"Bastard."

He sauntered across the room, humming the tune from the children's nursery rhyme "The Itsy-Bitsy Spider." He reached the bed, bent and tiptoed his fingers up her thigh in time with the tune. She saw he had his gun tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

His fingers made the juncture of her thighs and stilled-the tune died on his lips. He cocked his head and gazed at her, expression curiously blank. "I'm sorry it's come to this, Avery. I really am."

"Then let me go, you psycho prick."

"Such language. I'm disappointed in you."

He climbed onto the bed and straddled her, placing a hand on either side of her head. The position brought his pelvis into contact with hers. The butt of the gun pressed into her abdomen.

"You betrayed me, Avery. You betrayed us."

"Don't talk to me about betrayal. You killed my father!"

He laughed softly and trailed a finger down the curve of her cheek, then lower, across her collarbone to her breast. "You always were too smart for your own good. Too opinionated."

He bent and kissed her. Lightly at first, then deeply, forcing his tongue into her mouth.

Avery fought the urge to fight and instead lay frozen beneath him. Her lack of response seemed to frustrate him and he broke the contact.

As he did, she spit in his face. He jerked away, face flooding with angry color. Rearing back, he slapped her. Her head snapped to the side; she tasted blood and saw stars.

But she didn't cry out. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"You know what?" He curled his fingers around the neck of the T-shirt Cherry had lent her. "For a smart girl you do some really stupid things."

He yanked the fabric so hard she came off the bed. The T-shirt gave, ripping from neck to belly button, revealing her naked breasts. He covered them with his hands, squeezing tightly. "Like pissing off the guy who holds your life in his hands. And now, your breasts as well."

He tightened his grip, pinching the nipples, twisting. She swallowed the whimper of pain that flew to her lips. He bent forward so that his face hovered just above hers. His stale breath stirred against her cheek.

Avery shuddered. If the eyes were the windows to the soul, he had none.

"You were supposed to be mine. I chose you. Not once, but twice. And you broke my heart. The first time by leaving. The second by giving yourself to my brother."

He laughed. "You look so surprised. How stupid do you think I am? I was suspicious that day at Tiller's Pond. Like a fool, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. After I found you at his place that morning, I knew."

She whimpered, thinking of Hunter. Of what she had gotten him into.

And what she had suspected him of.

Matt's mouth twisted into a thin line. "Did you think of me, Avery? While you fucked my brother? While you betrayed-" He bit the words back, though he shook with a rage so potent the bed quaked with it.

He could kill her now, this moment.

He wanted to.

Avery shrank back against the mattress, losing her grip on her emotions. Fear became terror, rampaging through her.

For the first time, her own death became a stark reality. She pictured it. Matt's hands around her neck, squeezing and squeezing…being unable to fight him except with her frantic thoughts. Her silent screams for help.

Her fear seemed to calm him. He looked pleased. "I like you this way," he said softly, straightening. "Helpless."

He moved his hands over her breasts, his touch changing from punishing to coaxing. He brought his hands to her waist, then curved his fingers around the waistband of her drawstring pants.

"Remember how it used to be between us?" he asked, trailing his fingers across her abdomen, dipping them lower and dragging the fabric down. Revealing her belly button, then abdomen, the top of her panties and pubic mound.

He bent and pressed his face to the vee, breathing deeply, making a sound of pleasure. "When we were together this way?"

Bile rose in her throat. She fought gagging.

"It was so good. Nobody's ever come close to making me feel the way you did. We were meant to be together."

Get smart, Avery. Play along. Give him what he wants.

There was always a chance. Always.

"Yes," she whispered, voice quaking. "I remember."

"How did we come to this?" he whispered. "You left me. Why?"

"I was young. Stupid." She looked up at him in what she hoped he would take as adoration. "I didn't know how strong you were. I didn't see your power."

His mouth thinned in fury. "Don't bullshit me. You left. You fucked my brother. You-"

"I'm not!" she cried, cutting him off, trying another tack, using his own words against him. "I see it now, I understand why I left. I thought you were like…that you were going to be like your dad. I love him but he's not…not strong like you."

Matt stilled. His gaze bored into hers. She pressed on. "You were so brilliant. You sailed through school. Your SAT scores were perfect and yet…you chose to stay in Cypress Springs and go into law enforcement. Like your dad. You see why I thought that, Matt?"

He studied her a moment more, then inclined his head in agreement. "I needed to lead. I had a mission."

"I understand that now."

"Dad's weak. He's been a disappointment."

"Unwilling to do what's necessary," she said, making a guess.

"Exactly." He looked at her as if he was the proud parent, she his gifted child. "Too often, his emotions rule. His heart."

He shook his head sadly. "A leader can't be swayed by emotion. A leader must always keep his focus on the big picture."

"The cause. In this case, the good of the community."

"Yes." Matt searched her gaze. "Dad was the leader of the original Seven. Did you know that?"

She shook her head.

"He proved too weak to lead. He bowed to pressure from others in the group. Mostly your father."

"My dad?" She struggled to inject just the right amount of surprise and disappointment into her tone.

"Oh yeah, your dad. The great Dr. Phillip Chauvin." Dislike dripped from each word. "He threatened to go to the Feds. They had crossed the line, he'd claimed."

Matt leaned closer. "There is no line when it comes to war. Do you understand, Avery? Life and death. Black or white. Win or lose."

"No compromise."

"Exactly." He trailed a finger tenderly over the curve of her cheek. "Some are sacrificed for the good of the many. Individual rights lost…but quality of life maintained."

"My father wouldn't go along with that?"

"A do-gooder pussy. He nearly ruined it for everyone."

She bit down on her lip to keep from defending her father. From cheering him aloud.

"Tonight, did Buddy tell you everything? About that night, about Sallie Waguespack?" He answered his own question. "Of course he didn't. He wouldn't."

Matt laughed. "That night, Hunter and I had fought about that new kid, Mike Horn. Remember him? His dad was the plant manager over at the canning factory."

He didn't wait for her reply but went on. "I didn't like the way Mike was acting, like he owned the place. Like he was going to take my place. I figured we should give him a little lesson in humility, me, Hunter and a couple of the other guys. Hunter refused to back me up. Told me he liked Mike. And that what I wanted to do was wrong."

Mart's face twisted. "He'd been pulling that shit a lot that summer, refusing to go with the program. I called him on that. And on his feelings for you. He wanted to fuck you. I saw that, too. Everybody saw it. I accused him of doing it. We came to blows," he finished simply, "and he left the house. Went over to Karl's."

"Karl Wright's?"

"Yes. I couldn't sleep. I heard the front door. I thought Hunter had changed his mind, come home to apologize."

"But it wasn't Hunter?"