Page 4 (1/2)

CHAPTER 1

Circumstance doesn’t lary at twelve, my first robbery at fifteen, and my first murder at seventeen

—From the private case notes of Detective Max Shannon

It was as she was sitting staring into the face of a sociopath that Sophia Russo realized three irrefutable truths

One: In all likelihood, she had less than a year left before she was sentenced to comprehensive rehabilitation Unlike normal rehabilitation, the process wouldn’t only wipe out her personality, leave her a drooling vegetable Comprehensives had ninety-nine percent of their psychic senses fried as well All for their own good of course

Two: Not a single individual on this earth would remember her name after she disappeared from active duty

Three: If she wasn’t careful, she would soon end up as empty and as inhuman as the man on the other side of the tablebecause the otherness in her wanted to squeeze his ed for mercy

Evil is hard to define, but it’s sitting in that room

The echo of Detective Max Shannon’s words pulled her back fro te labeled evil by him wasnot acceptable He had looked at her in a different way fro her scars, but only as part of the package that was her body The response had been extraordinary enough to aze, atte

That had proved impossible But she knehat Max Shannon wanted

Bonner alone knohere he buried the bodies—we need that information