Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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Goddammit. We have what we need. We’re safe.Macon, Iron, and Trace linger outside the door, keeping watch as Dallasgives Callum everything he deserves and more.“Are you sure you’re okay?” Clay grabs me once we’re clear. “Theydidn’t…”“I’ll be fine.” I kiss her.“We have the footage,” Army tells me. “You want me to erase it?”I look up at my brother, knowing that when Clay called, he would knowwhere they took me.“Footage? What do you mean?” Clay inquires.“Cameras,” I tell her. “That’s what Callum was talking about atMariette’s. About the break-in? He gave me the key to Fox Hill. If I playednice with one of their escorts, he would play nice, too. He would give me hisrole in the play.”“And you agreed to that?”“Of course not.” I take her hand, trying to calm down the worry in hereyes. “It was never going to happen. My brothers used the key to get in andplant cameras throughout the facility. Now we can stockpile enough secretsand footage to keep St. Carmen off our backs. Callum will have more parties.And I’m sure that’s not even the worst of what’s going on there.”“But you took the role?”“Hell, yes. He tried to take my dignity,” I retort. “On many occasions inthe last four years, Clay.”She closes her mouth, her eyes softening as I’m sure she realizes she didthe same thing, many times over the years. The comments, the looks, thesnide smiles…But she takes the back of my neck and presses her forehead to mine,closing her eyes, and I don’t see any of that anymore. All I see in front of meis my favorite thing in the whole world.After a moment, I look to Army, not sure I can ever watch what could’vehappened to me in that room, but it’s the first log in the fire. We can’t deleteit. “Store the footage,” I tell him.I take her hand again, and we move, loading into one of the trucks.“We should have Milo arrested at least,” Clay says.“You know the law will protect them,” I point out. “We end it here,hopefully it stays that way. For us, secrets are a better weapon.”“And if not…” she adds, tossing the knife on the dash..
I just laugh, climbing into the cab behind her. “You really gonna sink himinto the swamp with a pair of cement galoshes?” I tease.But she just looks past me, into the distance, serious and caging.Oh, come on. She wasn’t serious about them not finding his body if heever did that again. I chuckle, but then stop when I see she’s still notlaughing.“Clay?” I press. “Babe?”She cocks an eyebrow, lifting her chin and focusing on the wondroustrees out the windshield like they’re the most beautiful things ever and shecan’t fucking hear me.Army laughs under his breath, approving of the newest addition to thefamily.Fucking great.
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Penelope DouglasCopyright © 2021 P
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Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapt
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Stream here“All The Things She Sa
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To Abigail
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“Yeah!” they cry out.“Then I
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“We love you, Clay!” some of my
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My mother rushes up to me as the ol
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happy when she’s out to hurt my f
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Kind of amused, but mostly a warnin
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The simple hoop skirt wraps around
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I rub my thumb over the small tatto
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I CLIMB OFF the back of the bike an
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the school. She’s only being nice
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into the trash can as I move ahead,
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smiles down at me, a clipboard in o
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A water bottle falls into the tin g
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I’m yelling at a teacher, but I
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changing audience. Firefights, car
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“If I consider your offer,” I a
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I RUN MY hands down my thighs, the
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can. Being that different from ever
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“I’ll be leaving again tomorrow
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her, my gaze catching the dimple on
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But she rises from her seat without
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that years ago when I first met her
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He bats his eyelashes, and I let ou
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He thinks theater is stupid. He thi
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“The hardest choices were never c
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promising more shitty weather to co
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She can protect her precious little
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my enjoyment as I lower my voice to
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overstock here for rehearsals when
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She stares at me, unblinking, and e
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I look at her through the water in
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“MISS CLAY?” BERNIE calls out.
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on my hand, I fist the underwear ag
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won’t fit like it’s supposed to
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don’t recognize coming into view.
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off you as soon as possible.”I lo
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stomach as I watch her watch me rub
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“What?” she taunts. “I just l
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sit back, shaking my head.But my sm
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My father, I only saw at the end of
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me to Marymount, I didn’t want to
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I thread her hair through my finger
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“Olivia?” I hear the leather se
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“Scared?” she whispers.I almost
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before everything is gone.Clay hesi
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I’m a little scared, but I’m a
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watched Gates stitch a gash from a
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I clutch the arms of the chair for
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dropping it to the floor.I mean, if
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“You wanted it up, so it’s back
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I know, all right? I know. I wasn
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She won’t meet my eyes.“Are you
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are necessary to the success of the
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heard of Biscayne Bay.Bay… Not Sa
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I look back to Iron.“Don’t you
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mumbles, more like she’s arguing
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to the right and assume that’s wh
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I stare at her, the world spinning
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“MACON!” SANTOS CALLS out as if
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move you.”Clay glances to me. A s
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down next to her, pushing her fucki
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“Fine,” I grit out, pushing awa
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himself. Army drives off, Liv next
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air boat, and one with Iron holding
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I slip into the kitchen, Amy lurks
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“What the hell?” someone bellow
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time. Ask me.But she just shakes he
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I SCROLL THOUGH Liv’s Twitter and
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I walk away, looking back at the bo
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So, she left. She let me win.She ju
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But still, I don’t let her go, gr
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needing to run to get rid of the ur
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“DID YOU THINK I wasn’t going t
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video of the assistant coach and me
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happened?I’ll admit, the prospect
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on.”Coomer always takes us out to
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But Clay just sits, her elbows on h
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I YANK MY rubber band out, letting
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I almost smile. In her rush to leav
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“I didn’t let you win,” she t
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I CHEW THE pizza, glancing up at he
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My mom had mental problems her whol
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But the door falls shut, and Amy an
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why hide anything else as if that w
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panties, shivering when I feel the
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between them. Our warmth seeps thro
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she gasps, her hands immediately di
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WE JERK OUR heads, seeing someone
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And without a moment to lose, Liv d
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freefalling.I collapse on top of he
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orders.A shiver runs through me, an
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looks over his shoulder. “Amy! Ca
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SHE DOESN’T GET over it.I called.
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amicably.I grab my test and pencil
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Like it’s inevitable, because he
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as long I shut up about it.Maybe th
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The lighthouse rises above us, a co
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spilling over the rim of her cup. I
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Except for Archie.Old places have a
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“A friend.”“Someone you’ve
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few short nibbles. “I liked it wh
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venom, and sometimes you need poiso
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direction as they bump into each ot
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Clubhouse…“Fox Hill!” I shout
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But no one listens to me.The boys o
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of yours and your friends. This is
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the streetlights off, as well. The
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I can’t take my eyes off her, pai
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I push my finger a little more, her
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breathing hard as she loses her min
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in love. Jesus.”Clay stays silent
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“She was better than I’d dreame
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God, please.”I step back into the
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you weren’t happy. To support peo
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“Right.” I put my practice clot
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and from everyone except her who ti
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She leaves, and I bite my bottom li
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I don’t know if I’m relieved th
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We walk toward the dining room, dow
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bus here, but I’m filled with a s
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“I notice men.” I wave the air,
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minimum to get what she wants but n
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seems to close again, and she sits
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CAN’T WE JUST go park somewhere?
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Turning, she rounds the table and h
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can have problems.”I never though
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never getting away from me, Jaeger,
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I whimper, startled as she pushes u
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“Oh, God,” I moan.She grinds in
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“Don’t apologize, baby.” I ho
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“GOD, I NEED a shower,” Liv whi
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me understands why. And the other p
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appointments for mani-pedis next Fr
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Liv walks to the stationary bike, a
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the bleachers.The drumline beat fil
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gazing at her and seeing myself in
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call, jogging out of the workroom a
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not replying. She’s not even typi
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She gets me going, and while I may
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caressing me through my underwear.I
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I stop. Excuse me? I turn, glaring
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I check my face in my side mirror,
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tell her as I season two oysters.
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sociological, political, and theist
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eyeing my brothers. “Know anythin
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I whip the spoon, the glob slamming
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she peels off my tank top and helps
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God, she’s beautiful.Leaning down
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Wait…“You never did that with a
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“I’m…uh,” Clay stammers, br
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Amy adjusts her bra straps inside h
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Clay, I still wouldn’t have been
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and I lose sight of her, but my bod
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I smile. She must be eating dinner.
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Letters were how old people communi
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“SO, I WAS kind of thinking,” I
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heart.She stands there, her chin tr
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“Have you ever kissed a man?” h
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She hasn’t called. She didn’t a
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Page 329 and 330: Oh, shut up.I walk away without say
Page 331 and 332: “Listen to me,” he says.But I d
Page 333 and 334: Like Henry.“His brother was makin
Page 335 and 336: NEW YORK. WHY does the idea of bein
Page 337 and 338: Does my mom know that’s how I see
Page 339 and 340: that I’m…”“Well, honey, we
Page 341 and 342: “YOU’RE NOT ACTUALLY dating Tra
Page 343 and 344: I hate it. I hate acting like this.
Page 345 and 346: But then I remember, I blocked her
Page 347 and 348: on.And then the door at the back op
Page 349 and 350: “YOU GIRLS LOOK beautiful,” my
Page 351 and 352: God, shut up. I squeeze my fists, s
Page 353 and 354: But my dad pulls her back around an
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Page 357 and 358: What do you mean, what? I know what
Page 359 and 360: that.I’m still not apologizing, t
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Page 363 and 364: My father steps up behind us and Kr
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Page 367 and 368: I BREATHE HARD, sucking my hair int
Page 369 and 370: can track me, and there are four of
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Page 373 and 374: “Come on, Milo!” someone shouts
Page 375 and 376: I glance after Dallas for less than
Page 377: “Not here,” I whisper to my bro
Page 381 and 382: Dammit. I grab it off the floor, kn
Page 383 and 384: lot of trouble, but of course, he w
Page 385 and 386: One Month LaterCLAY RUNS PAST me, a
Page 387 and 388: Her mother’s help to protect the
Page 389 and 390: confection off the tray and let Cla
Page 391 and 392: Four Years LaterI’M GONNA BE sick
Page 393 and 394: He laughs, glancing to Army and the
Page 395 and 396: “Oh, I need a board, right? I don
Page 397 and 398: “What are we doing?” I ask.She
Page 399 and 400: Thank you so much for reading Tryst
Page 401 and 402: ErikaHE WON’T BE HERE.There’d b
Page 403 and 404: Trees rose above and all around me
Page 405 and 406: It was my fault I didn’t love him
Page 407 and 408: I tucked my hair behind my ear, not
Page 409 and 410: Other than that one night, he’d i
Page 411 and 412: smiled, pulling out a heavy steel D
Page 413 and 414: To the readers—Again, I want to t
Page 415: Penelope Douglas is a New York Time
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Tryst Six Venom by Penelope Douglas

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