Seductive Lies (Secret Lives Series) (44 page)

“
Q
u
it
e
al
l
r
i
gh
t
,
Lie
u
te
n
a
n
t
,
”
M
a
r
c
us
nodd
e
d
a
s
he
c
on
ti
nu
e
d
on
h
i
s
p
at
h.
He
g
a
ve p
a
use
wh
e
n
he
h
ea
rd
t
he
t
w
o
's
c
onv
e
rs
ati
on.

T
he
o
t
h
e
r
la
ugh
e
d.
“
S
i
m
on,
y
o
u shou
l
d
h
a
ve
b
ee
n
hon
e
st
a
nd
s
ai
d
y
o
ur
atte
n
ti
on
w
a
s upon
a
y
o
ung
w
o
m
a
n
.
”

“
I
'm
telli
ng
y
o
u
,
sh
e
'
s
C
l
a
y
'
s
gr
a
ndd
a
ugh
te
r.
I
m
e
t
h
e
r
t
h
i
s
m
orn
i
ng.
H
e
t
o
l
d
h
e
r
qu
it
e p
lai
n
l
y
t
o
s
ta
y
w
it
h
i
n
t
he
hous
e
.
She
m
ust not
h
a
ve
li
s
te
n
e
d,”
he
s
ai
d.
“
I
n
ee
d
t
o
e
s
c
ort  h
e
r
b
ac
k.
I
don't
b
elie
ve
t
he
o
l
d
m
a
n
w
il
l
be
h
a
ppy
w
it
h
h
e
r.”

“
N
ot
b
eca
use
sh
e
'
s
a
b
ea
u
t
y
.
N
ot
h
e
re
t
w
e
n
t
y
-
four
hou
r
s
a
nd
y
o
u
h
a
ve
al
r
ea
d
y
m
a
de
e
y
e
s
a
t
a
wo
m
a
n.”

M
a
r
c
us
t
urn
e
d
t
o
t
he
t
wo
off
ice
rs.
“
H
o
l
d
t
h
e
r
e
.
Of
wh
ic
h
do
y
ou sp
ea
k
?
A
le
x
a
nd
e
r C
l
a
y
?
H
i
s
gr
a
ndd
a
ugh
te
r
i
s
d
o
wn
h
e
r
e
?
”

“
D
o
y
ou
know
of
h
i
m
,
s
i
r
?
I
w
a
s
ov
e
r
t
o
s
ec
ure
h
i
s
ho
m
e
t
h
i
s
m
orn
i
ng.
T
he
G
e
n
e
r
a
l g
a
ve
ord
e
rs
t
o
ta
ke
ca
re
of
our
T
ory
f
a
m
i
lie
s.
T
he
g
i
r
l
,”
he
po
i
n
te
d
t
ow
a
rd
t
he
c
rowd.
“
Wa
n
te
d
t
o
go
ou
t
.
He
r
e
fus
e
d.
But
I
ca
n
sw
ea
r
I
j
ust
s
a
w
h
e
r
a
t
t
he
h
a
ng
i
ng
sp
y
.”

“
I
'
l
l
l
ook
i
n
t
o
it
,”
M
a
r
c
us
d
i
s
m
i
ss
e
d
t
he
t
wo.
T
he
Lie
u
te
n
a
n
t
h
e
s
itate
d.
“
I
s
t
h
e
re
a prob
l
e
m
,
Lie
u
te
n
a
n
t
....”

“
F
letc
h
e
r,
s
i
r.
N
o,
s
i
r,
but
I
w
ou
l
d
be
h
a
pp
y
—”

“
Y
ou're
d
i
s
m
i
ss
e
d,
Lie
u
te
n
a
n
t
,”
M
a
r
c
us
i
n
te
rrup
te
d
t
he
y
o
ung
off
ice
r,
who
s
i
gh
e
d
a
nd
w
al
k
e
d
r
el
u
cta
n
tl
y
a
w
a
y
.

M
a
r
c
us
s
t
ro
lle
d
ov
e
r
t
o
t
he
c
rowd
doub
t
ful
he
wou
l
d
f
i
nd
h
e
r.
T
he
no
ti
on
i
t
wou
l
d
be H
a
nn
a
h
s
eeme
d
d
i
s
ta
n
t
,
but
he
round
e
d
t
he
b
e
nd
a
l
one
f
i
gure
c
a
m
e
i
n
t
o
v
ie
w.
She
s
t
ood
i
n
t
he
h
aze
.

He
w
al
k
e
d
up
b
e
h
i
nd
h
e
r.
“
H
a
nn
a
h
?
”

She
t
urn
e
d
a
round.
H
e
r
f
ac
e
dr
ai
n
e
d
of
al
l
c
o
l
or.
She
h
a
d
n
e
v
e
r
s
ee
n
h
i
m
i
n
h
i
s
f
i
n
e
l
y
c
ut
un
i
form
a
nd
w
h
it
e
powd
e
r
e
d
w
i
g,
a
m
o
me
n
t
n
ece
ss
itate
d b
e
fore
he
s
a
w
t
he r
ec
ogn
iti
on
f
l
ood
t
hrough
h
e
r.

She
shook
h
e
r
h
ea
d.
Tea
rs
she
h
a
d
h
el
d
b
ac
k
f
l
ood
e
d
h
e
r
f
ace
.
She
t
r
ie
d
t
o
t
urn
from h
i
m
,
but
he
h
el
d
ti
gh
t
.
He
c
ou
l
d
f
ee
l
h
e
r
s
h
i
v
e
r
a
nd
h
e
r
le
gs
g
i
v
i
ng
w
a
y
.
He
dr
e
w
h
e
r
i
n
t
o h
i
s
a
r
m
s
a
nd
s
he
c
r
ie
d.

He
le
d
h
e
r
from
t
he
d
i
sp
l
a
y
,
b
ac
k
i
n
t
o
t
he
g
a
rd
e
ns.
She
broke
from
h
i
s
e
m
br
a
c
e
a
nd w
i
p
e
d
h
e
r
c
h
ee
ks.
“
I
'm
sor
r
y
.
”

“
Y
ou
shou
l
d
h
a
ve
n
e
v
e
r
s
ee
n
su
c
h,”
he
s
ai
d,
ho
l
d
i
ng
b
ac
k
t
he
w
ords
he
w
a
n
te
d
t
o
a
sk,
su
c
h
a
s
why
s
he
w
a
s
h
e
r
e
.
I
n
s
tea
d,
he
t
r
ie
d
t
o
s
oo
t
he
a
w
a
y
t
he
r
e
m
e
m
b
e
r
e
d
horror.
“
It
w
a
s
und
e
rs
ta
nd
a
b
le
.
”

He
brush
e
d
b
ac
k
h
e
r
h
ai
r
t
h
a
t
h
a
d
f
alle
n
on
t
o
h
e
r
f
ace
.
A
s
a
dn
e
s
s
li
v
e
d
w
it
h
i
n
h
e
r on
c
e
br
i
ght
e
y
e
s;
she
h
a
d
l
ost
w
ei
gh
t
.
He
w
a
s
pu
zzle
d,
t
hough.
He
h
a
dn't
t
hought
s
he wou
l
d
h
a
ve
s
til
l
b
ee
n
w
it
h
i
n
N
e
w
Y
ork.

“
M
a
r
c
us,”
s
he
s
ai
d
s
of
t
l
y
.
“
T
he
poor
soul
t
h
a
t
hung.
I
h
ea
rd...”
She
s
w
all
ow
e
d.
“
He d
i
dn’t
know
w
h
a
t
he
w
a
s
do
i
n
g
?
”

“
I
do
n
't
b
elie
ve
so,”
M
a
r
c
us
s
tate
d.
H
i
s
e
y
e
s
s
t
ud
ie
d
h
e
r
i
n
te
n
t
l
y
.
“
It
d
i
dn't
s
ee
m
he w
a
s
pr
e
p
a
r
e
d
for
w
h
a
t
he
i
n
te
nd
e
d.”