What did it mean? Obviously, Pappy had no idea she’d been in the same restaurant where he’d been just hours ago. They’d fooled the senator and Pappy, too. Instead of feeling elated, she felt horrible. He’d come to see her at great risk to himself. She couldn’t believe she was the reason for the visit, though. He’d come down off the mountain to see the senator. And as long as he was in the area, he’d stopped by. To see Alpha, of course. The visit had nothing to do with her. Hope springs eternal, she thought.

Sam whistled for Alpha, who came on the run. “Let’s go for a walk,” she blubbered. Alpha sniffed every inch of the stoop and the steps before he reluctantly walked over to the copse of trees on the other side of the street. In her bare feet, Sam followed. She waited patiently as Alpha sniffed everything in sight before he agreed to return to the house.

Tears continued to drip down Sam’s cheeks as she tidied up the kitchen, made herself some coffee, and carried it back to the family room. She turned on the television and stared at it, not knowing what she was watching. She continued to cry, as Alpha crawled up on the sofa and put his big head in her lap. “I could sit here forever, Alpha. I have ten million dollars. I never have to do anything I don’t want to do. What do you think about that? Hell, we could buy a Swiss chalet, too, if we wanted to. You could eat sirloin steak every day, but I’m thinking that kind of life would get real old real quick for both of us. When I open my new office, if I do, I will be able to take you with me every day because I’ll be the boss.” Alpha just stared at her, his yellow eyes unblinking.

Sam stretched out on the sofa. Like she was really going to do any of those things. She wiggled until she was comfortable and was asleep within minutes, the tears she’d shed drying on her cheeks.

Senator Malcom Wyne picked up the phone, mumbled a greeting, then handed the phone to Joey, who listened intently to the voice on the other end of the line. He nodded, got up, and motioned for Hawkins to follow him. Neither man offered to shake hands. “For all intents and purposes, this never happened, right, Senator?”

The senator nodded as he ran his hands through his hair. He needed to shower and shave. And by God, he needed to think, to plan. But first he had to call his office and tell his aides he wouldn’t be in. “Right, this never happened. I’m just $120 million poorer.”

“You know what they say, Senator, you play, you pay.”

“Well, Father, you know what they say about extortion, don’t you?”