The Marshes criminal police department was impossible to reach. The Arnavuts had stationed themselves at every approach to the building. We had no idea how many Shortridge officers were involved — they operated undercover — but we knew they...

The winter sun filtered through the open blinds onto my face when I woke. Smith was gone from the bed. It pleasantly surprised me to feel well-rested — no tension in my back or shoulders for once. I washed...

He carried me to the left wing of the house. That room was another fusion of spaces: bedroom, office, walk-in wardrobe. It was modest compared to the main chamber — almost stoic. The headboard of a double bed stood...