“Yes, I am impatient.” He dressed quickly, strapping a gun holster across his chest. I gave him the 9 mm still in my hand and he jammed it into the holder. He put on red lizard-skin boots and went into the bathroom, and when he returned, he had given his hair a quick brush. He took a briefcase from the closet and left the bedroom. I heard him unlock the vault. When he returned, he said, “I’ve got several back-to-back appointments. Then I’ve got to check in with my workers. They get pouty when it’s been a while, and it’s been a long while. Plus, I’ve got your to-do list. It’s going to take time. I’ll shoot for two or three to be back.”

“Don’t rush. You have a business to run.”

“You have enough food?”

“Your fridge is filled with shakes. I’m fine.”

He kissed my forehead. “Don’t go anywhere.”

“As if.”

“If it were up to me, I’d keep you locked up forever.” He stared at me, then checked his watch—a gold Rolex. “Damn. I really got to go.”

“And you’ll take me to see—”

“The dentist. Yeah, yeah.”

“I meant Juleen.”

“That too. See you later.”

He was off.

Chris had always been a whirlwind. He didn’t require a lot of sleep, which meant he was always on. He exhausted me. It was calming to have the room to myself, but I felt more than a little frightened. I couldn’t shake the images in my brain—the men bursting in, me grabbing Sanjay only to lose him. It made my heart fly from my chest to think about it. But the good news was that both Juleen and I were safe and secure for the time being. I always was pragmatic, not one to belabor what was out of reach. Instead, I always looked for whatever I could get.

“I’M LEAVING TOMORROW at around eleven, which will put me into LAX around two in the afternoon,” Decker told McAdams. “We should start heading north as soon as we can, because traffic will start to get really bad on the freeway.”

“What flight are you on?” McAdams asked. After getting the numbers and time, he said, “I’ll leave tonight for Manhattan. I can stay over at my grandmother’s and catch a ten o’clock out of JFK. That’ll get me in around one. I’ll rent a car.”

“That’ll save time,” Decker said. “Are we getting compensated?”

“Five hundred apiece to pay for everything. My flight alone will cost me six times that.”

“You’re going first class?”

“Unfortunately, it’s a business/first instead of a true first class. It was the best I could do on such short notice.”

“I’m shedding a tear.”

“You’ll be shedding several once you’re crammed into steerage.”

“Rub it in, why don’t you?”