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She ht of her stirred an unpleasant rief She was the closest thing he had to family She was also his deepest ound--a scar that wouldn’t heal

Her short black hair was disheveled; there was a long smear of baby food on her sleeve The top button of her blouse was undone Her collarbone ainst her skin A beautiful wonets

"Well?" she asked

"I have an answer for you" His voice sounded strangely dry, even to him "May I coood job of acting calm, but he knew her too well Her shoulders were tense Her fingertips tapped against her thumbs

"Make yourself comfortable," she called from the kitchen "You want a soda?"

He stared at the photograph of Lucia on the living rooly Ana resembled her mother

Next to the photo was Ana’s laptop--cries frozen on the screen

"Where’s Ralph?" he asked

"Out Was that a no on the soda?"

"Out?" He tried to keep his voice level "You were supposed to keep hiot Sprite, Diet Coke--"

"Ana, goddamn it You’re out of time"

She popped a can of Sprite "This conversation isn’t about Ralph It’s about you"

"Me?"

She leaned against the kitchen doorway "I can’t let you skate"

He could feel the situation unraveling This was not the way it was supposed to happen Ralph was the enemy Ana had to realize that Ralph was supposed to be here, to be provoked into showing how violent he was, how capable of murder

Carefully, he said, "You’re not serious"

"You left a trail" Ana’s voice was heavy with anger, as if he had let her down "You were sloppy How could you think I wouldn’t find you?"

Her expression stirred bad memories--memories he couldn’t tolerate

"You have any idea what you’re saying?" he asked "Me, for Christ’s sake?"

She nodded to the coue photo on the screen He touched the keyboard, brought up a ation

It didn’t take long to see that she’d done her homework Every mistake he’d made, then and now--neatly documented

He felt claustrophobic, dizzy, like he aking up inside a coffin

The irony was horrible Yet she’d done good detective work, uello is poison," he ed "You don’t knoho your friends are any you first because a confession would be easier We can get you soets out, you’re a dead e her , rather than see sooddamn criminal she’d married

He put his hand at his waist, felt the butt of the 357 under his coat "You’re right"

"Give ht out the gun "If word gets out"

Her face paled "You won’t shoot et you a lawyer"

She walked to the hallway phone--tension still in her shoulders, but da was: She ht He wasn’t sure he could hurt her Her, of all people

She picked up the receiver

"Put it down," he ordered

"I’hteen years of fear, sha with that worthless kid’s blood on his conscience

Ana would never understand what had happened that night He had sworn to die rather than let the truth come out

"Put the phone down," he pleaded

"No choice" She started to dial

The first shot surprised hih her pants leg She dropped her Sprite and stood there, stunned, as a line of blood trickled down her ankle Sprite gurgled from the overturned can on the hardwood floor

She stared at hi his name

"I’m sorry," he told her And he meant it Goddamn it, he had never wanted this

Ana reached for her oeapon, but of course her shoulder holster was euns around the baby This house was a sanctuary

Whichout so alarly loud

Chapter 2

MONDAY MORNING I GOT A PAYING CLIENT

Wednesday afternoon I killed hi I buried hiency is a full-service operation Did I irlfriend, Maia Lee, drove me home fro the likelihood of h Being a lawyer, she probably knehat she was talking about

"The cries don’t worry "

"That’s because he wanted your phone nu boardIclients--"

"Generally frowned upon"

"Tres Navarre: ie of character"