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open about them, we can stay safe.
Michael shook his head. No. Don t say we. I m not a part of this anymore, Lori. I can t just
sit back and let this happen. I know I dragged you into this
No. I dragged me into this. Ever since Grayson made his deals with the devil, I was in their
orbit. If Ken Kemmerling is the reason that my uncle is dead, then I m going to smile at him as much
as I need to until he gives me what we need to take him down. She paced to the edge of his living
room and back. This entire argument had been brewing for the past three days. She d managed to
change the subject or defuse the situation every time before, but she could tell Michael wasn t going
to budge on this one.
Which was a shame, because neither was she.
I know this is important to you, Lori, but I m not letting you go to that meeting. I don t care
what Evelyn says or what
I think, she completed for him. Obviously, my opinion isn t your main priority. This isn t
your choice, Michael. You don t own me.
What? I never said that I own you.
And Lori knew him well enough to know that he didn t think he owned her. But he couldn t give
her orders and blindly expect her to follow them. Then stop acting like you do. Trust my judgment in
this. In my skills. I am not going to go in guns blazing, collecting evidence. And I was hardly in
immediate trouble while at Grayson s apartment or at the funeral today. So if I meet a few people in a
very public place and report their names to Evelyn, that s what I ll do.
No. It s not as simple as one nice little lunch date. It never is. There s more that you ll get
pulled into and you know it. You did what Evelyn asked. You ve done more for your uncle than he
probably would ve ever done for you.
Lori rested her head in her hands as a sudden wave of exhaustion swept over her. She didn t
want to fight about what her uncle would or wouldn t have done for her. She didn t want to fight at
all. She just wanted to relax.
I think I should go home, she said softly. The thought of putting those shoes back on again
almost seemed like torture, but she couldn t stomach the idea of continuing this argument or, worse,
pushing it under the rug again.
Damn it, Lori, don t go.
It s for the best. I need to get back to the office tomorrow and I ve had a long day. A long
couple of days. She d really been looking forward to relaxing with Michael that night too.
He reached for her but she twisted out of his reach and made her way to the hallway and to her
shoes. Can you call a car for me? We can talk tomorrow.
Michael clenched his jaw but didn t reach out for her again. I don t want you to be alone
tonight.
She really didn t want to be alone either. Tough luck, she said, not sure whether she was
talking more to him or herself. I didn t bring overnight stuff and I ve already missed two days of
work. So I need to go home at some point. Good night, Michael. She slipped out the door and let out
a breath she didn t know she d been holding.
Even though Michael obviously disapproved, she d already made up her mind. She was going
to go through with this meeting with Ken one way or another, and he couldn t stop her.
When she reached the street, she saw that Michael already had a car waiting to take her home.
She climbed in the backseat and dialed Evelyn as soon as they were on the road. Did the names from
the funeral help at all? she asked as soon as the FBI agent picked up.
I see you re having a relaxing night, muttered Evelyn.
Lori belatedly realized that it was already early evening and Evelyn probably had been home by
then. But she didn t feel bad. She was doing Evelyn a favor. She had a right to know whether anything
she was doing was actually helping. It s been a stressful day.
I understand. All of the names you gave us are running through the works now. A few we could
immediately strike off from being possible Thirteen Stars members, but there were some promising
leads. It will take a few days to get anything concrete, though. You did good, Lori. I am sorry you
couldn t grieve without all this going on in the background.
Lori stared out the window at the passing city. She d been upset she hadn t had a chance to
grieve too. Maybe that was why she was so snippy with Evelyn and Michael. Sure, Michael was a bit
controlling, but it was only because he cared about her. Thank you, she said softly. But there s
another reason I called. Ken Kemmerling wants to meet with me. He wants to clarify how the transfer
of information from Grayson s computers and documents to whoever they hire to replace him will be
handled.
He s nervous, I bet, said Evelyn. Is the meeting just with him?
Him and a few others, I think. We didn t get into the details. Michael wasn t too fond of the
idea. Lori held her breath as she waited for Evelyn s take on the situation.
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