“You feel better now?”

“Yeah, I feel good.” He thought of the cleansing warmth of the fire and the beauty of the flames.

“It’s a long jolt, we get popped for this. We ruined a man’s livelihood. He was running a legal business there.”

“He has insurance, I expect,” said Strange. “The way I look at it, we just saved a bunch of lives.”

Stefanos lit a cigarette. He looked at the white divider lines on the highway, rushing under the car. “I’m sorry about your friend.”

“They found that girl he was looking for,” said Strange, smiling some, thinking of Quinn. “He had written down her location on the back of a flyer. It was sitting there right next to him on the seat.”

Stefanos looked across the bench at Strange. “Not many of us left out here.”

“No.”

“I guess I’m in it for life.”

“I guess I am, too.”

“Seems like a long game, doesn’t it?”

“Long but simple,” said Strange. “Only got one rule.”

“Just one?” said Stefanos.

Strange nodded. “Last man standing wins.”

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Joe Aronstamn, Russell Ewart, Father George Clements, ATF Special Agent John D’Angelo, ATF Special Agent Harold Scott Jr., ATF Division Director Jeffrey Roehm, Sloan Harris, and Alicia Gordon, for their assistance and guidance in the writing of this book. As always, much love to Emily, Nick, Pete, and Rosa, for their patience and support.

About the Author

George P. Pelecanos is a screenwriter, independent film producer, award-winning journalist, and the author of a bestselling series of novels set in and around Washington, D.C., where he lives with his wife and children.