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Chapters (68)
  1. Biding Time
  2. Dedication
  3. Table of Contents
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Chapter Twenty-Four
  30. Chapter Twenty-Five
  31. Chapter Twenty-Six
  32. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  33. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  34. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  35. Chapter Thirty
  36. Chapter Thirty-One
  37. Chapter Thirty-Two
  38. Chapter Thirty-Three
  39. Chapter Thirty-Four
  40. Chapter Thirty-Five
  41. Chapter Thirty-Six
  42. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  43. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  44. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  45. Chapter Forty
  46. Chapter Forty-One
  47. Chapter Forty-Two
  48. Chapter Forty-Three
  49. Chapter Forty-Four
  50. Chapter Forty-Five
  51. Chapter Forty-Six
  52. Chapter Forty-Seven
  53. Chapter Forty-Eight
  54. Chapter Forty-Nine
  55. Chapter Fifty
  56. Chapter Fifty-One
  57. Chapter Fifty-Two
  58. Chapter Fifty-Three
  59. Chapter Fifty-Four
  60. Chapter Fifty-Five
  61. Chapter Fifty-Six
  62. Acknowledgments
  63. Other Titles by Lyn Gardner
  64. Going on Red
  65. Choices
  66. Born Out of Wedlock
  67. Give Me A Reason
  68. Mistletoe

Bennett ducked under the warning tape, her eyes darting here and there as she approached the front stoop. All the doors and windows had been removed, so there was nothing to hinder Bennett’s progress, and stepping into the structure, she stopped. Even though the building was open to the elements, the air was still stagnant and thick with the smell of dust and wood. Framing lumber once covered by drywall was now exposed, and electrical wires dangled here and there. An occasional tuft of insulation protruded from behind empty switch boxes, and the floor was littered with discarded cigarette packs, soda cans, and fast-food containers.

Bennett raised her eyes and saw that the second floor had been gutted, too. Other than the exposed floor joists and a few piles of debris staged atop sheets of plywood, her view was unobstructed all the way to the rafters. Bennett turned her attention back to the wooden skeleton of the main floor. There was no place to hide, no doors or walls left to conceal anything or anyone, and her confusion showed on her face. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to home in on the heartbeat, but it had stopped, and Bennett frowned. She stepped around a pile of trash, listening intently for any sounds of life, yet there was only silence now. An eerie, desolate silence…and then there was a click.

Bennett lowered her eyes. Amidst the shadows, the glint of the wire pressing against the leg of her trousers shone like a beacon. A heartbeat later, Bennett tried to dive out of the way as the second floor seemed to cave in on top of her.

Chapter Fourteen

As Ruby lumbered up the steps into the brownstone late on Wednesday night, she made herself a promise. The next time Doreen suggested they go out on a weeknight for a bite to eat, say no. What was supposed to be a burger dinner and a few drinks had turned into a visit to a dance club and more strawberry daiquiris than Doreen could handle. It took Ruby over an hour to get the woman back to her own apartment and poured into bed, and hearing Doreen’s snores told Ruby she wouldn’t wake up anytime soon.

By the time the little hand was aimed at one, Ruby was standing in the brownstone's foyer. She looked up at the first of three flights of stairs she needed to climb, and her shoulders slumped past her hips. Taking a deep breath to end all deep breaths, Ruby kept her mind on the task at hand, climbing one flight after another until she reached her apartment.