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"But she left?"

"Yesood-bye I have worried about her over the years"

"Well," I said "She was fine up until about a week ago This is her son"

Doc Rivera shook Chance’s hand "Mucho gusto Sí, I see her in you around the eyes" He tilted his head "But I am sorry to hear of your trouble"

Chance downed his beer in one s "Is there anything else you can tell us? Anything that ht direction?"

The doctor glanced toward the open door When I turned, I didn’t see anything, but his face changed, becaht "No I’ already Buenas noches" He headed for the back door in an uneven gait

"You get the feeling there’s so us?" Chance said

I stood, dusted my hands on my skirt "You think? They’re all scared to death"

As we left, he reached for h I knew he couldn’t protect erous We’d already proved that

"Coet you to bed You look busted"

Second tio, not this time Not when it roused such an awful ache "Please don’t callcalls from ladies in nearby doorways, and cupped"You think s for you dried up when you walked away, Corine? You’re still my love, even if you don’t love me back"

Oh, God

In Dreams

I hoped he wouldn’t ask me whether that was true Eva claimed I was still half in love with him At this moment, tired and overwhelmed, I was in no shape to analyze my e time and then pressed a soft kiss to o?"

This time I didn’t protest e started for the car Toits purpose, the zona seenificant presence fro and headed for the bridge

I thought we lanced at Chance’s ID and waved us through My blue eyes and long red hair weighed in our favor; I didn’t look like an illegal If Eva could stillthat would withstand a casual inspection at land crossings anyway

"Why do you think your lanced away fro that myself It would help if I kne she wound up in Nuevo Laredo in the first place"

I watched hier now than e’d been together and, right now, deliciously tousled The dishevelular features, not that he needed further appeal

Should I mention it? Yeah, I decided Chance wouldn’t thank s from him

"I did some research earlier"

I decided not to h Rivera had said she worked as a healer in Nuevo Laredo, there was no telling what she did in South Korea Min had always been reluctant to discuss her past; she’d lived in Seoul once, and that was all we knew Until now, there had been no reason to pry, no reason to question her secrecy

"Yeah?" he pro tired

"There’s a thriving sex trade between Mexico and the East, including Korea and Japan I read about a woman as promised a job in a plastic factory and when she arrived, she was branded with a rose and put to work in a Yakuza-run brothel"

"What do you think that has to do with anything?"

I hesitated and finally just came out with it "Does Min have any odd scars?"

"You think she anized crime?" His eyes seared me

"I don’t know We don’t have all the pieces in order to see the big picture Did she ever say why she left Korea?"

Chance sighed as he guided the car onto highway 57 "No I’ to realize I know very little about her"

"Everyone keeps secrets," I said "It’s just a erous they are"

"True" He drove in silence after that I would have given a lot to knohat thoughts occupied his mind

Shortly thereafter we let ourselves into the house, tiptoeing so as not to wake Chuch and Eva I knew I should put on ht I didn’t want to

For once he didn’t press Instead he ht and padded down the hall toward his room, surefooted as a cat I heard the click of the door with equal h I went to sleep byperiod, where I don’t knohether I’m asleep or awake This time I shifted immediately into REM sleep--at least, I assu I certainly hadn’t left the sofa, but I found , woven in lush jewel tones