“I should get going. I have a car waiting. If you’d like we could drop you off at the hotel,” he said half-heartedly.

Mo shook his hand firmly. “That won’t be necessary, Graham. I certainly appreciate all your help.”

“Of course, Mrs. Wilson. You and I will talk soon,” he promised. Mo turned and beelined for the exit. No way in hell would she be talking to or seeing that awful man again. She would do her best to avoid any more encounters with the authorities.

Mo headed toward the exit, feeling the intense glare of that lady detective. She offered the woman a friendly wave good-bye and stepped outside, taking in the spectacular horizon, bluish pinks and grays cascading over the city. The fresh evening air gave her a second wind, erasing all the negativity of the last few hours.

Mo began walking, heading away from the police station, turning onto residential streets and busy intersections, darting down alleys. Every so often she would stop and do a quick check to make sure she wasn’t being followed, not convinced the police weren’t monitoring her.

Mo always did her best thinking on the move. Somehow this walk didn’t feel the same without Vic by her side. The longing was natural, she reminded herself. She needed to live in the discomfort and allow it to fuel her. From the start, when the Tribe formed, she told her kids there would be an end game, a final reckoning. Now they were here. Mo needed to be ready.

She spotted a taxi idling on the corner, and raised her hand. Might as well put some of her father’s “spending money,” to use. Mo climbed inside. “Seventh and Alvarado,” she said.

The driver hesitated. “You sure that’s where you want to go? Nothing but junkies and lowlifes down there. It’s a goddamn nightmare.”

Mo offered him a smile. “That’s where I’m going,” she said. It was hard not to pity his lack of awareness. He was just like that ghoulish lawyer, a cog in a wheel he could never escape. Despite today’s unexpected events, Mo had never been happier. She was reveling in that moment when Becca came at her, hands around Mo’s throat, her eyes practically on fire.

You get me. You see how good this feels. One day very soon Becca would understand that they were one and the same. Mo would make sure of it. She smiled and leaned back against the headrest. There was no reason the Tribe had to fall apart. It simply needed to evolve. A smile enveloped Mo’s face as her plan came into focus. It wouldn’t be long before she was reunited with Nate, and she could settle the score with Becca. Then she would start over. She could hardly wait. It would be a rebirth, a new day for them all.

BECCA

BECCA