The Equalisers: A Soldier's Oath. Debra Webb

before then… if he wasn’t already.

      She had to do something.

      If she’d asked to use the telephone in the home of the woman who had helped her escape the gallery the call might have led the authorities back to her and her friends. No way could she have done that. Acts of defiance were not tolerated, especially those carried out by women.

      But she had to do something.

      There had to be a way for her to do this.

      If she didn’t figure out something fast it would be too late.

      Willow closed her eyes and fought the defeat sucking at her. She wanted so badly to get her baby back. To escape the reach of her devil of an ex-husband.

      Right now it felt exactly as if she had failed already. Failed her child and herself.

      Maybe it was already too late and she’d been too blind to see it.

      Davenport could have been right, and she’d refused to accept it.

      What if she was looking for a miracle?

      And what if she wasn’t going to find it?

       Chicago

       Friday, February 25, 8:15 a.m.

      “CONNIE, have you heard anything from Anders?” Jim hesitated in front of his receptionist’s desk. “He was supposed to call with an update last night.”

      Connie looked up over the rim of her coffee mug. “Technically, I don’t start to work until eight-thirty, but the answer to your question is no.”

      She promptly returned her attention to the newspaper.

      Jim wondered if she thought her prickly attitude would keep the world around her at a distance. The MO was classic. Don’t let anyone close and you won’t lose your focus and you damned sure won’t get hurt, betrayed or otherwise screwed.

      There was a thing or two he could tell the lady about keeping the world at a distance, but that would have to wait. At the moment he had bigger problems to deal with, like where the hell his associate was and just how much trouble he might be in.