Andrew tipped his head to one side, feigning confusion. Maybe it wasn't an act. Maybe he didn't understand. Neil barely recognized his own voice through the gravel in it. Neil swallowed hard against his weakening gag reflex. Every breath he took cut him open on its way down but his voice sounded steady when he spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell Higgins?"

"Wouldn't have worked," Andrew said blithely. "Pig wasn't ready to hear it back then. He and Drake were friends, you see. They met when Drake went through the PAL program and hit it off somehow or other. I knew he wouldn't believe me, so I didn't waste my time trying."

"So you did nothing," Neil said. "You almost put a knife between Nicky's ribs when he flirted with me, but you didn't lift a finger to protect Cass's other children. You knew what Drake would do to them, but you didn't protect them."

"There weren't supposed to be other children," Andrew said.

"But there were," Neil reminded him, cold and fierce and awful.

Andrew laughed and pulled a hand free of his pocket. He wrapped his fingers around Neil's throat, not tight enough to cut off Neil's air but snug enough to be a warning. Neil saw Wymack shift in his peripheral vision but trusted the man to stay out of their way. Until Andrew actually hurt Neil Wymack would let them fight this out on their own terms. Neil kept his eyes on Andrew's face and pitched his voice low enough to cut Wymack and Betsy out of the conversation.

"I hope she was worth it."

Andrew tilted forward and said, "Oh, Neil. You are far too heavy to tread ice this thin."

"Is this how you stayed quiet?" Neil reached up and took hold of Andrew's wrist. He couldn't feel the scars through the cotton sleeve but he didn't need to. He knew they were there. Andrew knew what he was talking about, judging by how still he went. His smile didn't even flicker but Neil wasn't fooled. "Did you do this so you wouldn't tell her the truth about her son?"

"Maybe I did."

"What were you trying to do, outlast him?" Neil asked. "He was a graduating senior intent on enlisting, right? All you had to do was hold out until graduation and then she would adopt you. So what went wrong?"

Andrew's fingers slowly tightened until Neil couldn't breathe anymore. He refused to shake Andrew off. The tightness in his chest started as simple discomfort but spread until it felt like every bone in his chest would break beneath the pressure. Neil's control started to crumble, no matter how fiercely he clung to it, and he'd just shifted to throw Andrew back when Andrew finally loosened his grip.