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The Angel of Terror
by Edgar WallaceAngelically beautiful Jean Briggerland is a sociopathic criminal, so lovely that none can see her guilt -- even in connection with the most blatant crimes! Can Jack Glover, best friend and lawyer to Jean's latest victim, bring her to justice before she murders her way to unspeakable wealth and power?
The Angel of Terror: Large Print
by Edgar WallaceTo save herself from debtor&’s prison, a girl agrees to marry a convicted killer When her father died, Lydia lost her closest friend in the world and inherited a mountain of debt. Though she works tirelessly, she doubts she will ever be able to pay it all off. She is near despair when a lawyer comes to her with a most unusual proposal that could save her finances—and cost her life. The lawyer&’s client is James Meredith, a wealthy young man who has been sentenced to a lifetime of hard labor for a murder he did not commit. The witness who put him away was his fiancée, Miss Briggerland, whose icy beauty conceals a heart that burns with rage. The lawyer asks Lydia to marry James in order to keep the psychotic woman away from his fortune, but Miss Briggerland is not one to be crossed lightly. She will take her revenge on Lydia, and she will take it in blood. This ebook features a new introduction by Otto Penzler and has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Angel's Game
by Carlos Ruiz ZafónNATIONAL BESTSELLER • From the author of the international phenomenon The Shadow of the Wind, comes a riveting masterpiece about love, literature, and betrayal. • &“[Zafón's] visionary storytelling prowess is a genre unto itself." —USA TodayIn this powerful, labyrinthian thriller, David Martín is a pulp fiction writer struggling to stay afloat. Holed up in a haunting abandoned mansion in the heart of Barcelona, he furiously taps out story after story, becoming increasingly desperate and frustrated. Thus, when he is approached by a mysterious publisher offering a book deal that seems almost too good to be real, David leaps at the chance. But as he begins the work, and after a visit to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, he realizes that there is a connection between his book and the shadows that surround his dilapidated home and that the publisher may be hiding a few troubling secrets of his own. Once again, Ruiz Zafón takes us into a dark, gothic Barcelona and creates a breathtaking tale of intrigue, romance, and tragedy.
The Angel's Game: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 2
by Carlos Ruiz ZafonIn an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home...Read by Dan Stevens(p) 2009 Orion Publishing Group
The Angel's Game: The Cemetery of Forgotten Books 2
by Carlos Ruiz ZafonThe stunning new novel from the internationally bestselling author of THE SHADOW OF THE WIND.In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man - David Martin - makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he has taken refuge in the world of books, and spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house letters hinting at the mysterious death of the previous owner. Like a slow poison, the history of the place seeps into his bones as he struggles with an impossible love. Then David receives the offer of a lifetime: he is to write a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realises that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home...
The Angel's Mark: This Bestseller Is Perfect For Fans Of Cj Sansom, Rory Clements And S. J. Parris (The Jackdaw Mysteries #1)
by S. W. PerryLONDON, 1590. Queen Elizabeth I's control over her kingdom is wavering. Amidst a tumultuous backdrop of Spanish plotters, Catholic heretics and foreign wars threatening the country's fragile stability, the body of a small boy is found in the City of London, with strange marks that no one can explain.When idealistic physician Nicholas Shelby finds another body displaying the same marks only days later, he becomes convinced that a killer is at work, preying on the weak and destitute of London.Determined to find out who is behind these terrible murders, Nicholas is joined in his investigations by Bianca, a mysterious tavern keeper. As more bodies are discovered, the pair find themselves caught in the middle of a sinister plot. With the killer still at large, and Bianca in terrible danger, Nicholas's choice seems impossible - to save Bianca, or save himself...
The Angel's Secret (Church Choir Mysteries #11)
by Nicola FurlongThe latest activity at Willow Bend Senior Center is pottery instruction, and even Gracie Park's octogenarian Uncle Miltie gives it a whirl. Then Libby Simmons' bracelet goes missing and no one can find it. Gracie tries to solve the mystery while busily involved in her church's efforts to feed a hungry family for the holidays. Then a car accident on the ice lands Gracie in the unheated home of the young Freeman family, where sensitive listening and clever sleuthing help her find out the angel's secret. This is book 11 in the Church Choir Mysteries series.
The Angel: A Charles Dickens mystery (The Grand & Batchelor Victorian Mysteries #3)
by M. J. TrowAmerican enquiry agent Matthew Grand teams up with Englishman James Batchelor to investigate the murder of Charles Dickens. June, 1870. The world-famous author Charles Dickens has been found dead in his summer house where he had been hard at work on his final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Did he die of natural causes—or is there something more sinister behind his sudden demise? George Sala, Dickens’ biographer, is convinced his friend was murdered—and he has hired Grand and Batchelor to prove it. Grand and Batchelor soon realize they’ve stumbled onto a plot equal to the works penned by the deceased, and questions quickly mount. Did the celebrated author’s unconventional private life lead to his death? Who is the mysterious woman who appears at his funeral? Are they prepared for the shocking secrets they might uncover? Most urgently, can they bring an end to the mystery before the ending finds them? “Good fun, gentle humor, historic detail, plenty of twists, and a likable pair of heroes make this a book well worth reading” —Booklist “More successful is Trow’s arch and witty tone and a plunge into the delightfully cutthroat publishing scene of Victorian London, where all loudly mourn Dickens while privately saying that the unfinished The Mystery of Edwin Drood definitely wasn’t his best.” —Publishers Weekly
The Angel: The Widow The Angel The Mist The Whisper (The Ireland Series #2)
by Carla NeggersA woman’s passion for myth and magic leads her into the heart of a murderous evil in this romantic suspense adventure by a New York Times bestseller.Inside an ancient ruin, Keira discovers the mythic stone angel she seeks—but also senses a malevolent presence . . . just before the ruins collapse around her.Search-and-rescue veteran Simon Cahill finds Keira in the rubble just as she’s about to free herself. Simon holds no stock in myths or magic, so he isn’t surprised that there’s no trace of her stone angel.But there is evidence of startling violence and—whatever the source—the danger to Keira is quite real. The long-forgotten legend that captivated her has also aroused a killer . . . a calculating predator who will follow them back to Boston, determined to kill again.Originally published in 2008Praise for The Angel“[A] fanciful thriller. . . . Fans of romantic suspense will be charmed.” —Publishers Weekly
The Angelic Avengers
by Pierre AndrézelFirst published in English in 1946, this introspective novel by Pierre Andrézel (aka Karen Blixen) is set in England and France during the 1840s and tells the story of two young, innocent girls and the horrors they must endure during this time.Lucan has been orphaned and Zosine has been deserted, and London is a hostile place for two young girls without a home. Bound together by poverty, grief and their shared years at school, they set out to make a future for themselves in new surroundings. They are adopted by the austere, puritanical Reverend Pennhallow and his wife, and in their large, gloomy house they become immersed in study. But, after a chain of disturbing events, it does not take long before they realize that the cleric and his wife are not all they seem to be…“A spellbinding story of fascinating romance, chilling mystery and perilous adventures that sets two friendless young women in a house of unspeakable evil. Written by the greatest Gothic novelist of our time, this is a ‘novel of superlatively fine literary quality.’”—Book of the Month Club News
The Angels Will Not Care (A Cecil Younger Investigation #5)
by John StraleyTrapped on an Alaskan cruise line, PI Cecil Younger must expose a killer—and fast—or he may just find himself sleeping with the fishes.Cecil Younger never thought it would come to this: running surveillance on a chicken coop that’s being raided by a fowl thief. But things have not exactly been breaking right lately for the Alaskan PI. The logical thing to do? Take a vacation, of course.Well, it’s not exactly a vacation. Cecil has been paid to investigate a doctor aboard a cruise ship up the Alaskan coast following some complaints from his patients . . . that is, the patients who are still alive to complain. Worst of all, someone is leaving evidence pointing an accusing finger at Cecil. By the time the S.S. Westward makes landfall, Cecil will be wishing he was back guarding chickens.
The Angels Will Not Care (Cecil Younger Ser. #5)
by John StraleyFrom award-winning author John Straley comes a masterfully plotted, stunningly original new mystery as beautifully stark and delightfully unpredictable as the Alaskan landscape he has so perfectly captured. <P><P> Trouble is Cecil Younger's business. As a private investigator, it comes with the territory. But lately the kind of trouble he's seen is definitely not good for business. Getting blamed for a friend's suicide has hurt both his conscience and his reputation. And things have gone straight to hell since then. His most thrilling case of late: surveillance of a lawyer's chicken coop to see who's stealing her fowl. <P><P> Enter Sonny Walters of the Great Circle Cruise Lines, whose first-class ship has a first-class problem. It seems there's some controversy surrounding the ship's doctor. More than that, Mr. Walters won't say, except that he'll give Cecil free rein--as well as free passage and an unlimited bar tab--to get to the bottom of the unsavory rumors. Younger jumps at the opportunity. <P><P> Soon he, housemate Toddy, and live-in love Jane Marie set sail on the S.S. Westward. All Cecil expected to find was an incompetent doctor and the excuse the cruise line needed to fire him. Instead what Cecil finds is a lot worse. First of all, the accommodations are little better than steerage. Second, the free bar tab turns out not to be so free. And then there is Sonny Walters himself, who seems to change from Captain Steubing to Captain Bligh the instant the ship launches. But worst of all is that amid the limbo contests, bird-watching, and bridge tournaments, enough well-to-do passengers are going belly-up to ruin everyone's vacation. <P><P> Cecil was hired to conduct a discreet investigation. But when he finds himself the target of violence, discretion is the last thing on his mind. Adding insult to injury, a hotshot rival PI turns up and points an accusing finger at the perfect suspect: Cecil Younger. Suddenly Cecil is out of his depth, far from home, and thinking of only one thing--survival. By the time the S.S. Westward makes landfall up the Alaskan coast, Cecil may just wish he was back chasing chickens in Sitka instead of sleeping with the fishes.
The Angels of Venice: a haunting new thriller set in the heart of Italy's most secretive city
by Philip Gwynne Jones'An unputdownable thriller' Gregory Dowling 'It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice... art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax' Daily Mail 'Gwynne Jones's talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever' Literary Review_______________It's the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting - is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland - under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives - sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread's death.The trail leads to the "Markham Foundation", a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch. But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms - merciful, fallen and vengeful..._______________ Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones 'Superb - always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid' Stephen Glover 'Clever and great fun' The Times 'Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself' L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra 'The Venetian setting is vividly described... good, fluid writing makes for easy reading' Literary Review 'Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you'll love this because you'll be transported there in an instant. If you've not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you'll love this book' Amazon reviewer, 5***** 'The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi...you'll enjoy the ride' Italia Magazine
The Angels of Venice: a haunting new thriller set in the heart of Italy's most secretive city
by Philip Gwynne Jones'An unputdownable thriller' Gregory Dowling 'It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice... art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax' Daily Mail 'Gwynne Jones's talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever' Literary Review_______________It's the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting - is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland - under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives - sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread's death.The trail leads to the "Markham Foundation", a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch. But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms - merciful, fallen and vengeful..._______________ Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones 'Superb - always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid' Stephen Glover 'Clever and great fun' The Times 'Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself' L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra 'The Venetian setting is vividly described... good, fluid writing makes for easy reading' Literary Review 'Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you'll love this because you'll be transported there in an instant. If you've not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you'll love this book' Amazon reviewer, 5***** 'The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi...you'll enjoy the ride' Italia Magazine
The Angels of Venice: a haunting new thriller set in the heart of Italy's most secretive city (Karen Pirie #6)
by Philip Gwynne Jones'An unputdownable thriller' Gregory Dowling 'It is no surprise to find that Philip Gwynne Jones lives in Venice... art and architecture interweave into a story that builds to an almost surreal climax' Daily Mail 'Gwynne Jones's talent for evoking place and atmosphere is clear as ever' Literary Review_______________It's the night of 12 November 2019. The worst flooding in 50 years hits the city of Venice. 85% of La Serenissima is underwater. Gale force winds roar across the lagoon and along the narrow streets. And the body of Dr Jennifer Whiteread- a young British art historian, specialising in the depiction of angels in Venetian painting - is found floating in a flooded antique bookshop on the Street of the Assassins.As the local police struggle to restore order to a city on its knees, Nathan Sutherland - under pressure from the British Ambassador and distraught relatives - sets out into the dark and rain-swept streets in an attempt to discover the truth behind Whiteread's death.The trail leads to the "Markham Foundation", a recent and welcome addition to the list of charities working to preserve the ancient city. Charming, handsome and very, very rich, Giles Markham is a well-known and popular figure in the highest Venetian social circles, and has the ear of both the Mayor and the Patriarch. But a man with powerful friends may also have powerful enemies. And Nathan is about to learn that, in Venice at least, angels come in many forms - merciful, fallen and vengeful..._______________ Praise for Philip Gwynne Jones 'Superb - always gripping, beautifully constructed and vivid' Stephen Glover 'Clever and great fun' The Times 'Sinister and shimmering, The Venetian Game is as haunting and darkly elegant as Venice itself' L.S. Hilton, bestselling author of Maestra 'The Venetian setting is vividly described... good, fluid writing makes for easy reading' Literary Review 'Un-put-downable . . . If you love Venice, you'll love this because you'll be transported there in an instant. If you've not been to Venice, read this book and then go. If you like intrigue, and a clever plot, you'll love this book' Amazon reviewer, 5***** 'The lively, colourful narrative scuds along as briskly as a water taxi...you'll enjoy the ride' Italia Magazine
The Angels' Share
by R. R. IrvineSalt Lake City is hotter than hell. The Church of the Latter Day Saints is about the celebrate Pioneer Day, in honor of the Saints who crossed half a continent searching for a home. And in the sun-scorched streets, P. I. Moroni Traveler, fallen Saint and former football star, is searching for a vicious serial killer. The murderer's calling card is a videotape of his beautiful victims--beautiful before the self-styled "Jack the Ripper" vents his savage, woman-hating rage. The next target is Claire Bennion--the ex-girlfriend Traveler can't manage to forget. The Church wants the killer stopped, no questions asked. But Traveler's got his own reasons for facing down a weird mountain cult, Zion's powerful elite, and a murderer bent on paying for his own sins in innocent blood.
The Angels' Share: A Wine Country Mystery (Wine Country Mysteries #10)
by Ellen CrosbyEllen Crosby pours up another corking mystery with The Angels' Share, an intriguing blend of secret societies, Prohibition bootleg wine, and potentially scandalous documents hidden by the Founding Fathers, all of which yield a vintage murder. When Lucie Montgomery attends a Thanksgiving weekend party for friends and neighbors at Hawthorne Castle, an honest-to-goodness castle owned by the Avery family, the last great newspaper dynasty in America and owner of the Washington Tribune, she doesn’t expect the festive occasion to end in death.During the party, Prescott Avery, the 95-year old family patriarch, invites Lucie to his fabulous wine cellar where he offers to pay any price for a cache of 200-year-old Madeira that her great-great-uncle, a Prohibition bootlegger, discovered hidden in the US Capitol in the 1920s. Lucie knows nothing about the valuable wine, believing her late father, a notorious gambler and spendthrift, probably sold or drank it. By the end of the party Lucie and her fiancé, winemaker Quinn Santori, discover Prescott’s body lying in his wine cellar. Is one of the guests a murderer?As Lucie searches for the lost Madeira, which she believes links Prescott’s death to a cryptic letter her father owned, she learns about Prescott’s affiliation with the Freemasons. More investigating hints at a mysterious vault supposedly containing documents hidden by the Founding Fathers and a possible tie to William Shakespeare. If Lucie finds the long-lost documents, the explosive revelations could change history. But will she uncover a three hundred-year-old secret before a determined killer finds her?
The Anger of God (Being the Fourth of the Sorrowful Mysteries of Brother Athelstan)
by Paul Doherty/Paul HardingIn autumn 1379, the power of the British crown is invested in John of Gaunt, and the kingdom is seething with discontent. The French are attacking the southern ports and peasants are planning a revolt organized by a mysterious leader who proclaims himself "IRA DEI," the anger of God. Meanwhile Gaunt's tenuous plans are plunged into chaos by a series of bloody murders in London. In desperation, Gaunt turns to Sir John Cranston to catch the killer and recover a vanished king's ransom in gold. Together with his ally Brother Athelstan, Cranston must face threats from the most powerful classes as well as attacks from the seedy underworld--along with a chilling exorcism--in order to bring a subtle murderer to justice.
The Anglo-Irish Murders: A Robert Amiss/Baroness Jack Troutbeck Mystery (Robert Amiss/Baroness Jack Troutbeck Mysteries #0)
by Ruth Dudley EdwardsFoolishly, the British and Irish governments have chosen the tactless and impatient Baroness Troutbeck to chair a conference on Anglo-Irish cultural sensitivities. She instantly press-gangs Robert Amiss, her young friend and reluctant accomplice, into becoming conference organizer.It is a conference to remember in more ways than one. When a delegate plummets off the battlements, no one, not even the authorities, can decide whether it was by accident or design. The next death poses the same problem and causes warring factions to accuse each other of murder even as the politicians are busily trying to brush everything under the carpet in the name of peace.
The Anglophile
by Dell ShannonIreland, 1749. Dennis McDermott, a witty, charming and daring young man with shades of the Scarlet Pimpernel, lives two lives in eighteenth-century Dublin. Fashionable society idolises him as a handsome, rakish man of their world, never suspecting that he is the mysterious leader of the Irish underground whose nightly missions continue to outwit the British authorities. But Dennis' cover as an Anglophile who has renounced his Gaelic roots is under threat from an ever-more inquisitive policeman, and he also is embroiled in another cat-and-mouse game . . . falling in love.
The Anglophile (Murder Room #537)
by Dell Shannon'My favourite American crime-writer' New York Herald TribuneIreland, 1749. Dennis McDermott, a witty, charming and daring young man with shades of the Scarlet Pimpernel, lives two lives in eighteenth-century Dublin. Fashionable society idolises him as a handsome, rakish man of their world, never suspecting that he is the mysterious leader of the Irish underground whose nightly missions continue to outwit the British authorities.But Dennis' cover as an Anglophile who has renounced his Gaelic roots is under threat from an ever-more inquisitive policeman, and he also is embroiled in another cat-and-mouse game . . . falling in love.
The Angolan Clan (The Blood Diamonds Series)
by Christopher Lowery1974/5: After the Revolution of the Carnations, Portugal is transformed into a communist state. Capitalists are ruthlessly persecuted and the liberated Portuguese colony of Angola is thrust into one of the bloodiest civil wars in history. The fabled Angolan diamond mines are closed down, but not before a group of refugees escape with a hoard of the precious gems. Their lives promise wealth and success, but a legacy of revenge and greed will eventually find them all, with fatal consequences. 2008: A millionaire businessman drowns in the swimming pool of his mansion in Marbella; a wealthy Frenchman is killed while skiing in the Swiss Alps; and a Portuguese playboy and a prostitute are found murdered together in a seedy New York apartment. The series of seemingly unconnected deaths sets two women Jenny Bishop, a young English widow, and Angolan born Leticia da Costa on a terrifying journey into the past to revisit the Portuguese revolution and the Angolan civil war. Together they begin to unlock a 30 year old mystery that promises to change their lives forever if they survive to reveal the truth. THE ANGOLAN CLAN takes the reader on a heart-stopping roller coaster ride, from past to present and back again. It is a deadly intercontinental treasure hunt laced with secrets, deceit and murder. The prize is a fortune in Angolan diamonds... or death at the hands of a pathological killer. The perfect read for fans of Frederick Forsyth, Wilbur Smith, Gerald Seymour and Clive Cussler.
The Angry Dream
by Gil BrewerShe was even lovelier than my memory of her. I watched her as she walked into the room, admiring the smooth movement of her fine legs and the curves under the soft weave of her sweater. She tossed her thick dark hair back and walked over to me. “It’s been a long time, Al.” Her voice still had the husky breathless sound that made my ears burn. I stepped close to her and put my hands on her waist. Her head went back, her eyes shining at me with bitterness and confusion and something else I couldn’t read. I drew her to me and felt the soft impact of her body and kissed her—her throat and then her lips. Her mouth opened and her body abandoned itself to mine, her fingernails digging at my back.
The Angry Dream
by Gil BrewerShe was even lovelier than my memory of her. I watched her as she walked into the room, admiring the smooth movement of her fine legs and the curves under the soft weave of her sweater.She tossed her thick dark hair back and walked over to me."It's been a long time, Al." Her voice still had the husky breathless sound that made my ears burn.I stepped close to her and put my hands on her waist. Her head went back, her eyes shining at me with bitterness and confusion and something else I couldn't read. I drew her to me and felt the soft impact of her body and kissed her--her throat and then her lips. Her mouth opened and her body abandoned itself to mine, her fingernails digging at my back.
The Angry Dream
by Gil BrewerShe was even lovelier than my memory of her. I watched her as she walked into the room, admiring the smooth movement of her fine legs and the curves under the soft weave of her sweater.She tossed her thick dark hair back and walked over to me.“It’s been a long time, Al.” Her voice still had the husky breathless sound that made my ears burn.I stepped close to her and put my hands on her waist. Her head went back, her eyes shining at me with bitterness and confusion and something else I couldn’t read. I drew her to me and felt the soft impact of her body and kissed her—her throat and then her lips. Her mouth opened and her body abandoned itself to mine, her fingernails digging at my back.