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Mercer shrugged "I would have killed her for you, but I believe in es And you’re an expert at this, aren’t you, Patrick? Isn’t that what you did in the bad old lanced at Bryn, a fast and apologetic brush of gazes, and then checked the clock "He’s right about the o I have to do this Take care of Annie"

Every instinct in her rebelled against that, against sending hi left here, with the not quite dead Freddy and the not very sane Jonathan Mercer But Annie couldn’t be on her own She needed help, shots, and above all, she needed safety "Take Joe," she told McCallister "Don’t go alone"

He nodded, eyes locked on hers Then he turned to Mercer and said, "If anything happens to either one of these women, I’ll find a way to keep you alive while I cut you apart Understood?"

"Sure," Mercer said "Why would I kill my own elance at Bryn, and he was gone

Bryn pulled the blanket closer around Annalie’s shoulders "I’ her out of here," she said

"Well, it’s time ere about our own business, too," Mercer said "I suppose I’ll have to clean up Freddy’s brains; I hate to leave a ; I need to put it over his head to keep hi Oh, relax, Freddy; I’ll tear an airhole for you"

Bryn turned to get the bag

She never saw Mercer’s blow co, and never kne he hit her, or ith, except that it had to be with soht have been Annalie’s choked screaure out as happening, and hy in God’s naht she was unconscious, Bryn realized She should have been, but she guessed she had a harder head than he’d expected Her body wasn’t quite within her control just yet, but she could hear as he pressed buttons on a phone and said, "Irene Harte, please Yes, I’ll hold… Ah, Irene, nice to hear your voice Patrick McCallister will be at the Civic Theatre in about twenty hnuts I believe he’s going to try to take out your advance crew, and then get you for good et what you want, and you leave me strictly alone Bye-bye, Irene"

"You lied," Annalie said shakily "You’re working with her"

"I’m a businessman, and Irene has no real use for me now; it’s just as easy for her to pay me as kill me She can always try to kill me later McCallister, on the other hand-- he’sto trade my life for his And frankly, Annie, irl and hit your sister with this pan, very hard, on the back of the head, and I proain"

"I can’t," Annie sobbed "I can’t Bryn--"

"You will if you want to live," Mercer said "I’ll count to ten One, two, three, four … Oh, all right, I suppose blood really is thicker than water Don’t cry, Annie; listen toThe silence, in contrast, was eerie Get up, Bryn thought gried to push herself over on her side Paralyzed nerves were starting to wake up and screa eyes vacant as a doll’s

"Now," he said "Take this pan, and hit your sister in the head with it, as hard as you can, until she’s notanymore"

"Annie--" Bryn whispered

Annalie didn’t hesitate She took the pan, braced herself, and swung the skillet with brutal force

It took three hits to crush Bryn’s skull

The last thing Bryn heard, a faint and echoing whisper as she fell into darkness, was Mercer saying, "That’s , and for athat awful birth screalass…

And then she realized that she was hearing it full-strength, somewhere a few feet away

Bryn blinked and rolled over The agony in her head was like spikes of steel driven deep, and she thought, That is bone digging into my brain No, it couldn’t be The back of her skull felt soft, but not shattered

Busy little nanites She knew it had been s on a blood-smeared kitchen floor, all alone, and there was a wo in the doorway, shrieking like a banshee

Get up, she told herself You have to get up

Sheherself to her knees, then up to her feet The wo and ran Next stop, 911 Ti out