Zach Owens.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsS9eV9vhLo
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The golden boy of Clear Springs in every sense. His blond hair was still cropped short, harkening back to his days as a Marine, and his body was obviously well taken care of. This wasn’t a man who’d let his years working in a sleepy little town turn him soft.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXVNpFIxgW9
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While Zach took her in, she conducted her own perusal. She’d never met him personally, but she knew him by reputation and pieces of information stolen via eavesdropping. He’d gone off to war a boy and come back a man with shadows in his eyes. Or maybe she was just seeing him with rose-tinted glasses, the tragic figure representing everything she’d never have. Acceptance. Loyalty. The love of the people here.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkvOQktry9P
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Something like jealousy curled through her stomach. It was silly and childish, and she was better than that, but it was hard not to resent someone who so obviously fit. Eden had done a bit of traveling since she’d turned eighteen and run as far and fast as she could from her mother, but she’d never found a place that was well and truly hers.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY62vtKL2IL
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He caught sight of her and narrowed his eyes. “Can I help you?”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv2oQpukXOa
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Being pinned in place by those blue eyes made her second-guess the intelligence of her plan yet again. It didn’t matter. He needed her help, even if he didn’t know it yet. She stepped forward. “I’m here about the body.”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0Ng2LdqHx
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His shoulders dipped a quarter of an inch before rising again, the tell so slight, she wouldn’t have noticed if her business didn’t rely on seeing what other people missed. He frowned. “How the hell did you hear about it already? It’s only been a few hours.”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ctCfFQLnr
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMmvFHbaSEy
And here’s the kicker. She pulled out her phone and brought up her e-mail. “This was sent to me yesterday afternoon.” Zach cursed, and she didn’t blame him. The photo showed the dead girl, her hand outstretched as if begging for help. As if begging Eden for help.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpOExVFHlM
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGxnUSSdgN
“Who sent this to you?”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdy9pCAa08
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“I don’t know.” When she tried to respond to the e-mail, it had bounced. Eden had thought it was some sort of prank, but she’d done a search through the FBI data banks on Clear Springs just in case . . . and discovered that a body perfectly matching the one in the photo was currently in the Augusta morgue.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrQzrlJMVxb
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNRF14HTcd8
A body that shared at least superficial similarities with Eden.166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU1nrBEgtde
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He looked at her as if seeing her for the first time. “As much as I’m grateful for the heads-up about a potential leak, who are you and why would this picture be sent to you?”166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL8ar5UoObP
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTQFrkuRlib
This was it. The moment of truth. She straightened and did her best not to appear as nervous as she felt. “I’m here because I recognize that tattoo on her back.” She held out her hand, proud of herself when it didn’t shake. “I’m Eden Collins, and you’ve got bigger problems than you realize.” 166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMT9gUudup0
166Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5wy8qbdoa5
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