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finance your big ticket. You d have known what I was if you d stayed in touch over the years, Cody. But
that s you, isn t it? Only ever out for yourself.
 I should put your head through that wall, you bastard. Did you make up the bullshit about your
mother too? Who s this guy? Your contact? The biker turned to Kyle, already reaching for his throat.
Kyle swayed back, only to bump into one of the other men.
 He s just some guy here in the hospital, Cody. Thought I was after his wallet, Daniel said, sounding
bored.  No one you need to worry about.
 Like I m going to believe anything you say. But Cody didn t throttle Kyle where he stood, which
was a moment s relief, at least. Then the fact that he was still surrounded by a bunch of drug dealers who d
just found out they d been infiltrated sank into Kyle s head and relief spirited away. Quickly.
Daniel didn t look like he had any such problem. He just stared Cody in the eye like he didn t care
one way or another. About anything. Kyle would have liked to know how he did that, because right this
second he was caring about everything. A lot.
 Take him or leave him, I don t care. We just can t stay here much longer, one of the guys said,
looking around at the people moving just outside the hall. For now, no one really cared much about the
clump of men talking near the elevators in low voices. In ICU, no one bothered anyone else unless they
were making a scene. No one was even acknowledging them. But that could change at any time and Cody
seemed to know it. He gave Daniel one more glare then turned his back on him and hit the button for
another elevator. Two of the men flanked Daniel and shoved him forward.
Maybe it was still the shock of the situation, but Kyle put a hand on him to hold him back. Daniel
flinched, as if reminded that he had someone next to him who wasn t in the mood to kill him. Or maybe
someone he felt responsible for. That flinch only served to remind Kyle who was really responsible for this
scene: nobody but himself. He d jumped to a conclusion. Now look at them.
 Bring him with us. He knows enough.
 He don t know shit, Cody, leave him. Daniel braced his feet at the doors, making himself a hard
parcel to move.
Cody didn t even acknowledge him with a look.  We bring him with us or cut his throat and stuff him
in a closet. Your pick, Pierson.
Daniel hesitated, then shook his head and let them both get herded into the elevator. Kyle got put next
to him, a sense of surrealism wrapping around him like one of his mother s quilts. His heart thumped and
every sound took on a muted quality, fear slowing everything down to a snail s pace. He watched almost
absently as someone passed the closing doors of the elevators without even looking in. Without caring.
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The whole thing took a total of three minutes. Maybe four. That was it. No one had noticed anything.
No one would remember them all leaving together. Other than the doctor and Dory, no one even knew
they d been there.
 We re gonna die, aren t we? he asked, realization seeping slowly through the cottony fog.
 Yup, Daniel replied without emotion.
 Yeah, Kyle sighed, becoming strangely detached from even his mounting terror of being back in a
barely moving elevator with a clear knowledge of his own upcoming demise. He could feel that, couldn t
help but notice it in the press of angry men all around him. He just didn t feel it like he normally would.
Weren t people supposed to run when they confronted the fact that their lives were about to end? Think up
some noble way to go? Or even fall to their knees sobbing and begging or something?
Instead, in the quiet was that really Muzak playing his death knell? he d gone numb. His brain
raced like the whirring of an overtaxed computer, but nothing seemed to be clearly thought.  Just
checking.
One of the men shifted, jabbing an elbow into his side hard enough to shift a rib, probably to tell him
to shut up. It sounded like a good idea but all of a sudden he had so much to say.
He wanted to call Lucas; tell him to stop pretending he wasn t in love with Belinda. Stop taking no for
answer or at least ask her the damn question. He wanted to tell his parents to take that Hawaiian cruise they
kept putting off until next year when the market was better.
But most of all, he wanted to tell Jessica he loved her and that he knew she loved him too. Tell her
that he d wait until she was ready to say it, wait until she was ready for his dog and his house and his yard.
Tell her he d give them all up forever if she gave him a chance to be part of her life. He had so much to say
and no one to say it to but Daniel and the four thugs preparing to kill him.
 Sorry about pushing you, he said softly, knowing it was a lame start and even lamer last sentiments.
Daniel remained silent.
 And& you know& blowing your cover. He looked around briefly at the dirty men, rough haircuts
and various tattoos on bare shoulders or arms. A deep breath pulled in the scent of dust and sweat, among
other things he didn t want to identify.  Really sorry about that part.
 S right, Daniel mumbled. What was he supposed to say? That he d be holding a grudge?
The apology didn t make Kyle feel any better, but at least it had been accepted.  Thanks.
 Shut up, Cody barked.
Kyle clamped his mouth closed. The elevator doors opened and they walked as one big block through
the hall. Cody led the way, not through the main lobby but through a side door to the underground parking.
There they made their way to a plain white van. Sliding the door open, revealing a stripped cargo bay with
some blankets for seating, they pushed him and Daniel inside. Two of them climbed in next to them and
slammed the door shut.
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A few rough seconds later they were being searched and both Daniel s gun and Kyle s cell phone
were taken, but Kyle didn t care. All he could do was stare at the closed doors of the van and watch the
curved walls lean in. After all these years, he was still going to die compressed into an impossible position
in a goddamned car. If he could control the tightening in his throat, he d laugh at the irony.
 Uh Daniel?
He heard a grunt.
 Would now be a bad time to mention I m claustrophobic?
Kyle heard the sadistic chuckles from the others until Daniel asked,  You gonna throw up?
Oddly enough, that almost made Kyle smile.  No, probably not.
 Then no, now s good.
Cody got behind the wheel and started the loud engine while the men in the back tied their hands and
feet in front of them.
 Where are they taking us? Kyle asked a few uneventful minutes later, his bound hands resting on
his knees. It wasn t so bad, really. Better than having them behind his back, especially with just a blanket
on the corrugated metal floor for cushion.
 Death Valley, Daniel answered, blasé, leaning his head back against the wall of the van as if he
were going to take a nap.  Emmanuel Santos is meeting us there with a boatload of heroin. Literally. We re
late, so they don t have time to kill us on the way.
 That s good news, right?
 Not really. When Santos finds out he s been dealing with DEA for the last year, odds are he ll
disembowel us instead of just shooting us.
Kyle swallowed. He looked at the other guys, one of whom nodded.
 Sounds&  Okay, disemboweling was hard to joke about.
 You re taking this pretty good, Kyle. I expected something with less dignity from you by now.
So had Kyle.  Yeah, well, you haven t seen my shorts.
Daniel gave a lazy grin.  You should get some sleep if you can. It ll be a few hours. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]