“Oh, I’m sure we will be great friends Uncle Billy.”  Kate cooed, glancing at Darlene as she finished taking off her boots.<br/><br/>“But right now I’d really like to change.”<br/><br/>She stood up and Max and Billy both stood at the same time.  Max said that he really should be going.  He and his partner, who was waiting out in the car, still had a long drive back to Virginia.  He shook hands with Billy and Darlene then turned to Kate.  There was a moment of awkward tension between the ex-pro linebacker, slash, FBI agent and the woman he faced until Kate gave him a big grin.  Max grabbed her and gave her a bear hug.  The two exchanged “thanks” and “take cares” and Max said he would check in with them in a few weeks.<br/><br/>Kate and Billy followed him out to the front step and watched as he and his partner got in the car and drove away.  Billy grabbed Kate’s suit cases and headed for her room.  Darlene followed him.  Kate stood in the doorway holding her boots watching Max’s car vanish around the corner.  The sky was overcast.  It looked like it would snow.<br/><br/>Kate stood in the doorway lost in thought.  January…she counted off the months; eight until September…  Eight not six.<br/><br/><em>“Christ.  I don’t know if I can take eight months of this.”  </em>She whispered.<br/><br/>Four months until the beaches opened.  She wondered if Billy would take her to Manchester Beach this summer.  She wondered how Temptress was.  She thought about Jeffery.  Was he really dead?  Had he really planned to sell her?  She frowned, closed the door, turned and leaned her back against it.  She stood there looking at the grey carpeted floor holding her boots in her hand.<br/><br/>Dominos.  That’s what the therapist called them; her thoughts: Dominos.<br/>She felt a headache coming on.<br/>Her meds were in her handbag.<br/>Where was her handbag?<br/>She found it on the counter in the kitchen.<br/>Rummaging through it she found her meds and popped the lid, shook out two and grabbed a glass of water.<br/>She downed the pills.<br/>Dominos.<br/>String Theory.<br/>Chaos.<br/>She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the noise out of her head.<br/>A minute later she let out a deep breath, opened her eyes and looked around.  Eight months.<br/><br/><em>“Eight fucking months.”  </em>She thought.<br/><br/>She caught her breath, shook out her hair and shrugged.<br/><br/>“Eight months?”  She whispered.  “What the fuck.  Might as well make the best of it.”<br/><br/>Picking up her handbag she started down the hall towards her room.<br/><br/>“Hey Uncle Billy?  You think we could go to the mall?  I need to find a book.”  She called out.<br/><br/>*************<br/><br/>Outside a light snow was falling.  A large black sedan with tinted windows flipped on its windshield wipers as it slowly drove up to curb in front of Billy’s house.  It paused a moment like some black beast trying to decide what to do next.  A second or two later it flipped on its headlights and sped off down the street.<br/><br/>Chaos…<br/><br/>