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

The evening arrived, and the guests turned up in little groups over the course of about twenty minutes. Eventually, we settled everyone in the library with glasses of wine in their hands. Gran was upstairs in the nursery with the boys. There was a DVD player and a large flat-screen television sitting on a table in front of the fireplace and we all visited while we sipped our wine.


Philip and I had privately bet each other that Richard would be the first to crack and ask the obvious question, and he didn’t disappoint us when he said, “Okay, guys, we thought there was going to be a minister here with a podium or something. Instead, all we see is a large flat screen. What’s going on?”


“Are you ready to find out?” I said.


“All right,” I said. “Philip, will you close the door and turn off the lights?” He went to the door and closed it, then turned the overhead lights off, leaving the room lit only by the sconces on either side of the fireplace.


Chapter 92