" to me. Nohistrionics, no wailing and gnashing her teeth and crying over the factthat I was safe or anything. She just sat down at the table and look...dat me, kind of like she was appraising how I looked or something. I wasright."Well, Donnie, I'm glad you're home dear, but you look a wreck! Mygoodness, where have you been and what have you been doing? You know,we should go do some shopping later this morning. There were someperfectly DARLING things I saw at the mall yesterday that would. ---------- Ayako was not in the bar when we arrived there, but Hanako was. She lookedincredibly pretty, dressed in a casual skirt and T-shirt. She still lookedat me with that same expression of fascination and horror. "My sister could not come," she explained. "She is feelinga little ill. She caught too much of the sun." I knew she was lying, that Ayako did not want to spend time with someonelike me. I could not blame her. If I knew that, then Kiera obviously did aswell, but neither of us made. He didn't feel a need to punish her, but she felt guilty. This wasn't really going to be about him. He needed to wrench the guilt out of her and shred it in no uncertain terms. He stood up from the chair he was sitting in. She was still kneeling in front of him. He grabbed a hank of her hair from the back of her head and hissed, "Stand up." She suppressed a gasp and struggled to her feet. He stepped closer, still holding her hair and using it to steer her face towards his gaze. He brought a. I'll be your shadow when you arrive. Then we'll see. Wednesday he and I will compare notes and update one another by phone.When I join him Thursday morning... we take the house and finish Lucianaonce and for all. We can adjust the timing on the run if needs be, butthat's the initial outline. We can't touch her legally so this is it."Jo nodded as she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Just thethought of 'her' was putting her on edge. She looked at Justin and henodded as her eyes showed.