in the air.

It's two days later when he gets the call. Tommy is sitting in his lap and they are watching The Maltese Falcon when the phone rings. He picks it up, turns the volume down. "Hello?"

"Nick, you need to get down to Summerview Regional right away," Kate says, not waiting for him to speak. "That bastard put Annie in the hospital."

They make it there in record time, and Kate is waiting for them in the lobby. She's never seen Aden at his worst, but when he walks in, his face is cold, alien. She walks to him, then has to back-pedal as he walks right past her toward the elevator. "Where is she?" he demands.

"403, intensive care." Kate has been crying. "She's just come out of surgery. They don't know- well, Nick, they don't know if she'll wake up."

Aden jerks as if he's been stung by a bee. He doesn't speak the whole way up, and Kate and Tommy just stand there in shock. They roll out of the elevator and walk toward the IC unit. A nurse at the front desk looks up and opens her mouth to speak but Aden doesn't stop, just walks right past her and into the room. "Sir, you can't go in there," the nurse calls, jumping out from behind the desk and moving toward him. When Aden turns and looks at her, she freezes. His eyes are murderous. He turns his back on her and steps inside, pushing back a curtain to look at Anne's broken body.

They worked her over well. Her face is bloodied and broken, her forehead wrapped, hair shaved off, an ugly fresh surgery scar on her temple. Her head is in a traction collar, pins and braces in her arms and legs. The sheet covering her has bloodstains from other injuries hidden from sight.

"Hello, Nickolas," says a quiet voice from the darkened corner of the room. It sends unpleasant chills down his spine, and he turns to look, knowing in advance who it is.

"Hello, Max," he says, keeping his voice neutral. The figure in the corner is androgynous, feminine without being female, tough and self-possessed. Black hair cropped very short, almost into a crewcut. A severe gray business suit, and those ragged tennis shoes Max is always wearing. "Kate didn't tell me you were in town."

"I asked her not to," Max says, brushing a speck of lint off the suit shoulder. "I thought it might improve my chances of speaking to you again."

"Still a cop, then?" He scans Max. No gun, no badge. Unofficially here?

"Homicide detective," Max answers, eyes narrowing. "Still a paid assassin?"

Tommy flinches at that, and Kate places her hand on Tommy's shoulder, calming her down. Aden shrugs. "We use the term government contractor, and I'm mostly retired."

"Hmm." Tommy can see Max is a smaller, severe version of Kate, somehow able to project menace without actually doing anything overt. Max looks over to Kate, frowning, disapproving. "I've told my sister before she needs to stay away from you, whatever name she's using at the time. Why she has a thing for sociopaths, I don't know."

"Maybe because she grew up with one," Aden growls.

"Stop it, you two," Kate says, almost yelling. "Right now, my friend is sitting in a hospital bed after some asshole beat her up, so I really don't give a shit about your unrequited lusts." The look on Max's face makes it clear lust has nothing to do with it.

Aden turns back to the body in the bed. "Nicki," Tommy says, touching his arm. He doesn't move, just stands there scanning the body. He sees she's at least breathing on her own, no respirator. He looks up to the machines beside her bed, then reaches down and picks up the clipboard showing the doctors' instructions. Severe blunt **** trauma and brain injury, recovery likely, he reads. Some distant part of him can hear the nurse out front calling for security.

He looks back toward Max. "This is my fault. I was supposed to back these guys off her. She tied my hands."

"Color me surprised," Max murmurs, tapping a pen on a small pad.

"Max," Kate breaks in, a warning tone in her voice. "If you aren't helping, then stop interfering."

"I'm doing my job, sister dearest." Max looks at them all for a few seconds, clinical. "She's going to live, and, depending on the quality of the surgeon, she may even get her full function back. So, since this is your fault, tell me who did it."

"An asshole named Richard Benning." Aden's dimly aware of voices in the hallway, but he keeps his attention on the detective. "He works at Gorman Construction, as a purchasing agent. When I last saw him, he implied he had dangerous friends. I thought he'd come at me."

"Gorman." Max winces, then sighs. "You really know how to pick your battles." It's obvious Max knows more, but at that point, the door swings open and Bailey enters, her face concerned. She goes right to Tommy and hugs her, then Kate. She sees the look on Aden's face.

"She's going to be all right," Bailey assures him. "She's got the best surgeon in the hospital, I made sure."

A second figure enters the room, a tall dark-haired doctor with a cheerful smile and a commanding manner. "I appreciate the vote of confidence, Nurse." The newcomer holds her hand out, shaking Kate's hand. "Doctor Sarah Miller. You're the family, I take it?"

"A much as she has in the area," Kate sighs. "Thank you so much, Doctor."

"It looks a lot worse than it is," the Doctor says. As she begins discussing Anne's status, Aden sees Max stand up and quietly move out into the hall, motioning for him to follow. As he turns to follow, Tommy looks at him, worried; he smiles as much as he can, then steps out into the hall.

Max walks down to the waiting room, checking to make sure it's empty. "What do you want, Max?" Aden grunts as he enters behind the detective.

"Gorman is connected to the O'Neills, who are connected to the Patriarca mob out of Philly." Max flips open the notepad. "The victim was bale to get a good look at the assailants. They broke into her home, beat her badly. They didn't want to kill her. The perps are Joey Langen and Anthony Speranza, also known as 'Tony Straps.'"

"If you know who they are, why are you here?"

"This city's police **** is even more corrupt than the last place I worked." Max is looking at the notepad, a slight tone of frustration creeping in. "The O'Neills are off-limits. They're juiced into the local legislature, big payoffs all the way up to and including the Chief of Police. The Mayor's been trying to crack down on dirty cops, even brought in the FBI."

"No luck," Aden grunts. It's not a question. He's seen this exact situation before.

"No luck," Max agrees. "How did you get involved?"

"Kate asked me to help. The ex-husband is a total sadistic bastard."

"Like our father?" Max asks, voice finally betraying some emotion.

"Like your father." Aden scowls. "Second time he's put her in intensive care, Max."

"The third would tend to be the last," Max sighs. They both look at each other, neither one saying it, but both knowing they are about to take justice into their own hands again.

Max makes the approach. "286 South Park Street, down in the Boneyard. Langen and Speranza will be there, could be up to four others. It's their poker night. The agent in the FBI listening post is six weeks from retirement. He likes to log in, turn on the recorders, and then he walks down the street to the local coffee shop for a snack and a few Irish coffees. His response time would be about six minutes."

Aden nods. "That's enough. The man who arranged this is mine, too."

Max nods back. "No argument. Here's the key to my trunk. You'll find my gear inside, should be everything you need. Get rid of it when you're done. I'll tell your friends you're busy tonight."

Aden nods again, the dance completed. "You know, Max, you would have made an excellent government contractor."

"I have too much in the way of morals," Max says, and walks back toward the room. Aden takes a deep breath, and then walks past the arriving security guards and into the elevator.