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

Sunday morning, we all slept a bit later than we had on Saturday. I’d been awake for a while when Charles began to stir and wake up. I got up and opened our door to indicate to the guys that we were awake, and crawled back in bed with Charles. We were doing a bit of making out when I heard Joe’s voice from the door saying, “Do you guys want us to come back later?”


Charles said, “No, we’re just killing time, amusing ourselves. Come on in, guys.”


They came through the door, and I smiled and said, “I see you’re dressed for work.”


John smiled at that and said, “What’s the point of pulling on clothes only to have to get naked right away?”


Chapter 68