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Chapter 12

“You trusted me then. You trusted me to take care of you.”

“I trust you now.”

“Even after all these years? With the directions our lives have taken us?”

“I need you again, Hilary Baxter. I need you in my life. You remember what I was like in my youth. Wild and untamed.”

“Reckless.”

“Yes, that too,” said Hasiba. “But you tamed me. You gave me guidance and structure. Even after we parted, the effect lingered and I was able to go on to do great things.”

“You had it in you all along.”

“I was a young socialite, hopping from party to party. The only thing I had in me was a little too much booze and a desire to dance away my boredom.”

“You were dancing when we first met. All by yourself on the patio. Do you remember the song? What was it?”

“Duran Duran.”

“Yes. And you smelled like oranges, just like you do now. I don’t know if you noticed at the time, but I was a bit awestruck.”