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"That’s … kind of horrible"

"It’s a reasonable reaction," McCallister said, very quietly "The coffin was already occupied He was trapped in there with a body, in the dark, dying alone for two hours It’s a miracle he’s sane at all"

Manny had stormed off into some private sanctum hat looked like a panic room door Pansy came back instead She opened the door and looked in at theht that on?"

"He thinks Pharmadene will trace us here"

"Does he have a point? Don’t bullshit ht soain Not even for you" Pansy, Bryn realized, entle and practical, but she had a core of steel that even McCallister ht envy "I will toss your ass out to the wolves before I let hio down I’ve worked hard on this relationship"

"I know," McCallister said, and put all the warmth and conviction he could into the words "I swear to you I will protect hih me, or Bryn"

She stared at him with such intensity that even Bryn felt the burn, and then slowly nodded "All right I’ll talk hi happens, swear to God, I will go nuclear-option on you, McCallister Heit" She swung the door all the way open "Go He won’t come out until you leave, and I can’t make him see reason until he’s cal the inhibitor for her It’s iet it" Pansythat’s happened to you I e could help you , at least Manny’s good at this Very good But he’s fragile, you understand? And this Phar--it’s bad You know that"

"I do I woke up dead I understand … a little of how that feels"

"Yes Yes, I think you do I’ll do what I can for you, I promise"

That was the end of it Bryn retrieved Mr French fro in the corner of a very eotiated the spy-quality security and were driving out into the sunlight Mr French wiggled into the front seat, onto Bryn’s lap, and gave a pointed whine as he put a paw on the door

"Oh--ah, we need to stop somewhere," she said "Ti, very inside himself, but that startled him into an even deeper frown He said, "Do you trust me?"

"I hate it when you askI won’t like"

"Bryn"

"It depends"

"That’s … not what I was hoping for"

"Look, could you please just stop the car?"

"Not yet We have an alibi to establish"

"Which is …?"

"You’re not going to like it"

It took fifteen minutes for him to finish his drive and arrive at the destination, and he was entirely right: she didn’t like it

"Seriously," she said, as he parked

"Take Mr French for a walk I’ll check us in"

Bryn opened the door, and Mr French hopped down and ran, loose skin flapping, for the srass at the rear of the parking lot "Wait!" she called, and hurried after hi"

Well, it wasn’t exactly his fault; he clearly had needs So did she, as afrom one foot to the other re forward to exploring the bathroom facilities of the Hallmark Motor Court Inn, which looked like it had last seen any kind of upgrade in the 1970s It was faded pink stucco, flat roofed, built in an L shape around a parking lot and a fenced-off, trash-filled dry pool that insurance issues had probably long ago rendered useless There were six cars in the parking lot, mostly beaters, and it didn’t look like a place anyone stayed for more than a couple of hours unless they were seriously down on their luck

She was starting to get a sense of what McCallister’s alibi would be, and no, she didn’t like it at all

When she blinked, she had an i trapped in a coffin, like Manny Glick that each one was one closer to the end That would happen to her, too, when shewould it take for the invisible littleto slow, drift, shut down? How long would it take for the toxins to build up and poison her? God, how long would she be able to feel it?