v Sarah looked at the city, driving the snowy Milwaukee streets.

The city was old and small, but she loved the quaint buildings and the lake. This city had more parks than any city she'd ever lived in. Sarah decided that she could probably live here, despite the snow. She would just have to get back into skiing. There had been snowshoes in Annie's basement, and she wondered how hard that would be. She thought about Green Bay. Maybe she and Annie could do some cross-country skiing if Annie was able.

The day was sunny but cold. A beautiful winter day, if there was such a thing. Church bells rang out across the city, as they did every day at this time, and a frigid wind whipped snow across the sidewalk. In the hospital gift shop Sarah impulsively bought an armful of hothouse lilies for Annie. Speaking to the agent on duty at the door of Annie's room, Sarah told her to take a break, go get some coffee, and bring enough for two back with her when she finished.

a 183 a Sarah locked the door behind her when she entered. Annie was sitting at a table reading a book. She looked up at Sarah and smiled.

Sarah pulled the flowers out from behind her.

"Oh, they're beautiful," Annie said, getting out of the chair.

"Don't stand, Annie," Sarah worried out loud, walking toward her, but Annie was already in front of her, taking the flowers and burying her face in them.

"Do you have any idea how long it's been since anyone brought me flowers?"

"When I saw them I thought of you." Sarah felt fifteen all over again.Annie looked at Sarah over the flowers and hugged her, kissing her cheek. Sarah put her arms around Annie, closing her eyes with happiness. "Why are you up?" she murmured.

"Just let me hold you, Sarah. I haven't wanted to hold anyone for a long time." Annie leaned into her. Neither woman said a word, until she pulled back. "You'd better tell me about those rules you were talking about last night, or I'm liable to get you in a bunch of trouble."

Sarah grinned at the impish eyes, glad to have Annie back. "Your mom surprised me and asked about the agency's client rules."

Annie started to laugh. "My mother, the matchmaker. What did you say?"

"I said there were rules about clients, but I didn't have to like it.

Annie, I do have to be careful about this, and they're very strict." She took a sudden breath as Annie moved back into her body, arms inside her coat, snuggling even closer. "That feels good," Sarah said softly against Annie's ear.

"I have to warn you, I am a notorious rule breaker. Damn. Now my legs are shaking." Annie pointed to a chair beside the bed. "Pull that over here beside me so we can talk. As much as I'd like to, I won't jeopardize your job."

Sarah sat down with some relief. "Could we talk about this tonight?"

Annie nodded and pulled a blanket off the bed, tucking it around her. "This has been such an emotional day. I talked to Mom this morning. For two hours I told her everything I could think of, pretty much destroyed her day and maybe her trust in me. Kilie came in for a while to add some details that I wasn't aware of. I am so angry at a 184 a myself about the way I've handled this. I've never seen Mom so quiet as she was this morning. I'm ashamed."

Sarah moved the chair closer. "Annie, your mother will understand."

"My mom and dad expect honesty. This is the first time I've broken that rule in such an important way."

Sarah reached for her hands, rubbing them with her thumbs.

Annie sighed, looking at their hands, together. "That feels good,"

she said. "Thank you for the flowers. I was in the hospital in Switzerland the last time anyone gave me flowers, and I love them. I love them in my house and I love to grow them. Kilie released me to go home today.

Take me home?"

"Are you sure you're ready to go home?"

"She says I am, and that's all I need. I want out of here."

"I feel like your mother saying this," Sarah made a face at Annie, "but how do you feel inside? You know, bad dreams, that kind of thing?"

"Yes, I have them, but I've never wanted to talk about this. Even though I've had tremendous help, I still have my moments of anger and...dead low tide."

Her voice was so low that Sarah scooted her chair closer as Annie continued. "Sarah, I am not going to live in fear. I won't live this way.

Let's find these people and get this over with." She swiveled toward her. "And why didn't you tell me that someone shot you?"

Sarah groaned and let her head fall forward. "Honestly, I thought you knew. And don't ask me how you were supposed to know. Osmosis, I guess. Things have been moving so fast, and besides, my mind was somewhere else last night."

"No one said a word to me, and that is just wrong. Guess how I found out?" Sarah shook her head, and Annie pulled her chair as close as she could. "Scott."

"Scott Frazier?"

"It was nice of him to come and see me. He seems to have the greatest admiration for you."

"Ah, he's my new guy. A little under a year."

"Uh-huh," Annie teased. "He said you were shot when you went to one knee over me?"

"Something like that, but-"

a 185 a "No, not something like that, and you know what?" Annie interrupted and leaned over, whispering, "You are my hero," and kissed Sarah. Not a little kiss or a thank-you kiss, but a kiss that made Sarah's entire body respond.

Neither heard the knocking at the door until Sarah remembered the guard and the coffee. She went to get the coffee, and when she came back, Annie was shaking her head.

"Rebecca must never know this."

"What?"

"That I've been in a locked room with a gorgeous woman and a bed."

"You're right. Rebecca doesn't need to know this." Sarah shook her head, but she glanced at the bed.

Annie was quiet and Sarah looked back at her. She'd lost her smile again.

"All right. What can I tell you that Mary and Kilie haven't said already?" Annie said. Sarah took a notebook from her coat, bracing her knees against Annie's.

"Kilie put me in touch with Dr. Hatawabe, and she sends her regards."

"I wish you could meet her, Sarah. She is a wonderful person."

"I've got the information from Switzerland, but what caused the attack?"

Annie straightened. "A little over three years ago, I was on my way into Iraq, on assignment. It was a very critical time, and we went in through Saudi Arabia. The French journalist that took the pictures you saw at my house invited me to a party at a Saudi palace, Prince Abdel's." Annie stopped talking and looked at Sarah. "Truly, I never thought I'd see that man again. When I saw you talking with him at the party, my heart stood still. You know how people say, amy heart stood still'? It's true. Mine did. I swear I'd never experienced hate before.

Anger, yes, I've been known for that. Just ask." She turned with a wry grin. "Or has someone already told you that?"

Sarah shook her head and waited.

"I got into an argument with one of the prince's friends, a Saudi diplomat, and some other men at the party over the American presence in Iraq. Or at least, that's what it began as. It morphed into a full-blown stupid debate about religion and even a man's place in society. We a 186 a were all drinking, and no one really had any control over where the conversation was going. This was around the time Amer al-Sadr was organizing his army militia and recruiting anyone he could. We argued over that too, and I finally went to the patio to get away from them."

She stopped, swallowing. "I remember someone grabbing me, the fear and the smell of the drugs. The French photographer and the men with him stopped them before it became more than just a beating."

Sarah could hear the tears in Annie's voice, but was afraid to interrupt. They needed this conversation. "Do you really understand why that damned Web site, even concrete from a bomb, seems small?"

Annie cleared her throat and gathered herself. "I've had people say to me that I am tough. I don't think I'm tough. I think I just don't have a choice. Dr. Hatawabe is a bit of a Zen person, you know. Stay in the moment kind of thing, the one who got me into reading those books at my house, among other things. She taught me a lot, Sarah, but most of all, how to keep the darkness away." She took a drink of coffee, thinking.

"So I'm angry and hurt. First the attack, then Jack's killed, then the explosion, and now this. I also understand that I've made the decision to put myself in this position." Annie looked away and crossed her arms. "What's left? Death? There are so many things worse than death, and one of them is fear. That's worse. It kills your mind, your hope, your soul. It made me so angry that I just went back over there, to hell with all of them. What else could they do to me?" She was quiet again, sitting very straight. "Is there any other information you need?"

Sarah's heart was pounding. "Is there anything else that might help me?"

"No. I think I just pissed whoever he is off, by going back to Iraq.

I let him know that he doesn't frighten me. This whole thing's about fear, isn't it?"

Sarah was staring at Annie, going back over the conversation.

"What?"

"Did you say Amer al-Sadr?"

"Yes, he was there with a bunch of scruffy-looking people, like he'd just come in from the-" She stopped abruptly, staring back at Sarah. "Oh, my God, the photos. Sarah, the photos that Jack Keegan gave me to keep."

"Yes, the photos. Some of our people thought it was him."

a 187 a "Shit," Annie said quietly under her breath. "I'm reacting, not thinking. I know what's different. That's the only time he didn't have a beard. I know very well what he does." She had tears in her eyes when she looked up.

Sarah immediately put her notebook back in her pocket. "I want to get this information to the office, Annie. As I said, we did fingerprinting and preliminary DNA on the Majers, his sister, the prince, and his mother. By the way, that woman is not his mother."

Annie looked startled. "Who is she?"

"Remember the man you saw at Sam's? Right now, the evidence is telling us that the woman is his sister. And I thought I knew her also.

I'm sure I saw her at Jana's Bistro, and she was in the airport the day you came back from New York City." Sarah reached for her hand. "That means they've been around you. Probably a lot more than we know."

Annie shook her head. "This is unreal."

"That's why you have a guard here at your door. And it's locked.

Right now, I'm going back to the office, and when I'm done, I'll come back here and pick you up. Tomorrow, we're leaving town. Or, if you're up to it, we'll go tonight."

Annie nodded and got up. She padded back to the bed and stretched out, pulling the covers up. There were dark smudges under her eyes, and she looked as if she could sleep.

Sarah gave Annie a hug, holding her tightly. Annie's eyes had tears in them once again, and Sarah put her fingers on Annie's lips. "Go to sleep. Let those pills do the job, and I'll be right back. We'll get you home tonight and maybe up to Green Bay, away from all this." She bent down for a quick kiss and then kissed her harder. "You taste so good.

Sleep," she said as she left.

v Sarah was parking Annie's car in the ramp when she saw Don Ahrens getting into his car. He gestured for her to get in with him and started the engine.

"Where you able to find out anything from Ms. Booker that might help? You and I both know that if Ms. Booker, or the network, had given us this information in the beginning, we might have handled this differently."

a 188 a "True, but I can understand why she didn't want to talk about it.

She told me today that she thought she'd never see him again, and I believe her."

"Yes, that's probably what she thought, but as I told her boss this morning, we can't protect someone from something that we have no knowledge of. We all know they play by different rules over there, but still, someone should have said something right from the moment she got home. We needed that information."

Sarah took a deep breath and hauled out her notebook. "All right.

Here's what Annie told me this afternoon," and she told him about Saudi Arabia and Amer al-Sadr.

a 189 a a 190 a

ChAPTER TWENTy-ONE.

The DuMont Hotel was one of the best to be found in the Midwest. Sarah and Don got out of the car and headed across the street. Scott Frazier was waiting inside the lobby.

"What's the status?" Don asked him.

"There's six people there now. Altogether there have been eight people in and out. All men. Haven't seen any women at all."

"Fine. Scott, give your electronics to Moore, and you go to the car." His face fell, but he gave Sarah the microphone. Don chuckled.

"I just ruined his day. Soon he'll be glad to sit in the car. By the way, nothing we've found so far at the Majers' implicates Prince Abdel. I'm just not sure where he fits into all of this."

Sarah adjusted her communications as they walked toward the elevator. She mentally shuffled her information on the young Saudi and prepared for the interview.

Midafternoon, the hallway was flooded with sunlight as they walked toward the suite. Don knocked, and a young Arabic man, perhaps in his early twenties, opened the door. Don asked to speak to Prince Abdel. He closed the door, and they could hear voices inside as Don leaned against the door, listening. The prince opened the door and smiled when he saw Sarah.

"Ah, the caretaker," he said with a smile. "Is this an official visit?"

"No, just talk, if you have a moment?" Sarah had a relaxed smile on her face and let it sound in her voice. "This is Don Ahrens from my office."

"Come in, come in." The prince stepped back. He was wearing a a 191 a white T-shirt and jeans with nothing on his feet. "I apologize," he said, catching her looking at his clothes. "I was sleeping."

Don and Sarah stepped into the suite. The TV was on and four or five young men were watching a soccer game. Fast-food containers and sodas were scattered on the table. Sarah thought these were probably bodyguards, but reviewing their body posture, she and Don didn't seem to pose much of a threat.

"Sir," Don began, "we would like to speak with your mother as well, if that is possible."

"She is not here," Abdel said, looking around at the other men in the room. "She left some time ago to do some much-needed shopping before we leave." That was a major slip on the prince's part, and Sarah quickly took a second look around the room.