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"We hope you’ll accept our apologies and lack of professionalis "Fine You’re forgiven"

"Good Now let’s eat We have a long night ahead of us"

We ate We chatted And when the meal was done, we stopped in the hotel lobby to h-Durha between patients in the hospital, using the healing ic and skill of her race, and this was h the doors, imperious And totally unexpected She was a plain wo a denim dress with a frilly shirt underneath She was horandmotherly She was as unlike the other Mercy Blade I hadto do with reeted the B-twins by na her nose at my proffered hand, she pulled her skirts aside and went to the elevator "Well, that was lovely," I said, hed "Gertruda thinks wo skirts and no adornuns It isn’t ladylike Don’t worry about her"

"We like you just the way you are"

"She thinks I’ed, still aoire’s suite The ht, and Derek was already set up and waiting in the central seating area e entered He looked at s to discuss, but I kneould be later, not when the package--his word for Grégoire--was at risk The current phase of an ongoing job ca oire’s suiteand three times as sumptuous We checked the place the small crowd of protestors and the front door; two in the lobby where they could see the door, elevators, stairs, restaurant, and front desk; Wrassler was in the hall outside the suite At ten to oire left his bedroouid, and so beautiful he would otten friendly Grégoire was dressed down tonight, in pants and vest the color of port wine and a white silk shirt He sat on the couch and crossed his legs Okay, I got it The formal parts of the parley were over Now they were into the brass-tacks part

The twins took position at theand door where they wouldn’t hit each other with crossfire, but unless they were good shots, they h the door I tapped my mike and told him to reposition

Minutes passed At twelve thirty, Lincoln Shaddock was half an hour late, a pretty dang big insult to Leo’s representative unless there was a bigger probleave a minuscule head jerk, excused myself and stepped into the hallway, Derek onand traffic update?"

"That’d be el Tit, a nicknaht Until recently, I hadn’t been trusted enough to be given the guys’ real naround checks, so I knew them all now But the monikers we’d used in the past had stuck with us "No probles Traffic is clear The rain has er"

Rain? Right It had been raining thiswhen I left the Sassy Sisters The hurricane had arrived in all its wet glory, another indication that New Orleans and its probleh contacts for Adelaide’s nu computer homework When she answered, I said, "Where’s your boss?"

"With yours, I would hope"

"He’s a no-show" A shocked silence settled between us, sharp and electric

"I’ll make some calls" She clicked off

I looked at Derek and Wrassler "Any chance the wolves attacked hi’s possible," Wrassler said "But that one’s not likely to have caused Shaddock anything but a mild discomfort Not a half hour" Before I could continue a list of possible attackers, he said, "The protestors are all accounted for" At ot trackers on the vehicles and they’re all at hoel"

I nodded Ten long minutes later,good"