Faking his brother’s drowning had been a simple matter. The collision on the bridge was easily choreographed, the black hair dye and contact lenses easily fooling the media into believing it was Manny who was the victim. Jacob’s immersion into the nexus stifled his life signs long enough to convince CNN and the randomly chosen witnesses.

His own death had been a bit trickier to choreograph.

Jacob knew that Pierre Borgia was out for revenge and that his own public appearance would flush his quarry into the open. What he didn’t know was that Ennis Chaney was the former secretary of state’s real target, or that Lilith would show up at Manny’s funeral. Fortunately, the nexus had given him a chance to intercept the bullet, his Kevlar nanofiber body armor absorbing the projectile’s impact, the explosive blood bags hidden beneath his jacket fooling everyone, even Rabbi Steinberg and the physician, who were in on the plot.

Even Lilith.

With both twins safely ‘dead,’ Jacob could pursue more advanced training with GOLDEN FLEECE while Manny disappeared into the anonymity he had always yearned for.

Rabbi Steinberg was close to a young couple from his old congregation in Philadelphia. Gene and Sylvia Agler were good people who had never been blessed with children. After several meetings, they agreed to ‘adopt’ Immanuel and adhere to the strict guidelines of the covert arrangement.

GOLDEN FLEECE arranged the falsified birth certificate and school records, their operatives creating a completely fabricated childhood, down to sports awards and home movies. Gene Agler was given a principal’s job in another state, the couple a new home.

The burden was then on Dominique. Having already lost her soul mate, Mick, she was now being asked to break apart the rest of her family.

And so she made the ultimate sacrifice so that Manny could be free.

Hollywood Beach, Florida 9:17 p.m.

Small waves lap relentlessly upon the deserted beach, tickling Samuel Agler’s bare feet. He stares out at the dark ocean, its wave tops illuminated by the reflection of the three-quarter moon.

The sound of the surf soothes his restless soul.

‘Thought I’d find you out here.’

Sam turns to face his surrogate father. Gene Agler is in his late fifties, his curly black hair graying around his ears, his six-foot frame stooping at the shoulders.

‘Mind if I join you?’

Sam pats the sand next to him.

‘You feeling okay?’

‘Guess so.’

‘Everything all right between you and Lauren?’

‘Fine.’ Sam watches a hermit crab scamper up the beach. ‘My real mother … she’s in town. She wants me to travel with her tomorrow.’

‘I know. She called me last week.’

‘Why didn’t you say anything?’

‘Didn’t think it was my place.’

‘It’s not right what she does, waltzing in unannounced, turning my life inside out.’