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

I made a few more calls, then went back down to the garage and headed for the hospital. Even with one arm in a cast, it was relatively easy to drive my car using the gear selector in the center console. Once I got it in drive, all I had to do was keep it there, there being no need for upshifting and downshifting in city traffic (okay, with an automatic transmission, there is actually little need for upshifting and downshifting most of the time—I simply enjoy doing it). I stopped at a Subway with a drive-through lane and got a couple of cheesesteak sandwiches for Charles and myself.


When I got to his room, the door was shut, so I opened it quietly, so as not to disturb him in case he was asleep, and slipped quietly into the room. The curtains around the bed were drawn, and I heard a strange voice say, “He is one lucky guy.”


I peeked around the curtain and said, “Who’s a lucky guy?”


Chapter 31