It couldn't be helped. Tony's wife, Yolanda, should not be alone at a time like this. God, don't die on me, Tony! Please . . . The call she'd received from dispatch still resonated in her head, triggering a painful memory from her past. Her partner had been attacked and mortally wounded outside his house. Early reports indicated six armed gunmen were to blame. Although barely conscious, Tony had told fellow officers on the scene that his assailants had been mercenaries. Except for his wife, no other witnesses corroborated his story. Too much of a coincidence that this attack had happened on the same night Blair's killer paid her a visit. Whoever was behind this had flagrantly thumbed his nose at the police—with deadly consequence. On a deeply personal level, she grappled with the jumble of emotions in her mind. For the sake of Yolanda, Raven needed to dig deep for whatever strength lay buried under the despondency bubbling to the surface. Once again, violence had touched her life, jabbing at an unhealed wound.
