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ON THE DRIVE BACK TO THE COTTAGE, REALITY hits. It's over.

I've done everything I can for Gloria. How her legal mess gets resolved is up to her lawyer and the police. As soon as she's strong enough, though, I'll make sure she moves back to the hotel. I wonder if I can sue for breach of promise if she tries to snake her way back into David's affections? One thing for sure, if she tries to renege on that, I'll make her life a living hell.Advertisement

As for my relationship with David, he's mad at me now. He's been mad at me before. We'll work through it.

And Sandra? I wasn't able to help her the way I had hoped. It's a battle she has to fight alone. At least with Tamara gone, the odds are even. I'd go back to fight right along beside her if I thought it would do any good. Sandra was right, though, one of us has to survive. I hope this time, Avery is gone forever and that there are no other supernatural loopholes he can jump through.

That leaves only one thing unresolved. I grab my cell phone and hit Williams' number on speed dial.

He picks up on the second ring. I don't waste time with niceties. "The vineyard my parents inherited, is it legitimate?"

There's a hesitation, then, "Anna. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. I want you to answer my question."

"If you mean would it stand up in court if challenged, yes."

He sounds neither surprised nor relieved to hear my voice. He asks no questions of his own. It's possible he already knows what happened in Avery's house. He seems to know everything else.

"You'd better be right."

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I disconnect and toss the phone onto the seat. The message indicator chimes that there are messages waiting to be picked up. I'll get to them later.

Frey reminded me that as long as my family is here, they could become targets. I may not always be around to protect them.

The decision is made.

As for Williams, there will be time to deal with him later. There's something much more important I need to do first. pqdm.com