Joshua said, watching Beth’s face. “You didn’t tell her you thought you saw someone in your house just before the explosion.”She shrugged. “I don’t trust the government.”“Frankie’s not government. She’s a cop. You don’t trust cops, either?”She shrugged. “Cop, ATF, they’re all variations on the same theme, right? All working for the same system.”“Frankie was Maude’s friend. You know that, so I don’t follow.”She shook her head. “You don’t need to. All you need to know is that I’m poison, Josh. You and Bryan should stay as far away from me as you can possibly get.”He frowned. “We’re not going anywhere.”“Bryan’s in danger just by standing too close to me.”“In danger from what?”She shook her head. “You don’t need to know that.” Then she lifted her eyes slowly. “I’m sorry, Josh.” She got to her feet, and went up the stairs, knowing that in the morning, she needed to think about getting the hell out of here. Hell, it was already morning.
