He wondered if that was completely true. They’d always had a close but co-dependent relationship, and sometimes he rebelled against it. Growing up, he had travelled with Tarla to movie sets all over the world, and although he had met famous people and stayed in amazing places, he felt homeless, as if he had no roots. Tarla was also intensely private, shutting him out from parts of her life, including the truth about his father. He’d learned to do the same. When he had a chance to leave, he did. At eighteen, he went to UCLA, graduated in three years, and to his mother’s shock, he chose law enforcement when he could have chosen acting. She’d been prepared to find roles and open doors for him, but he didn’t want the Hollywood life.

Now she was retired. Now they were together again, after nearly twenty years in different corners of the world. It was like starting over.

He turned and went inside. The condominium was ice-cold compared to the summer heat. He hadn’t been to Tarla’s place in several weeks, and she’d been decorating in the interim. The sprawling apartment looked like her. Cool. Modern. Expensive. It wasn’t a place where you would sit down and put your feet up.

Tarla joined him from the balcony. She went to the bar and poured herself a glass of wine, and she held up the bottle with an inquiring glance. He shook his head. She drank more than he remembered.

‘So why is Diane running for governor?’ Cab asked. ‘You always told me she didn’t want to get her hands dirty. She wanted to work behind the scenes.’

Tarla shrugged. ‘I’m not sure her heart is in it, but she saw an opportunity and couldn’t say no. The Governor has been wounded by the kickback scandal involving his chief of staff. Ramona Cortes, the Republican, is another scary right-winger.’

‘Ramona’s not really so scary,’ Cab said mildly.

Tarla’s eyebrows arched toward heaven. ‘You’ve met her?’

‘She’s one of Lala’s cousins,’ he said. ‘One of about two hundred or so.’

‘Charming. Well, Diane was getting pressure from foundation donors to get in the race to block her. They’re afraid if Ramona becomes governor, she might decide to nuke Oklahoma.’

Cab smiled. ‘Extremes are in the eye of the beholder. Do you really believe in the virginal purity of the Common Way Party?’

‘Me? I’m a wild-eyed, woolly tree-hugger, you know that. A Democrat’s Democrat. But Diane is my best friend, and she’d make a good governor. I believe that.’

Cab said nothing.

‘I know you don’t like her,’ Tarla added, ‘although I don’t know why.’

‘That’s not true.’