Fuck me. What was I thinking?Sean rounded the turn and almost clipped a vintage Datsun convertible driven by a blonde in a sun visor.Fucking hate this part of town. Rich people are useless. Clueless.He looked upon row after row of professionally landscaped front yards, lawns looking like they were trimmed with scissors, blooming plants framing arched windows in courtyards behind stucco-fenced walls. Just about every home had some variety of bisque-colored tiled roofs. Lots of BMWs, Mercedes, Jags and even Bentleys.Don’t belong here. Never did. Don’t want to come back. Ever.Sean decided he’d just tell Timmons the family had refused all contact. It was partially true, after all. The ladies would have gone along with his visit, but Dr. Hoades, no, he would forever be on the wrong side of anything to do with the military and the special forces in particular.That man doesn’t deserve the sacrifice hi

* * *Tori couldn’t believe what they’d just done. On a public beach, in front of God-knew-anyone-who-happened-to-walk-by. Would she have noticed? Would he?Where the heck is your pride, your common sense? You don’t even know this guy.She’d never done this before, and recognized the risky behavior as a warning. But, in spite of her training, now she wanted more. He’d come into her, thrilling her insides with danger. She’d been sure she wouldn’t let a man touch her for months after her near-rape at the University. And now she came begging for it. Literally hanging all over him.What were you thinking? She counted the months; no, it had been a couple of years since she’d had any kind of sexual relationship. She had friends, but casual sex wasn’t part of her DNA. Somehow, she felt he might feel the same way.Not smart. He could be an axe murderer for all you know. A little voice in her chest told her

The next day, Dr. Hoades knew Detective Ryan Dole was not happy about his call, and had probably spent the morning cleaning up his office in preparation for their meeting. It was Sunday, after all, and Hoades had insisted they meet at the detective’s office, not the Hoades home. That made it more official. And meant he didn’t yet have to tell his wife and daughter about the letters.The surface of Dole’s dented metal desk was hardly ever exposed, not like today. The detective’s man-cave was a perpetual cleanup in process, one never completed. The desk’s soft plastic top was perfect for pressing hard when filling out quadruplicate forms for the Department. Over the years he’d seen the man grip his medium point blue pens and press so hard, as if to savor making indentations in the soft grey surface beneath. After coming back from an interview or profile meeting, Hoades would watch the detective rummage for a patch of desk surface, and fill out those reports. It

Tori’s heart felt like lead as she heard the sputter of Sean’s scooter fade down the tree-lined street. Her soul was bleeding from the inside out. She wondered if she would ever see the soldier again.And then the horrible thought hit her. Was this just an elaborate way to get into her pants? Could this man be trusted?She thought about how quickly he’d had his way with her. This had never happened before. Here she was, having sex with a virtual stranger. For all she knew, he wasn’t a soldier at all, but a wannabe. She’d heard they were out there. But then she wondered how he would know about her uncle Will.Was she substituting the loss of her mentor’s care for something else? Reminding herself that she was the world’s worst when it came to reading people correctly, she decided to err on the side of caution. After all, she’d decided to study psychology partly to learn about her own hangups. It was easier studying others than study

Rachel padded out to the mailbox in her flip-flops. It was nearly nine o’clock Monday morning, and the mailman had just made his rounds.Mrs. Hoades was wearing the expensive silk robe her husband had brought back from Japan years ago. The smooth fabric caressed her bare skin underneath. She loved the feel of the sash as it cinched her waistline.She and Aaron had been experiencing an on-again-off-again married couple affair, between bouts of Aaron’s foul moods. On a warm sunny morning, as most days in New York were, she was grateful for the rise and fall of their shared emotions. Passion was strong in their family—all sorts of passions.He’d taken off for an early appointment at the office. But not before he said he was sorry for several things yesterday, stopping short of apologizing for his tone with the soldier. He finally admitted that perhaps he was overreacting about the cat incident. She was relieved he agreed that they’d s