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"You look spooked," Joe said

She laughed "I’ in a cooler full of bodies, Joe"

"That doesn’t bother you Was it the call?"

Fear is the basis of any good relationship "No," she said, but the lie wasn’t very good, and she knew he’d see right through it, so she changed it "Yes He’s … There’s so that really scares me He’s not just in this for the money He actually enjoys it"

"I know the type," Fideli said "Look, we’re doing everything we can to keep you safe You’re arot escorts to and from work; you’re secured when you’re here and when you’re ho You’re covered, okay?"

"Okay," she said She really didn’t have any reason to feel so scared Maybe it was the chill of the air, or the stale, never-quite-right serator Maybe it was her own inevitable end pressing down on her She wanted warmth, suddenly, and remembered the man with Hawaii airline tickets in his pocket I could do that Just … go somewhere

No, she couldn’t Not without per her shots

She wasn’t free, and she’d never be free again She ned by the ultiram

"Hey," Joe said He took her hand in his "Look at me"

She did, and his earnest concerna hard day," she said "No reason You ever have days like that?"

"All the daet too involved So Pat tells ot to er on his hip went off Ten seconds later, so did Bryn’s cell phone, ringing a text alarm

Both of them checked devices, and then looked at each other "My apartet in"

"I’ll drive"

The police were already on the scene when Joe parked the , and a curious bunch of her neighbors dawdling and gawking Bryn juer seat and dashed up the stairs, with Joe right behind her Her front door was open, and the alar off in wild shrieks

A unifor in "Sorry, miss--"

"I’ okay?"

Mr French barked furiously froe

"He’s fine," the policened "We had to put hiot there"

That eased the knot in Bryn’s chest "Thank God What happened?"

The cop started to reply, but before he could, a slender hand grabbed the door and pulled it all the way open

Bryn’s sister Annalie stood there looking tired, stressed, and bedraggled She was shorter than Bryn, and curvy in ways that ht now she didn’t look bouncy or sexy Just shocked and frustrated "Would you turn this da off?" she shouted over the racket "God, you could have told me you had an alarm!"

"Annie?" Bryn pushed past the cop and entered her code on the keypad The pounding noise shut off, to the relief of Bryn’s ears, and probably everyone else in a five-block radius "Annie, Jesus Christ, what are you doing here?" There was a flower-patterned suitcase sitting on the floor next to a bright aqua purse that had to be her sister’s "How did you get in?"

"It wasn’t easy Do you know, the key you gave e the locks?"

"Annie--how did you get in?"

Annie grinned and shrugged "I called a locksot him to open it forabout the alarh, and he took off"

Bryn rubbed her forehead There was no systeh that her sister couldn’t find a perfectly obvious way around it, apparently "He’s supposed to check ID"

"Well--I paid extra"