The man walked up to her. He came very close. He wore boots, khaki pants and a T-shirt. He pressed his body against hers, but didnt touch her with his hands. His chest lightly touched her face. She could feel his body heat. He pressed his hands against the wall behind her. The mans body pushed her backwards.

You like that? he said. He breathed deeply. I can tell, youre not going to miss your husband at all.

Gunner made a sound behind her, like an animal squeal.

Becca screamed, just like Luke taught her to do. The scream unleashed her energy. She rammed both hands up and into the mans balls. She grabbed for them and through his pants, she squeezed as hard as she could. She took them in a death grip. Then she tried to rip them away from his body.

The mans eyes went wide in shock. He made a gasping sound, then fell to the floor with a thud. His mouth was agape in a silent shriek. His hands were at his groin. His pants were staining with blood. She had hurt him. She had hurt him very badly.

She turned to Gunner. Come on! We have to get out of here.

Chapter 42

11:17 p.m.

Fairfax County, Virginia - Suburbs of Washington, DC

Hi, this is Becca. I cant answer your call right now. Please leave a message after the tone, and Ill call you back as soon as I can.

Luke hung up. There was no sense leaving a message.

He had moved downstairs. The house had a finished half-basement. It opened to a walkout at the bottom of the little hill, between his house and the neighbors house. That door was a vulnerable spot, and at first, this was the reason Luke went to it. Luke crouched at the door, in near pitch-darkness, staring at his neighbors house. That house gave him an idea.

The question was: Did he dare act on it?

Throughout his career, he had done everything in his power to shield Becca and Gunner from the realities of his work. Becca knew what he did for a living, but she knew very little of what that actually meant. Gunner, in his own way, was closer to the truth. He thought his dad was James Bond.

Luke grunted. He saw, in a flash of insight, that he was the one who didnt understand. All these years, he had compartmentalized like a good agent. Thats how they taught you to think about it. On the one hand, you had the job, and everything you did as part of the job. The secrets you learned and then quickly forgot, the people you met, or arrested, or killed. On the other hand, you had your real life. You kept the two as far apart as possible.