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Angelina knew the ive her an order in violation of the chain of command She would not tell them this, however, but would let thenored their illegal order and informed Captain Zale at the first opportunity

Chapter 12

Angelina’s first thought as soon as she left the jail was to call Alec and share the good neith hiet into the habit of relying on hi that would be difficult to remember, especially since she didn’t want to

If she couldn’t tell Alec, she couldn’t tell anyone Certainly not her parents And none of her friends, either This was an ongoing investigation, and until all the guilty parties had been arrested, she had to keep what she knew confidential Except froation Who’d intervened, as he’d explained to the king, to help break up the assassination atte—et him to intercede on her behalf with Captain Zale

Using that as an excuse to do what she wanted anyway, she pulled out her cell phone and hit the speed-dial button for Alec’s office in the embassy He’d keyed all his nuht over her perfunctory objections

He wasn’t in his office Or at least that’s what his adelina when the Ae,” she said abruptly “I will call back, thank you”

She called his cell phone, but it went right to voice e

She was disappointed beyond belief, because she’d wanted to hear his voice Wanted to hear hiel” the way no one else did He’d be proud of what she’d ed to accomplish Alec had believed in her when she’d been at her lowest point eh with him, as well

But she didn’t call back She told herself she was too busy, and she was She h it was an off-duty day for her She stopped to see her parents and listened to their carping with as yiously three ti with her tae kwon do instructor, and having the satisfaction of taking hie—she was sharp and intended to stay sharp

Grocery shopping really had been a necessity—she was out of s and several other items she used every day She returned books to the library She ran every errand she could think of, even laying flowers on the graves of Caterina’s parents— souilt washed through her She tried towhat her cousin would have done if she could

She found herself loitering near the US ely at the ondering which one was Alec’s office Thisherself to turn around and head toward her apart like

Like most of the women of her acquaintance, whose , fulfilling careers but would gladly trade them for the traditional Zakharian role of wife and mother Only a handful of women would choose otherwise

The ht about it, the more wound up she becaing clothes and headed out for the run she’d skipped this et to the jail as early as possible to interrogate the prisoner after Captain Zale told her she could

She jogged for h the central district, then out to the palace on the hill and back again before heading to the ay that followed thepath of the river She ran until she was drenched with sweat and the sun was setting With a stitch in her side, she forced herself to walk back to her apart

Alec aiting for her by her front door when she got off the elevator The sladdened the heart oftheelina had

His smile faded when she didn’t return his s expression she knew held no welco toward her, too perceptive not to know iht, and too direct not to question it