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"We’ll leave then"

"I don’t think so," the old ht And in thewe’ll talk"

He turned and walked back toward his crowd of guests, ere getting barraged with a new round of chast theet the rude interruption of the escaped prisoner

I caught Madeleine’s eye in the crowd She appraisedmen anted her attention a lot more than I did

"Quite a show," Alex told oon il will show you to your roo Alex would’ve said your coffin with the saood humor

I looked up at the balcony A couple of other goons had already found Ralph and were one

Chapter 13

MAIA DIDN’T WANT TO HOLD THE BABY

"Just ten minutes?" Ralph’s sister pleaded She looked like a woh a wind tunnel full of baby food "So I can take a shower? You’re a lifesaver"

She handed over Lucia Jr, a bundle of grunting, kicking unhappiness, then disappeared down the hallway

If Maia were in her place, she would’ve headed out the back door and driven away

"Hey, sweetheart," Maia told the baby

"Ah-ba!" Lucia Jr complained

Maia wondered if her head needed supporting No, that ith younger babies Lucia was almost a year old She could sit up, use a cup, all of that

Maia had been reading sothem in the dirty laundry ha Law school had been a snap co babies Babiesand squir her by her terry-cloth-covered bottoot out her key chain Babies loved keys She put Lucia on the sofa and sat next to her and offered the keys

"Ah!" Lucia went straight for the pepper spray canister

"No," Maia said "Not that"

She detached the pepper spray and put it in her pocket and Lucia started crying

"Aw, co none of it She wanted dangerous stuff or nothing She was, apparently, her parents’ child

Down the hall, pluan to run

Hurry, Maia thought

She bought a few seconds showing Lucia the handcuffs she kept in her purse Lucia see

Maia cursed herself for pro fine with the baby But Maia hadn’t been able to resist Maybe it was her exhaustion, her frazzled state of , for the first tiuello

THEY’D BEEN STANDING TOGETHER ON THE back veranda of Guy White’s lasses, Ralph looked older, weathered, like a Native A across a landscape that was no longer his

"I screwed up," he said, "cutting Titus loose"

Maia felt so relieved she couldn’t speak Never mind that Titus Roe had tried to kill her Ever since she pulled hi victi him to White’s house--a sure death sentence Ralph had spared hiht from her conscience, and she was completely unprepared to feel so indebted to a man she so disliked

On the lawn below, Tres was arguing with Guy White, trying to keep the old man and his henchmen from Ralph

Maia knew Tres would stand in front of a tank if itRalph or her

"Hell of a way forher eyes "Tres kept , the last twenty-four hours I haven’t done shit but cause hih school, and he still risks his neck"

"I don’t think Tres would see it that way"

"Stupid bastard," Ralph agreed "Doesn’t , he still backs me up Covered my ass a million times He makes me nervous"

Under different circuuello, nervous of Tres

"Did Roe tell you anything?" she asked

"He wasn’t going to Said to go ahead and kill hio, I would have shot hi, rubbed his face with his hands "Having a family, MaiaI don’t know First day I held Lucia Jr, it was like part of me went into her Like she tapped me out I can’t kill people any my baby Does that make any sense?"

Maia reached over and squeezed his hand

At the base of the steps, Guy White was not getting any happier Hisranks around Tres, like they were about to put hio," Ralph told her "Tres and I will uest, too"

"I can’t leave you two"

"Keep searching Check on the baby for me" Ralph looked over, and Maia was surprised by the sadness in his eyes "I’d do anything for Tres Used to figure he would be the one with the nors and I could kind of enjoy theh him"