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"Goddarowled "We leave in five"

He storer into the sheath on her belt and went after hiround-level apartment of the rat-infested triple-decker in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood ca Rooster had been suent, unexplained phone call

Nathan casually eyed the dead heroin-dealing pimp who lay sprahere he’d fallen, windpipe crushed five and a half o, after the hu roootten rid of with the help of the revolver stowed under a sofa cushion The butt of the unused Sed between the tattered, plaid-covered foam and a fleece throw that didn’t quitethe filthy upholstery

Nathan assumed the weapon was loaded, not that he cared He’d been trained as a boy to kill a hundred different ith his bare hands And he’d never taken a hit in all this time His record was flawless His ain, two staccato beats "Yo, Billy! You gonna open this damn door or - "

His words dried up in his throat in that next instant, as Nathan had the door open, Rooster yanked inside, and the dead bolts thrown home in the time it would have taken the human to utter another syllable

"What the fuck!" he hollered, falling back onto the sofa where Nathan dropped him His bloodshot eyes ide under the ridiculous pluht hilooaze finally lit on Nathan, standing in the shadows in front of hi way! Billy, what the fuck you doin’ with the Order, man?"

Nathan stared down at him "I need to talk to you, Rooster Tried your place first, but you weren’t hoot no business with you, man Got no business with the fuckin’ Order!" Rooster’s eyes went a bit wider, the whites rolling around in his skull as he glanced around hi for soet He realized that a aze landed on thejust a few feet away "Holy shit! That Billy right there? Naw, I don’t fuckin’ believe this shit! I just talked to hied "Billy ot stupid and now he’s dead"

"Oh, God!" Rooster howled, burying his head in his hands "Shit, manthis is messed up! What the hell do you want from me?"

"Information, to start," Nathan said

He’d done soht hours between Lucan handing him this solo task and the wait till sundohen he could finally hit the streets and start taking care of business Word came back thatabout a civilian abduction, so whoever was responsible was keeping the intel close to their vest But the common denominator when it came to rebel factions and related activity around Boston was the red-co on the sofa in front of Nathan

"Ain’t got no inforuy, man"

Nathan narrowed his look on the hu to sit there and deny you have business dealings of potential interest toflesh-peddlers like this asshole Billy over here, but other associates of yours Ones whoabout a situation that went down a couple days ago over in the Berkshires"

Rooster’s upper lip twitched "What kind of situation?"

"Kidnapping," Nathan replied "Soh profile"

A sharp inhalation as the snitch fidgeted, crossing and uncrossing his arms He was clued in now He had information He would talk Just a matter of time, but unluckily for Rooster, Nathan’s missionalso netted another hostage," he told the man "One of particular interest to the Order and to ust of sour air "I don’t know anything about her, I swear"

"You just told me you do" Nathan’s lethal instincts prickled to full attention, but he re as a born-and-bred killer had made him

He took hold of Rooster’s biceps, sure that the injuries Mira had inflicted with her blades at La Notte a few nights ago still pained the huuish "Take a look at your friend You reot dead?" That red mohaobbled with its owner’s jerky nod "Don’t be stupid, Rooster Tell me where they took Mira and Jereh the groan of agony co out of Rooster’s mouth, Nathan increased the pressure

"I don’t know," the human howled "I don’t fuckin’ know! Last I knew Ackmeyer ith Vince, man You should be lookin’ for him, not me!"

"Vince who?" Nathan demanded

"I don’t know the dude’s last name, just know he runs with Bowman and his crew Or did until today"

"Bowman," Nathan repeated, the first he’d heard of that na rebel circles "Where can I find Bowman?"

"Don’t know Never rimace when Nathan didn’t relent for an instant on his wounded arms "All’s I know is, he heads up a small operation somewhere outside Boston"

Nathan noted the new intel but returned his focus to the rest of Rooster’s stateot Ack?"