Two weeks after Philip d'Autremont is acquitted of his wife's murder, it's time for him and his partner and lawyer, Charles Barnett, to start building their life together. But it turns out that not everyone in Atlanta is as ready to leave the trial in the past as Charles and Philip, and a surprise attack leaves Charles in the hospital and Philip's arm in a sling.<br><br>With thoughts of their own mortality fresh in their minds, Charles and Philip make a decision that will change their lives forever. Future plans and home renovations take their minds off the attacks, but the danger isn't over yet: the people behind the attacks are still at large, and they weren't acting alone.

Tribulation

We sat quietly for a bit, holding hands, until Charles broke the silence and said, “If you catch a cab now, you can get home before rush hour begins. Come back after supper with my travel kit, and anything else the two of us will need for the night.”


“I just realized, I don’t have any money for a cab, but I guess the driver will wait while I run into the house.”


“Yes, you do,” he said. “There should be a couple of twenties tucked into an inner compartment of that fanny pack.”


I rummaged around, found the stash, and said, “Got it.”


“I know, babe, but I’m going to pump this morphine drip up a tad and take a little nap. It’s beginning to hurt a bit more at the moment.”


Chapter 24