Then Cutler told him about St. Vincent, Paulus Lindstrom, and Mobius.

*   *   *

Julie was supposed to meet King Cutler for dinner, but instead she was standing outside the side door to The Doll House, waiting for Sydny to emerge. Cutler had called at the last minute to cancel, which was fine by her as she’d been contemplating canceling herself. The tension in his voice was palpable. Something was amiss at Universal Security. She felt the urge to ask him about it, but bit her tongue, knowing he’d just snap at her and hang up abruptly. His certain rejection of her—and her new suspicion that she couldn’t trust him, or anyone but Whitman, for that matter—was something she could not countenance on this night when the streets felt strange and she was surrounded by strangers.

It was at times like this that she hated herself for remaining married to Gary. What a coward she was! She could tell herself all she wanted that she was doing it for his career, but the truth was she no longer cared about him or his career. Why should she? And, dammit, here came the tears! She rid herself of them with angry swipes, fought to get a grip on herself. She scolded herself: Enough with the self-pity, Julie!

That was why she had decided to come here. Seeing Sydny again would be a reward for the terrible pressure of her miserable life. And, she finally had to admit, the powerful magnetism between them could not be denied. It wasn’t simply sexual—she was still having a hard time reconciling that idea—it was perhaps even more about the power that radiated from Sydny’s core. Julie wanted to be like that.

The night was unseasonably warm, and because she was as nervous as a virgin entering her boyfriend’s bedroom for the first time, she extracted a joint from a secret stash in the lining of her handbag, and lit up. She drew the earthy-sweet smoke deep into her lungs, held it there as long as she could before letting it out in a hiss. By the third toke, she was completely relaxed. And so her thoughts turned wholly and completely to Sydny, a creature she admired, envied, and who, frankly, scared her stiff.

Sydny had told her that she would often come out between sets to catch a breath of fresh air. This was particularly true during good weather. Julie had been smoking for only a couple of minutes when Sydny emerged through the steel-clad door. She smiled when she saw Julie; she didn’t seem in the least surprised.