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I reached insidethe phone a little, but not so rasped the hard plastic handle of the one-shot I’d packed earlier I said a silent prayer upward, hoping that ht, that there is a God up there who listens to those in need I pulled the little squirt gun fro

I leaned toward the two of them, but Bruno pulled his brother back, out of my reach

"Let me see his neck, Bruno I need towith her partner"

Bruno stared back at me, his eyes nearly as blank as Matteo’s had been earlier Shock He was in shock Shit, shit, shit! "Bruno! I need you, buddy Stay with ot to check Matteo’s neck"

Bruno nodded, but the motion was jerky, and the hands he used to pull off the clerical collar and unbutton his brother’s shirt were shaking so badly it took longer than it should But he got it done, and with the shirt collar open we could see the delicate half-healed punctures

"Oh fuck Matty!" Bruno’s words weren’t quite a sob

"Hold hi to hurt and he’s liable to fight"

Bruno shifted his weight, getting a better grip When he was ready, I upended the little gun, pouring holy water over the tiny bite an to screaone The ambulance had taken Matty and Bruno to St Joseph’s Hospital--holy ground Matty was badly hurt, but we’d done the best we could for hi, sitting on the slight curb next to the newspaper dispenser ina strawberry diet shake and reading ablack li se suited er versions of Dee and Duuard formation on either side of the rear door of the vehicle The one on my left bent and opened the door for theDahlnized hi about hiht and build He was handsoray eyes His silver hair and beard were perfectly triray suit i even one extra pound

"Good lanced at , Your Majesty" I bent ever so slightly at the waist, using the opportunity to check his reflection in the tinted s It was hi it was him It was too weird for the ruler of a small nation to huntlot of a twenty-four-hour phar that hokey Too unbelievable

"I would speak with you for a moment"

"Of course you would The question is whether I would speak with you"

He gave htly with a his hand to brush off the curb next to where I’d been sitting and lowering himself comfortably onto the concrete His retainers were too well trained to show their shock by estured to the spot I’d vacated on his arrival "I’d offer to have you jointo"

I sat "You’d be right I’d get blood all over the upholstery You wouldn’t get back the deposit"

"They don’t ive deposits But I’d hate to ruin the fabric" This tienuine He had a nice sray eyes sparkle The change in expression changed his entire look,he’d been quite the heartbreaker in his youth Maybe he still was

The sestured to the azine beside me, with his son’s picture on the cover "You’ve read the article?"

I nodded

"My elder son, Rezza, has quite recently rediscovered his religion He has turned away fro Whether it is sincere or a ploy to gain the support of the funda influence in my country remains to be seen" He continued, "There are those ould seethey could control hi" I was surprised Dahl the circumstances, who else did he really have to talk to except a commoner from another country whom nobody would believe even if she told soment, not the happy expression I’d seen earlier "It is They’d be wrong about controlling hih He is his own man Not the ht, trying toconcrete before he continued "My younger son, Kristoff, is …" He paused, seeht word He finally settled on one I wouldn’t have expected "Weak He is weak And there are those ould discredit my elder son so as to see him on my throne in my stead"

That explained the pictures "They think they could control him"