Those moments dancing with Dorsey at the embassy made him seem different; august arrogance seemed replaced by shy reticence. Then the shyness boiled away again into a generous and powerful lover. Liza groaned at the memory of the way she had sobbed in his arms and screamed from the rooftops that she loved him.

He hadn’t responded.

And she had seen that signature cold facade snap back into place right before she left. They just didn’t make sense. She could see the gears turning as he rushed her out of his loft. She’d give it a month before the realization of what he’d sacrificed for her would start to feel like too much. That was the road to resentment and pain.

Liza sighed. She would remember the way he moved inside her for the rest of her life. Her body still buzzed pleasantly in the afterglow of their lovemaking. It hollowed her out without him, but they cost each other too much.

Maurice shoved a handful of grapes in her face. “You need to eat.”

“If I eat, it won’t be from your gross fingers,” Liza said. Maurice then catapulted grapes at Liza’s head. Did I just actually think he was maturing?

“So I asked around about our boy, WIC. Turns out he used to be a member of the Nation of Islam, and before that he was an Orthodox Mormon out in Idaho. He got over three hundred thousand dollars in donations, mostly from the pretty women he kept around him. Both communities kicked him out for constant gambling, excessive debt, misuse of funds, misuse of labor, and finally multiple complaints from his illegal wives. This dude has dotted around the country squeezing money out of any kind of believer.”

“I didn’t see any of this on Google,” Liza said weakly. Using her sixteen-year-old sister to run a scam was low. She just hoped he had not taken advantage of LeDeya in any other way.

“You are not going to find it on Google. I told you I worked my networks.” Maurice thumped his chest.

“Have you ever thought of being a cop, Maurice?” Liza asked.

“Nope, but maybe a detective once or twice. Anyway, this guy lies low because he has a lot of people looking for him, looking for their money. I think there is a way we can scam the scammer. But we need Janae to meet us in Jersey. Remember she was on that banking scam task force. She knows how to move money quietly,” Maurice said. He stood up and pantomimed making a layup with a grape, which landed in Liza’s water glass.

“Little brother, you may be on to something,” Liza said. “I’ll call Janae when we land.” The plane began its descent. Liza cleaned up her face and attempted to control her demeanor. She called her sister as the plane touched down.

“Any news?” Janae asked.