贝克西花了几个月的时间，努力打造一个与雷蒙多——这位权势滔天却又岌岌可危的政客——截然不同的生活。她改了名字，在城里的货运公司找了份工作，街上没有保镖，也没人会查她给谁发短信。托尼是她新生活的一部分，但她并不想继续和他在一起。他太油滑，对她下班后的去向太过关心，而她已经决定今晚的约会只是为了结束这一切。

她在他们约定的地点等着。托尼没有来。来的是一个女人。

克莱门汀在几步远的地方停了下来，上下打量着她，却没有打招呼，目光从她的头发到脸，再到鞋子，仿佛在确认一张早已存在的照片。贝克西问她是谁。克莱门汀回答说她只是想好好看看，然后就给托尼打电话。

托尼很快到了。贝克西还没说完，他就用手捂住了她的嘴。她含糊不清地抗议着，让他放开。他让她安静地走开。克莱门汀走到她身后。在他们两人的引导下，她离开了约定的地点，走向附近停着的一辆车。

在车旁，他们停了下来。Bexxii has spent months building a life that does not belong to Raimondo, a powerful but threatened politician. New name, shipping-office job in the city, no bodyguards on the sidewalk, no one checking who she texts. Tony is part of that new life, and not a part she wants to keep. He is too smooth, too interested in where she goes after work, and she has already decided the date tonight is only there so she can end it.

She waits at the spot they agreed. Tony does not come. A woman does.

Clementine stops a few steps away and looks her over without greeting her, eyes moving from hair to face to shoes as if she is checking a picture she already has. Bexxii asks who she is. Clementine answers that she only needed a good look and then calls Tony.

Tony arrives fast. His hand covers Bexxii mouth before the sentence finishes. She protests into his palm, muffled, telling him to let go. He tells her to stay quiet and walk. Clementine moves in on the other side. Between them she is steered off the meeting spot and toward a car parked close by.

At the car they sto