“You were scarier than the mugger.” She eased onto the roadway. “God, I thought you were going to kill him.”

“Better him than me.”

“That’s for sure. Where’s the gun?”

“In my briefcase.”

“We’ll give it to my dad. Maybe he can find out who it belongs to. Let me tell him what happened. I don’t want him to freak out. I can handle the situation more calmly.”

“You can handle the situation more calmly?” Gabe asked.

“I’m calmer now.”

The next few minutes were spent in silence.

Gabe said, “Your dad wouldn’t have let himself be mugged.”

“My dad has been a police officer for like forty years.”

“It doesn’t matter. Either you’re that type of person or you’re not.”

“Fine. You’re a superhero.”

“Jesus Christ, I’m not saying that—”

“Just let me tell my dad, okay?”

“Do whatever you want, okay. It’s your father. I’m just an abandoned outsider.”

“Stop trying to make me feel bad.”

“I’m not.” But he really was. He exhaled. “I think I’ll call up my aunt and stay with her this weekend. I should see her anyway.”

Hannah didn’t argue. “How are your hands?”

“My left one is killing me.” He looked upward. “He was down at the first count. I didn’t have to beat the shit out of him. That was stupid.”

“You’re left-handed?”

“Right-handed, but it just seemed easier to hit him with my left. Actually, that was probably a good thing.”

“We’re going to pass a 7-Eleven. I’ll get you a bag of ice.”

“I’ll get it. You stay in the car.”

She pulled into the parking lot. He got out, and five minutes later, he was carrying a five-pound bag of ice. Once he was seated, he ripped it open and plunged his left hand into the frozen water, kept it there until it was almost numb. Then he pulled it out and did it again. “I didn’t break anything. It’s just a little sore.”

“That’s good.”

More silence until they got home. They both got out. She opened the door and Gabe went inside first. Decker was sitting on the couch reading the paper. “You’re home late.” He looked at Gabe’s hand and the bag of ice. “What happened to you?”

The boy didn’t answer, going straight into his temporary shelter.

Hannah said, “Don’t freak, okay?”

Rina stepped into the living room. “What’s going on?”

“We’re fine…I’m fine,” Hannah said. “Someone tried to mug us.”

“Oh my God!” Rina rushed over and hugged her daughter. “Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m okay.”

Decker stood up. “Did you call 911?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“The guy got away—”

“You still should have called 911. You should have called me.”

“Abba, everything was okay, so—”