No. No, of course she isn’t. That’s impossible. They wouldn’t. He wouldn’t.

She had no idea who had ordered the retaliation. It might have been Enzo, furious at having been physically rebuffed by Rica and bested by a woman whom Rica favored over him. That seemed most likely, but she couldn’t help wondering if it had been her father’s order that had resulted in the devastation. She couldn’t allow herself to believe that. She couldn’t believe that one person she loved could do that to another she lov…

No. That’s not what I feel for her. It isn’t. It can’t be.

Feeling physically ill with apprehension at what she might find, Rica careened into the alley next to Carter’s building. Carter’s Explorer was there. She slammed to a stop behind it, jumped out, and started for the stairs. Then she saw her.

“Oh my God, Carter,” she cried, rushing forward. When she reached her, she wasn’t sure if she should touch her. Carter lay as she had in the photograph, her legs on the ground and her upper body twisted sideways on the stairs. There was blood on her face and her clothes and on the stairs. For one terrible moment, Rica feared she really was dead. Moaning, she whispered Carter’s name again and tentatively touched her cheek. Her skin was warm, and Rica felt a flood of relief.

“Carter?”

Carter twitched.

“Oh thank God.” Rica fell to her knees beside her and stroked her face. “Carter. Carter, darling. Can you hear me?”

Carter’s eyelids fluttered and she groaned.

Rica looked over her shoulder toward the street, wondering if anyone could see them now that the sun had risen. She wanted to go for help, but it was so hard to break the habits of a lifetime. She hesitated to involve the authorities when she wasn’t certain what had happened. She was relieved to see that they were still alone.

“Rica,” Carter whispered.

Rica felt almost dizzy as a tiny bit of her fear subsided. “Oh, Carter. What happe…”

“Go…away.” Carter tried to turn onto her back, but the motion sent a shaft of pain through her. She groaned again and lay still, breathing heavily. “Not safe here.”

“Don’t be silly,” Rica said sharply, fear and fury warring within her. She wanted to kill whoever had done this. She’d never felt such hatred in her life. “You need help. I’m going to call for EMTs.”

“No. Don’t.” With supreme effort, Carter rolled over onto her back and fought to bring Rica’s face into focus. “Help me upstairs.”

“You need a doctor.”

“I’ll be okay.” She could breathe, she could see, and most of her parts were working. She could even finally think a little. Carter was pretty sure nothing was irreparably damaged, but she didn’t know if her late-night visitors were still lurking around. She didn’t want Rica endangered. “Go. Please.”

“No. I need to find a phone.” Rica was frightened by how pale Carter looked and how much blood had pooled beneath her face on the stairs.

“My cell. Belt,” Carter whispered. “Need to…call my…partner.”

Rica checked Carter’s belt, but there was nothing there. “It’s gone. Maybe it fell off when they…” Pressing her lips tightly together, Rica peered into the alley and underneath the stairs. She saw Carter’s phone and retrieved it.

“My gun. Lost it.”

“I didn’t see it.” Rica looked again, even bending down to search underneath Carter’s vehicle, but she couldn’t find it.

Carter closed her eyes, exhausted.

“Carter?” Rica knelt again. “Darling?”

“Sounds good,” Carter muttered.

Rica smiled unsteadily and caressed Carter’s shoulder. “It’s going to be all right.”

Carter opened her eyes and braced her good hand against the stairs. She was weak, but some of the nausea had subsided. “Help me up.”

“I don’t think…damn it,” Rica exploded, hastily wrapping an arm around Carter’s shoulder as Carter pushed herself into a sitting position. “God, you’re so stubborn.”

Winded, Carter rested her cheek against Rica’s shoulder. “Ditto.”

“Can you walk to the car?” Rica cradled Carter’s face gently against her breast, feeling the sticky blood beneath her fingers.

“Rather go upstairs.”

“Yes, I know, but you’re not going to until a doctor has seen you. You either let me drive you somewhere or I’ll call 911.”

“Rica,” Carter said as firmly as she could. “We need to keep this quiet. You’ll be exposed…if this is documented.”

“I don’t care.”

“Clinic.” Carter was too weak to argue.

Tory snatched up the phone on the first ring. “Hello?”

“Dr. King? This is Rica Grechi. I’m sorry to disturb you so early, but this number is listed at the clinic for emergencies.”

Tory had been so prepared to hear the sound of Roger Conlon’s voice that she struggled to orient herself. She couldn’t place the woman’s name. “I’m sorry. I don’t remember…”

“I saw you yesterday afternoon. I had some injuries to my face.”

The image of the beautiful young woman who’d been seriously battered snapped into place. “Of course. I’m sorry. You’re at the clinic now?”

“Yes. I’m afraid it’s a bit of an emergency.”

“What’s the problem?”

“It’s rather complicated, but…there’s been an assault.”

So Rica Grechi was wrong that he wouldn’t come after her again. Tory glanced at the clock in the kitchen. 6:30 a.m. She’d been up since five, feeding Reggie and pacing. She could call KT or Bonita to run over to the clinic. Either one of them would be willing to see an emergency patient for her.

“I’m so sorry to call like this,” Rica said, her voice trembling. “It’s my lover. She’s been hurt, and we can’t go anywhere else.”

Two battered women. Whatever was going on, it had the potential to be very dangerous for one or both of them. “Is she conscious?”

“Yes, but…it looks bad.”

“Is there any chance that you’ve been followed? That he’ll attack you again?”

“No. I don’t think so.”

“All right, but keep an eye out and be prepared to leave if you need to. I’ll be there in ten minutes.” Tory hung up and went to the guest room. She tapped on the door. “Bri?”

“Yeah?”

Tory opened the door and then quickly averted her gaze when a naked Bri jumped from bed. It didn’t matter that Bri was twenty years her junior, she was a beautiful young woman and Tory was not her mother. “Sorry. Can you watch the baby for a little while? I’ve got to go to the clinic.”

“Now?” Bri frowned as she searched for her jeans. “I mean, I don’t mind watching Reggie.” She pulled up her pants, zipped them, and tugged on her T-shirt. “But isn’t it awfully early?”

“Emergency.”

“Jesus, Tory.” Bri ran a hand through her thick, unruly hair. “Can’t you let someone else do it? You must be beat.”

Tory smiled softly. Obviously, everyone she knew thought she was fragile. “I’ve got my cell phone. I gave that number to Reese’s father, so when…when he calls, I’ll get it. I won’t stay. I just need to see this one patient.”

“Okay. I told my dad I wasn’t coming in today unless he really needs me. I want to be here when they find Reese.”

“Good. I want you to be here, too.”

Bri’s certainty was almost contagious, and Tory allowed herself to believe in it as she left for the clinic. It had been just over thirty-three hours since Reese had disappeared. Surely it wouldn’t be much longer.

When Tory turned into the clinic parking lot she saw a silver Lexus idling by the side entrance to the clinic. It was the only vehicle in the lot and invisible from the road. She pulled up nearby and got out at the same time as Ricarda Grechi jumped from the Lexus. They met by the front passenger door.

“Thank you so much for coming,” Rica said. She opened the door and bent down. “Carter? The doctor’s here.”

Tory peered into the vehicle. “Let me take a look before we try to move her.”

Carter carefully turned her head and squinted. The woman looked familiar. “I can walk. Slowly.”

“Is your neck okay?” Tory asked.

“Seems to be. Head hurts like a bastard, though.”

Tory eyed the three inch laceration running along the woman’s right temporal hairline. Her hair was matted with dried blood. “I’ll just bet it does.”

“Sorry about all of this.”

“No need for apologies.” Tory scooped an arm around Carter’s waist as Rica helped ease Carter from the car to an upright position. “Here, let’s take it slow.” Five minutes later she and Rica helped Carter onto an examining table in the quiet, empty clinic. As Tory washed her hands, she said, “Fill me in on the details.”

Rica, who stood by the side of the examining table with her hand on Carter’s shoulder, looked down at her inquiringly.

“It happened about one o’clock this morning. I took a couple of shots to the back, a couple to the stomach, a kick to the right wrist, and blunt force trauma to the head. A sap, I think. Twice. Knocked me cold.”

Rica moaned softly and stroked Carter’s hair with trembling fingers. “Who was it?”

“Don’t know.” Carter lifted her uninjured hand and caught Rica’s. “It’s okay.”

“That’s where you’re very wrong, Carter.”

Tory studied Rica, surprised by the anger and resolve in her voice. This situation was not what she had expected. These were not lovers battered by an angry spouse or boyfriend. They seemed to be lovers, but there was some other tension between them. And Rica Grechi looked ready to exact vengeance from someone. “Have you called the police?”

Carter held Rica’s eyes. “I’m a Massachusetts State Police detective.”

“I see.” Tory sighed. “And I assume there’s a reason why you’re here instead of calling for backup and an ambulance?”

“Several,” Carter replied, still looking at Rica.

“All right. Let’s worry about you first. Then we’ll talk.”

After completing her examination, Tory said, “I’m going to need a urine specimen. Can you make it to the bathroom?”

“I’ll help her,” Rica said.

“Just help me get over there,” Carter said. “I can handle it from there.”

Tory smiled. “Not too sick to forgo pride, I see. Cops are all alike.” At Rica’s curious expression she said, “My lover is the sheriff here.”

“Conlon?” Carter asked. At Tory’s nod, she started to shake her head and then winced. “I remember you now. That day at the beach. You had some young kid riding bodyguard detail.”

“Bri Parker. Family friend.”

“Conlon due back soon?”

Tory struggled to keep her expression neutral. “Soon. We hope soon.” She took Carter’s elbow. “Come on. Let’s get you to the bathroom.”

Rica paced uneasily in front of the closed door. “I don’t think we should leave her alone in there.”

“She’ll be all right for a few minutes, but she’s in no shape to be making decisions, Ms. Grechi.” Tory kept her voice low. “She has a concussion. The two of you are obviously in danger, and she’s not going to be able to protect you.”

“I can.”

Tory believed her. “I know that if Reese were here and something like this happened, there’d be hell to pay if Carter kept quiet about it. Whatever’s going on, Carter should be able to get all the help she needs from the local authorities.”

“She’s worried about me,” Rica said softly.

“I gathered that. Try to convince her to get some backup in case there’s more trouble.”

“I will.”

The bathroom door opened and Carter leaned against the door frame. “Mission accomplished, but I don’t think I can make it back to the table.”

Rica rushed to her and put an arm around her waist. “Lean on me. Come on.”

“I’ll be right back.” Tory took the specimen cup and went next door to the small lab.

In the few minutes it took Rica to get Carter settled again, Tory completed her analysis. “You’ve got traces of blood in your urine, which probably is due to a bruised kidney.”

“Should we go to the hospital?” Rica said immediately.

“It would be the prudent thing to do, yes,” Tory said, watching Carter’s face take on a set expression. “But Detective Wayne isn’t going to. Which means, Detective, you are going to go home and get into bed. You are to drink plenty of fluid. Tylenol only for pain. I’ll give you a small dose of codeine to augment it. No aspirin. No ibuprofen. Nothing that could increase the chance of bleeding.”

“Okay,” Carter said.

“And,” Tory went on sternly, “you need to be observed for at least twenty-four hours. You’ve got a serious concussion and all too frequently we see other problems develop as a result. You need to be on the lookout for visual changes, confusion, increasing nausea, dizziness, weakness. I need to know about it immediately.”

“I’ll stay with her,” Rica said.

Carter said nothing.

“And I need to suture that laceration on your temple.” Tory looked at Rica. “I assume you want to stay while I do that?”