" Trey joked.

"Just dandy," Mac replied sourly. " Have you run the company into theground yet?" " Still working on it," Trey answered. " Things have set fled down in the last several days.

As a matter of fact, I've just finished checking up on the list of Burnett's cronies you got from the guy investigating him.

Nice bunch of characters.

" When there was no response on the other end, Trey said, " Mac?

You there?

" Mac let out a deep breath. " Yeah.

You were saying?

" " Like seeks out like, I guess.

Burnett hangs out with a few other ex-cons, none of whom arc gainfully

employed or above doing something illegal for a few bucks.

One's been convicted of armed robbery.

All of them are bad news.

" " So if their good buddy Burnett asked them to help him terrorize a

woman he hated, they wouldn't ask questions?

" " Only how much," Trey answered. " What does the investigator haveto say?" " Nothing new," Mac said. " Burnett hasn't b~n out of L.

A.

since the tail started on him.

There's no record in the private investigator's log of Burnett using a

post office or even a corner mail drop.

Of course, there's no way of knowing if he mails things at work or what mail goes out from his home.

" A low whistle came from the other end of the line. " Now what?

" " The police are trying to match a set of prints as we speak." " What are you going to tell Raine?" Mac was silent. " Mac?You are going to tell her, aren't you?She's going to have to know." " She knows." Trey digested his tone. He didn't need to ask any more questions to be aware that something was very wrong. " I'm sure she's upset, but

she'll be okay.

It sounds like this will be over soon, and then she'll have her life back.

" Later, contemplating the ceiling, Mac went over his friend's words.He wasn't sure he could believe them. He didn't even like to think about what was going through Raine's mind right now. Surely old woundswere renewed just at the mention of that b.a.s.t.a.r.d Burnett. But she was a fighter. And a survivor. He knew she'd come out of this strongerthan before. He just wished he was as sure that she'd forgive him.Chapter C n uneasy truce settled between Raine and Mac for the next few days. It seemed as if she was going out of her way to avoid him, but he didn'tpress the issue. He'd gone to her room looking for her one afternoon.She hadn't been here, but he noticed a night-light plugged into thewall. He'd never seen it before and could only a.s.sume that itsappearance was linked to Burnett's possible implication in her case. Hestared at the light for a long time, his stomach churning. It seemed to represent a direct hit at her equilibrium, and he wanted to smas.h.i.t, just as he wanted to smash whoever was responsible for terrorizingher. After a while, he turned jerkily away. He couldn't help her withthis, she'd made that clear. She was adamant about being responsiblefor her own life, but it was d.a.m.n hard not to go to her and promise herthat nothing was ever going to hurt her again. h.e.l.l, he couldn't makea promise like that to her, even if he wanted to. Life had a way ofthrowing nasty little surprises. at a person, and ducking them justdidn't work. He felt helpless, and the feeling was unfamiliar. It was also d.a.m.n frustrating. He'd taken her to the grocery store just thismorning. Not that she'd been expressing much of an interest in foodlately, but she needed to eat. She was too slight to be able to affordany weight loss. He thought he'd detected a glimmer of a smile whenshe watched him push that d.a.m.n cart around the aisles, especially afterhe'd rammed into a display of soup cans. But she'd helped him pick upthe cans without a word.

Her silence was wearing on him. He wasn't a man to whom apologies cameeasily, but there was a side of him that was uncomfortably aware shedeserved one of some kind. And there was another side that wanted to possessively announce that he would continue to do whatever it took toprotect her, both physically and emotionally. He wandered into the kitchen and found it empty.

Checking the dock, he judged that it wasn't too early to startdinner.

Maybe if he felt real adventurous, he'd deviate from meal choices onethrough fofir. And if supper turned out well, he might even take abigger risk, and bring up the subject that had caused this distancebetween them. Raine entered the kitchen later to find it encased in waves of steam. Macauley was at the stove, in front of a huge pot ofboiling water. He was concentrating on another pan, stirring absentlyas he read from a cookbook he'd taken from her shelf. She raised her eyebrows dubiously. The sight of him reading from Betty Crocker wasintriguing, but she couldn't help but be a little alarmed at what hemight have thrown together. He'd bought enough groceries at the storethis morning to feed a family of five for a month. They'd had a shortdiscussion about it, which had concluded when he'd announced she needed to eat. Obviously he'd been serious. He turned his head to look at her. " About time you showed up.

" Continuing as if she'd spoken, he said, " Yes, as a matter of fact,you can help.

There's a loaf of French bread that needs to be b.u.t.tered and put in the oven.

" Raine went to the counter and looked at the loaf he'd indicated. It looked as though it had been victim to a samurai warrior, and her mouthcurved. The slices were smashed, and crumbs littered the counteraround it. " I've already mixed the garlic b.u.t.ter.

The book says that all you have to do is b.u.t.ter the bread, put it in'foil and throw it in the oven for a few minutes.

Better hurry up.

This stuff might be done soon.

She did as he requested, and he stood aside for her to open the ovendoor. She rose and peered through the steam pouring off the pot. " We're having spaghetti," he announced unnecessarily. " Yes.

Well, it certainly seems.

abundant.

" He frowned at the cookbook. " They don't tell how to figure the

portions, so I just threw in the whole box.

" She firmed her mouth, which was threatening to tilt upward. " You

must be hungry.

" He glanced at her sharply. '~Aren't you?"

"Oh, yes."

He didn't look convinced, so ~he added, "I'm starved, actually."

Maeauley looked relieved and went back to stirring whatever was in the

pan.

"Good. I think there's going to be plenty."

Silently agreeing with him, Raine set the table.

"How do you know when this stuff is done, anyway?"

he muttered, waving a hand through the steam.

Raine went over and turned the heat down under the pot.

"It depends on how you like to eat it."

"Well done."

She turned a startled look to him.

He was still concentrating on the sauce he was stirring.

"Okay,"

she drawled, shaking her head in bemus.e.m.e.nt.

"I'd say it's about ready then."

He insisted she sit down while he served her.

She gave a little gasp at the amount of spaghetti he heaped on her

plate, but after glancing at him she subsided.

It,was an interesting meal.

The bread had enough garlic in the b.u.t.ter to ward off vampires for the

next decade.

And the sauce.

Well, the spaghetti sauce was unlike any she'd eaten before.

"Did you follow a recipe when you made the sauce?"

she questioned.

He shook his head and twirled another forkful of spaghetti.

"I didn't have time. You had a jar of sauce in the cupboard. It

tasted a little funny at first, but I added some Italian seasoning to it. Why?"

"It's... delicious,"

she said weakly.

She ate as much as she could, but when she finished it didn't look as if she'd made a dent in the helping he'd given her.

"You aren't finished?"

he questioned when she pushed her plate away.