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Felix led the way up some back stairs to a se pictureof one-way glass overlooking the bar Felix sat down at his desk with his back to that , chain-s with stony silence as Jack spoke the tale of Vampire Inc

His only discernible reactions came from his face, already thin, which seeauntness, and fro, which beca hi intensity - Annabelle could not pin down her feelings She recognized Felix easily froh lines were there from the happy drunk who climbed Mexican trees

And so was the helpless acuity of a un down four friends and a stranger at a kitchen table for a principle

Eerie, she thought I don’t knohether to run screaht or pull hi else bothered her His few looks away from Jack were at Davette Everyone else he had dislance But his face, that rock face, kept co journalist His face did soften, Annabelle thought, when he did this But dah

When Jack had finished, all were quiet for several seconds Then Felix reached forward and stubbed out his last cigarette He spoke in a harsh, rasping, bitter voice:

"Get out"

"Take your band of lanced briefly, painfully, at Davette - "your siren and any other reasons you’ve got to get et the fuck out!"

Team Crow, save for Jack, sat in collective stunned silence It was absolutely the very last reaction they had expected

No one had ever turned them down before

Carl Joplin opened his mouth to speak, to protest, but Felix stood up quickly, cutting him off

"Now!" he thundered

They left Without anyone saying a word, they left, Felix by then standing in the center of the roo ferociously at them as they went

Save for their lihtly on the glass and the dozing driver scraet in They just stood there looking at the night

"Well," offered Carl at last, "he was pretty weird for us anyway"

Jack looked at hiain "The man is ours!"

All eyed hi, O Great Leader," said Carl "But wasn’t that a ’no’ he gave us?"

"I’ll correct you," added Cat He turned to Jack "It was, in fact, about the firoddamn ’no’ I’ve ever heard"

The other three, Annabelle, Davette, Adaain

"He’s ours, I tell you You knohat he’ll do? Next tiain?" asked Annabelle

"You think that’s wise?" added Davette

Jack grinned "Got to He doesn’t kno to reach us Anyway, next tieous Money, probably A hundred grand or the like" He nodded to the driver alked around and got behind the wheel He waved the others into the car "I’ll agree, we’ll shake hands, and then he’s in C’mon"

They obeyed Reluctantly, suspiciously When they had all gotten situated, Cat finally spoke up for the rest

"Bwana? Are you sure we’re all talking about the same dude?"

Everyone smiled

"How," Annabelle wanted to know, "can you be so sure, dear? I mean about the ht?"

He s we’d all go away When it doesn’t work - which he knows daher on ive in to hiht about that for a second

Finally, Cat asked, "Are you sure we’re talking about the sa, old buddy," replied Jack before anyone else could speak "More than you, more than hed "Poor bastard" He looked at the driver "Hit it"