DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS

e of softness, idealism, and compassion out of

Great Santini for the first time-Robert Duvall bouncing the b

ed in a fiery plane crash, the competition had not e

joined that of his first wife's father-a mistake it h

t A.J. had not offered him a job after he was cut loose. Rather than join a lesser fir

had turned out

equent years, he had often faced lawyers from his fath

s licking his old man. But this year, he'd been telling himsel

my nipples?"

rt. He reached down and absently pinched her. She moaned, then

s showed beneath the blond color job. Every solita

Wha...?" she gurgl

h almost maternal encouragement. "Ye

red her h

aid

sengage from her mouth, but Janice would not b

hiked up her skirt and sat down on him. He didn't help her,

muscular thighs as she worked up and down. Janice's

ook his eyes off the wet tangle where he disappeared

the image in his mind: now he was doing Special Agent Alex in a very pai

groaned. "N

ykon suddenly

nic in her voice. "Keep it up, baby.

eyes and gripped the b

ht boobs back to their pre-maternal state, no matter what the surgeons promised. Alex Morse had no chi

ream drew out to a long moan as she broke through and peaked, gritting her t

after all; he shut his eyes and forced t

him, still panting from her exertions. She obviously consid

ou you co

he might need to take half a Viagra on t

Janice, pointing at

s off the floor and work

viously s

orse again, the

think sh

irlish voice. "No,"

t about her while you wer

Janice." She gave h

to be jealous of

y n

's d

smiled with

oes back to her desk, Rusk walked over to a credenz

five years, but he'd

l, then laid them on a table by the northeast window of his of

these he taped the foil to the eastward-facing window, shiny side out. In sunlight, the squares would be

ld bring about a meeting that Rusk dreaded like no other in his life, one that would require al

ad carried out a ritua

ur-foot-tall shortstop. The shortstop scooped up the ball and hummed it to the first baseman, Chris's adopte

hrow at his chest, Mike! He's we

Ben's eyes glowed with pride, but he maintained as

is daydreaming right fielder. The kid woke up just in time to dart out of the ball's

ow. Two minutes ago, Thora's silver Mercedes had pulled onto

w rarely Thora came to practice anymore. Last year, she had been one of the team's biggest supporters, always bringing the watercooler or e

had picked Ben up from home right after his office closed. Thora had been out running, of cours

He'd avoided talking to Thora because he needed time to process what Agent Morse ha

tly Zen meditation, but he could steal a little time to work throug

t the supposed murders, for example. Had th

forensic evidence to back u

erer. And yet...if he was completely honest with himself, he couldn't deny that in the past few hour

ed that they wanted to start having children of their own as soon as they

would be, and the better they would know their adopted brother. Bu

that she'd been wondering whether they should move so quickly. Chris had tried to hide his disappointment, but it obviously showed through, b

od, but the frequency

pill. Before long, Chris felt lucky if they made love once a week. After the three months passed, they

proved that she could bear children. Chris never responded verbally to these hints, but he had gotten himself "checked o

er parents were sitting on blankets or lawn chairs on the

r's wife. Last year, Chris couldn't have imagined Thora remaining aloof like this. She would have

making a big dea

itting in her car,