“If you can call it that. What a dump! Was this the best you could do?”

“I don’t make a lot of money,” she returned. “Tad and I have to live within our means.”

“Nice stores of food in the kitchen,” he said. “Beds made up, floors swept, all that domestic stuff taken care of. Where are you?”

“Tad and I have an apartment,” she lied.

“Try again,” he drawled.

She didn’t speak.

He laughed coldly. “I can find you, or Tad, anytime I want. I still have friends on the outside, so don’t think you can hide the kid.”

“I won’t let you hurt him,” she said icily.

“Now why would I want to hurt a little kid, Clancey?” he asked in a seemingly sincere tone. “You shouldn’t make accusations like that. You could be arrested for charging me with crimes I haven’t committed.”

She sat down on the ragged couch and let out a sigh. “What do you want?”

“The last five years of my life back, you little snitch,” he said in a soft, furious tone. “You sent me to prison!”

“You beat up a three-year-old child. What did you expect would happen?” she demanded.

“I expected you to keep your damned mouth shut,” he shot back. “You were part of my family. Your duty was to protect me.”

“It was to protect Tad. I did.”

“You didn’t protect your old granddad, did you?” he asked in a husky tone. “You don’t even know where he is. And you never will. Where’s that guitar he used to play?” he added angrily. “It’s worth a small fortune.”

“Your father sold it to help pay your defense attorney, when you were convicted,” she lied. There was no way he could check that out and she bluffed well.

There was a long pause. “So that’s where the money came from,” he mused out loud. “Resourceful.”

“Ben loved you more than anybody else. He always did.”

“Yeah, he loved me, for all the good it did. You got me sent to prison.”

“You beat up Tad. You broke my ribs.”

“I was high as a kite. I don’t remember any of that,” he returned. “Nobody should have to serve time for something they don’t even remember doing!”

“That’s not how the law works,” she said stiffly.

“And you’d know, wouldn’t you, kid?” he drawled. “You worked for a cop for four years, now you’re working for a stinking Ranger.”

“Is there some reason you called me?” she interrupted.

“Well, yes, there is,” he replied. There was a smile in his voice. “I’m going to pay you back for those five years. You and the assistant DA who put me away.”

“They’ll send you back to prison in a heartbeat if you hurt anyone...!”