The place where he smiled
Chapter 24
The Place Where He Smiled
Amara Queen realized something alarming halfway through dessert.
Lorenzo Vitale smiled a lot around her.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The realization hit while he was laughing at one of her stories.
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Actually laughing.
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Not the polite laugh people used in public.
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Not the dangerous laugh he used when threatening someone.
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A real laugh.
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Warm.
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Relaxed.
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Human.
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The betrayal.
The attractive-laugh betrayal.
Undefeated.
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Amara stared.
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Immediately.
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Lorenzo noticed.
Of course he did.
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The man noticed everything.
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"What?"
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Silence.
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The surgeon looked away.
Immediately.
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A tactical retreat.
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Nothing more.
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Absolutely nothing more.
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"You smile a lot."
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The words slipped out before she could stop them.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Lorenzo blinked.
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Once.
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Slowly.
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Then laughed again.
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The traitor.
The complete traitor.
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"Only around you."
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Silence.
Absolute silence.
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The answer landed harder than expected.
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Dangerously harder.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Amara suddenly found the lake fascinating.
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Extremely fascinating.
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The sunset reflected across the water.
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Beautiful.
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Peaceful.
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A convenient distraction.
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Unfortunately...
Lorenzo was still looking at her.
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The betrayal.
The staring betrayal.
Undefeated.
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Eventually they left the restaurant.
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The evening air felt cool.
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Comfortable.
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The city glowed in the distance.
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Cars passed.
People walked nearby.
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Normal.
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For once.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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They strolled along the waterfront.
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No security in sight.
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At least...
Not visible security.
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Amara wasn't naive.
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Lorenzo had definitely hidden someone nearby.
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The compromise betrayal.
Undefeated.
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She decided not to mention it.
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Mostly because the date was going surprisingly well.
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Dangerously well.
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A very serious problem.
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Their conversation drifted naturally.
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Childhood stories.
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Favorite books.
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Embarrassing memories.
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The usual.
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Then Lorenzo ruined everything.
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Again.
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Naturally.
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"I was terrible in school."
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Silence.
Immediate silence.
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Amara stopped walking.
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Immediately.
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The surgeon stared.
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Then stared harder.
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Because she'd clearly misheard.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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"You what?"
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Lorenzo looked amused.
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"I was terrible in school."
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The audacity.
The complete audacity.
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"No."
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Silence.
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The mafia don blinked.
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"What?"
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"No."
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Amara pointed at him.
Immediately.
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"You run a criminal empire."
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"Yes."
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"You speak three languages."
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"Yes."
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"You understand finance."
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"Yes."
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"You negotiate with politicians."
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"Yes."
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Silence.
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The surgeon folded her arms.
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Dangerously.
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"You were not terrible in school."
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Lorenzo laughed.
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Immediately.
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The sound echoed across the waterfront.
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Warm.
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Dangerous.
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A recurring problem.
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"I failed algebra twice."
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Silence.
Absolute silence.
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Amara looked horrified.
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Actually horrified.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The reaction delighted him.
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Entirely too much.
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"You failed algebra."
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The disappointment.
The complete disappointment.
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Undefeated.
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Lorenzo grinned.
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The traitor.
The complete traitor.
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For several minutes she continued interrogating him.
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Relentlessly.
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Professionally.
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Naturally.
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By the end of the conversation she had learned:
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He hated chemistry.
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Failed algebra twice.
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Skipped college entirely.
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And once got suspended for punching another student.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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The punching part felt predictable.
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The algebra part did not.
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They eventually reached a quiet section of the waterfront.
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The crowd thinned.
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The city sounds faded.
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The world seemed smaller somehow.
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Softer.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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For a while neither spoke.
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Just enjoyed the moment.
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The company.
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The peace.
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Then Lorenzo's expression changed.
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Subtly.
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Enough to matter.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Amara noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
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"What?"
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The mafia don looked toward the water.
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Then toward her.
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Then back toward the water.
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Interesting.
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Very interesting.
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Finally he spoke.
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Quietly.
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Honestly.
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Dangerously.
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"I haven't been this happy in a long time."
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Silence.
Absolute silence.
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The confession settled between them.
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Heavy.
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Real.
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Unexpected.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Because Lorenzo wasn't a man who admitted things like that.
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Not easily.
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Not often.
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The realization made her chest tighten again.
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The emotional betrayal.
Undefeated.
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Amara looked at him.
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Really looked at him.
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The man who'd built an empire.
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The man feared throughout the city.
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The man who somehow remembered her favorite sandwich order.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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And suddenly...
She understood.
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He wasn't smiling because the date was going well.
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He wasn't smiling because he was flirting.
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He wasn't smiling because he thought she'd say yes.
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He was smiling because for a few hours...
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He got to stop being Lorenzo Vitale.
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And just be Lorenzo.
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The realization hit hard.
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Dangerously hard.
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Before she could think herself out of it...
Before logic could intervene...
Before common sense could file a formal complaint...
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Amara reached for his hand.
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Silence.
Immediate silence.
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The universe stopped.
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Again.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Her fingers brushed his.
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Light.
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Tentative.
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Real.
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Lorenzo froze.
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Completely.
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The notorious mafia don.
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Frozen.
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Interesting.
Very interesting.
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Then slowly...
Carefully...
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He intertwined their fingers.
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Like she was something precious.
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Something fragile.
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Something worth protecting.
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And suddenly...
The date stopped feeling like a first date.
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It felt like the beginning of something.
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Something neither of them could stop now.
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And somewhere in the darkness across the street...
A camera clicked.
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Once.
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Then again.
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Then again.
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Viktor Romano smiled as photographs of their joined hands appeared on his phone.
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Because now he had proof.
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And proof could be used.
End Chapter 24