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But where else would he be with all the chattering in hiswith himself since he’d closed the door on the Arturos, watched them roll off down the drive and then turned to see that vision in red at the

She had his mind—every corner of it

He’d better get it back—and fast

He opened his black notebook and took another fresh page Lifted a sleek rollerball, s he was going to adopt

Booze That had to go Not because he had a problem with it, but because it was always there at the back of his le Friday beer was his way of showing that he had it under control But he’d still had too retted, and his father had seemed to have it all under control Except he hadn’t And it’d killed him

He looked at Ruby’s face, soft in sleep There was no way he was going to have anything around hiht do harm to her or their baby

Next to go—ga to be hard He couldn’t care less if he never saw the inside of a casino again But it was the boys he’d miss He needed his friends He needed the camaraderie, the bluster and fun

And more than that he needed to feel that physical force, that coby he really needed—he still missed it every day But this wasn’t about hi This was the future, not the past

Ruby ht in the chair She was drea Her ebony hair was fanned out on the pillow, her bare arm as pale as the sheet it rested on He saw the faint scar of a needle jab and a series of pale brown moles, but they weren’t imperfections All they did was made her look even more beautiful

He had never felt such responsibility in his life

He had to keep her safe, keep her healthy and keep her onside at all costs

He went back to his list, e