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“Anyone see you?”

“Jesus, Vic, you think I’m that stupid?”

Vic Wingate’s voice tightened a notch “Did anyone see you?”

“No, okay? No one saw me ”

“You’re sure?”

Polk alht himself A half beat later he said, “I’m sure ”

“Then open the door We’re here ”

The hallas still dark and empty He’d already disabled the alarms and the video cameras, permanently this time per Vic’s instructions He pocketed his cell and fished for his keys, his fingers shaking badly His nerves were shot and getting worse every ti like this There was no letup, always so the noose around his neck The McDonald’s fish in his sto

He turned the key, but before Polk could push it open the door hipped out of his hand and Karl Ruger shouldered his way in, pausing just enough to give Polk a slow, hungry up and down He sed teeth that ith spit The greasy slush in Polk’s belly gave another sickening lurch Vic was bad enough, but looking into Ruger’s eyes was like looking into a dark well that was drilled all the way down to Hell He fell back a step, sta useless, and twitched an arue door halfway down the hall

Ruger’s mouth twitched “Yeah,” he whispered, “I know the way ”

Polk flattened back against the wall, not wanting to even let Ruger’s shadow touch hie kids in Pinelands Scarecroeatshirts—their faces as white as Ruger’s, theirwhite teeth Vic was the last to enter and he pulled the door shut behind hi the three of them pad noiselessly down the hall

“Yo!” Vic called softly and the college kids turned “Quick and dirty Mess the place up, paint sooofy frat-boy shit on the wall, break some stuff, and then haul Boyd’s sorry ass out of here ” He looked at his watch “Five one ”

The college kids grinned at hiue door and vanished inside Ruger lingered in the doorway

Vic said to him, “They can handle it, Sport You don’t need to bother ”

Even froer’s thin smile, and he felt Vic stiffen next to hiht, Vic’s afraid of him, too