He and Maria had dated for two years after they met at Quantico and fell instantly in love. More than once over those two years, she laughed at the irony that he was afraid of nothing except commitment. His response was that he had been raised never to break a promise, and the promise of marriage was a commitment unlike any other. A month after that, she gave him a final chance to step up or lose her, and he proposed on the spot. He had never once regretted making that pledge, nor had he ever had any problem keeping it. Now, as Beth Snyder talked on, Vaill made another promise. He would find Special Agent Alexander Burke and kill him … or die.

“Tim, I’m so sorry,” Snyder was saying. “Every agent at the Bureau is working nonstop to find the bastard. We’re going to get him, Tim. I promise we’re going to nail him.”

“How long have I been here?”

“Two days now.”

Vaill’s throat tightened. Each breath was an effort. Maria had been dead for two days and until this moment, he did not even know it. What was her family doing? Who had been notified? Where was her body? When was her funeral? He should have been with her family, grieving alongside them, not lying helpless in a hospital bed. In twelve years of marriage, he had grown as close to Maria’s family as he was to his own. He and Maria had not been blessed with children of their own, but they had plans. Now, in a burst of noise and smoke, those plans had all been blown away.

“I need to talk to you alone,” Vaill said to Snyder, his whisper stronger than it had been.

Snyder looked to the doctor. Reluctantly, it seemed, Gunter nodded.

“He needs rest,” the surgeon said. “Given the nature of his injury, his recovery is quite remarkable, but the damage to his temporal lobe might be significant.”

“I’m sure a few minutes alone with me won’t do him harm,” Snyder said. “Thank you, doctor. Thank you for understanding.”

Vaill waited until he heard the door close. His parched throat begged for water. Snyder, sensing his need, gave him some ice chips on a spoon, followed by a small sip through a plastic straw. She was as tough as anyone Vaill had ever worked with, but her compassion was genuine. Vaill knew she was sick with guilt at having been taken in by a dirty agent.

“What is it?” she asked. “Trust me, Tim, you’re safe. We’ve got guards out there around the clock hoping that Burke tries to finish what he started.”

“I need to get him, Beth,” Vaill said. “I need to hurt him, and then I need to kill him.”