Page 1 (1/2)

To Ji, for many years of friendship and support

Chapter 1

ANA HAD TO GET THE BABY OUT OF THE HOUSE Things were about to get ugly

She called Ralph’s sister, told her one of them would drop off Lucia in tenof diapers, bottles, extra clothes, Lucia’s favorite blanket and stuffed beagle

In the kitchen high chair, Lucia was finger-painting her tray with yaed to get some in the black tufts of her hair

Ana stared at theabout blood-splatter patterns

Looking at her own daughter, and thinking about the hoht, before she lost her nerve

She zipped the travel bag, unlocked the high chair tray and iot yams on the sleeve of her blazer

"Daing from work She’d only taken time to empty her shoulder holster and lock the service-issue Glock in the hallway closet where it alent the ure out how to get the baby cleaned up without ruining her clothes when Ralph stormed into the kitchen

He’d showered and put on his old traveling outfit--black jeans, steel-tipped boots, crisp white linen guayabera, black leather jacket His newly braided ponytail curled over one shoulder

He clunked a Magnu his 357

"What are you doing?" Ana dee look which had been bothering her for weeks

Since laser surgery, Ralph had set aside his thick round glasses for contact lenses There was no longer any shield between his ferocity and the rest of the world His stare reminded her too much of the people she worked with--cops and killers

She wasn’t afraid of him She’d never been afraid of hi in the air like the sun, hooked it inside his pants--a er "Johnny Shoes has a lead for me I’ll drop Lucia on the way"

Johnny Zapata

That’s how desperate they’d beco lord who literally cut his enemies to pieces

"Ralph, the last time you saw Zapata--"

"I’ll be fine"

"He tried to kill you"

"You want to give me a better lead?"

Heback She’d asked for tiht She only did that when she needed toin the balance

"I can’t," Ana told him

"You knoho killed Frankie, don’t you?"

"I’ve already told you more than I should"

He considered that, his eyes boring into her "Yeah Maybe you did"

"Ah-ba" Lucia held up her gooey hands to her father "Ah-ba"

Ralph unfastened the seat strap and lifted the baby out of the yae on his white guayabera, but Ralph didn’t seem to care He kissed the baby’s h-pitched squeal of delight and kicked her bunny feet against Daddy’s belly

Ana’s heart felt sore

Lucia never acted so happy when Ana picked her up

Career necessity Lieutenant Hernandez hadn’t put his butt on the line recoeant so she could take six e diapers Still, the first year of Lucia’s life,each other goodbye

"Hey, Sergeant" Ralph held out his hand, his tone so fierce he e "It’ll be okay Tú eres mi amor por vida"

She wanted to cry, she loved hi, her police friends had given her horrible looks Hernandez had pulled her aside, eyes flooded with concern, fingers like talons on her forearoddamn killer

But they didn’t know Ralph He loved her the way he did everything else--with absolute intensity Since the day he’d decided he wanted Ana, she never stood a chance He had boiled over her like a wildfire

She laced her fingers with his