” Tiffany poked her head in through the door. “Are you almost done, Dee Dee? We all need to be present at the meeting.” “Just putting the f...nishing touches on Barocca’s exposés, that Tami and Debbie collected from the mainland, Tiffany. Now there’s nothing that can be traced back to us.” “That’s a relief. One less thing to worry about around here.”Tiffany stood before the podium in the auditorium. The last of the girls were finding their seats. "Okay. I want to thank everyone for. “No deals on this one, we’re going all the way,” he said when I approached him about a plea bargain. “It’s tight, and he’s going to take the long walk. Do what you have to do, but you’re going to take your lumps.”I should have done what he said. God, I wish, I wish I’d done what he said. Just sloughed it off and moved on. Sure, even the guilty are entitled to legal representation and their day in court, but why did it have to be me?Because my guy insisted he didn’t do it.Not at first. At first. I love you in a way but not the right way. Maybe it’s a different kind of love. But I will tell you that you are the best lover I’ve ever had. Ever. In fact, I feel like you’re the only true lover I’ve ever had. Thank you for that. You’ve not only opened up my eyes to a wonderful world of passion but to myself.’ Ben Sheppard’s body relaxes and he sits back on the couch. He is smiling. His face is relaxed. His own furrow is gone. ‘Thank god,’ he says. ‘I felt so bad for not bringing this up. The marines themselves had remained inside of their ships while the landings were going on, although this was not standard WestHem doctrine. Most likely their commander did not want them exposed to mortar fire until necessary. Now that all of the ships were down however, there was cautious activity taking place. Ramps had come down and groups of engineers had emerged, followed by armed combat soldiers, all of them walking with that clumsy awkwardness that marked newcomers to Martian gravity.Lon.