Once he was inside the cockpit of his Jag again, he sipped a second cup at a more leisurely pace. He downed some Benadryl and Nascan. Couldn’t hurt; might help. He took out the twenty-sided game dice. He had to play tonight.

Anything twelve or higher would dispatch him directly to Boo Cassady’s place for a kinky quickie before he went home to the dreaded family. A seven to eleven was total disaster — straight home to Lucy and the kids. Three, four, five, or six meant he could go to the hideaway for an unscheduled night of high adventure.

“Come three, four, five. Come, baby, come! I need this tonight. Need a fix! I need it!”

He shook the dice for what must have been thirty seconds. He made the suspense last, drew it out. Finally, he released the dice onto the gray-leather car seat. He watched the roll closely.

Jesus, he’d thrown a four! Defied the odds! His brain was on fire. He could play tonight. The dice had spoken; fate had spoken.

He excitedly punched a number on his cell phone. “Lucy,” he said, and he was smiling already.

“Glad I caught you at home, darling… . Yes, you guessed it, first try. We’re completely swamped here again. Can you believe it? I certainly can’t. They think they own me, and I suppose they’re half right. It’s the drug-trafficking rubbish again. I’ll be home when I can. Don’t wait up, though. Love to the kids. Kisses to everybody. Me, too, darling. I love you, too. You’re the best, the most understanding wife alive.”

Very well played, Shafer thought as he breathed a sigh of relief. Excellent performance, considering the drugs he’d taken. Shafer disconnected from his wife, whose family money, unfortunately, paid for the town house, the holidays away, even the Jag, and her fashionable Range Rover, of course.

He punched another number on the cell phone.

“Dr. Cassady.” He heard her voice almost immediately. She knew it was him. He usually called from the car on his way over to see her. They liked to get each other hot and bothered on the phone. Telephone sex as foreplay.

“They’ve done it to me again,” Shafer whined miserably into the phone, but he was smiling again, loving his flair for the overdramatic.

A short silence, then, “You mean they did it to us, don’t you? There’s no way you can get away? It’s only a bloody job, and one that you detest, Geoff.”

“You know I would if I possibly could. I do hate it here, loathe every moment. And it’s even worse at home, Boo. Jesus, you of all people know that.”

He imagined the tight little frown and Boo’s pursing her lips. “You sound high, Geoffrey. Are you, dear? Take your pills today?”