ute, so immediate, it sto

ice was a whisper, a thread of di

my shoulder, his jaw tight. "It was the only way, Gabri

en, hot and sharp. "You traded me! You t

eyes were cold, empty of any warmth I thought we'd shared. "And those debts you're always talking

gning himself with Hecto

unging for him, my train

al blow that sent me staggering back. The sting of his han

al sound. "Such a prize should

g from the walls, moved to surround me. Th

lcome party," Hector sa

nches, my street-smart instincts meshing with my FBI train

into my side. Pain exploded behind my eyes. They were on me, a flurry of br

a blur of dust, pain, and the leering faces of my attacke

he haze,

of their nec

lified drawin

s ago, on a grimy wall in the Bronx. A design o

r of hope, pierced