gray and gloo I can squeeze in sos while I’m here What would you recommend, Larem?"

Larem smiled to himself When was the last time he’d had the opportunity to spend even a fewthe co up the warmth of a late summer afternoon? Especially a woman asn’t the mate of one of his friends? Never in this world and only rarely in his own

He considered her question "I enjoy the water more than the mountainson the Sound up north of here Orcas can be aly playful"

He and Hunter had spent the day out on one of the excursion boats with Hunter’s hbors It had been an incredible experience for all of the "I’ll definitely keep that in e, I used to volunteer in the nursery of the St Louis Zoo When things settle down a bit, I ain"