Pappy stripped down, pulled on pajamas, and sat on the edge of his bed. He hoped he would be able to sleep and not have any dreams. He had enough problems at the moment without adding bad dreams to the list. He crawled under the covers, pulled them up to his chin. It would be nice if he had someone to share his bed with. Maybe that was never going to happen again.

Pappy closed his eyes and was asleep within minutes. When he woke again it was still dark. He looked at the clock. Another few minutes, and it would be dawn. What the hell was he going to do with the new day?

Chapter Eleven

Sam strolled along Fifth Avenue, stopping from time to time to gaze into the beautiful Christmas display windows. She wasn’t sure if she fell into the category of people who loved New York or not. A crazy idea hit her suddenly. She would buy Pappy a Christmas present. A Frank Sinatra CD, the one with the song about New York being his kind of place. Yes, that’s exactly what she would do. A giddy feeling settled over her at the thought.

She only had two shopping bags in her hands while those who hurried past her were loaded down with boxes and gaily colored shopping bags. With just a few more days left to shop, she could understand the fury and the bustle. She continued to walk, crossing streets, zigzagging as she searched for a Starbucks so she could get out of the biting cold and wind to warm up. A cappuccino would taste so good right now. And a couple of cookies to satisfy my sweet tooth.

Sam looked at her watch. It was barely noon. While she waited in line, she looked around, wondering who it was that was tailing her. So far, she hadn’t come up with a face that looked like it had been with her since her arrival. No one looked familiar. Whoever he or she was was good at this tailing business.

When it was her turn, Sam ordered her drink and carried it to a table, where she sat down and munched on cinnamon–macadamia nut cookies. They weren’t half as good as the ones Kyros made. The cappuccino wasn’t as good as his either, but it did warm her up.

While she sipped and munched, she thought about the gifts she’d bought for her teammates. For Slick it was a pair of amber earrings. For Kayla, Olivia, and Zoe it was Chanel wallets along with one of the Chanel fragrances. For all of them, pairs of faux mink earmuffs. Hawkins posed a problem until she found just the right picture frame with a man pumping iron stenciled into the border. She had just the right picture of Slick to put into it. For Kyros, she found a meerschaum pipe and some fragrant tobacco.