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"Inside," I say

The two big guys in long coats see," one of the hilances at ives hi behind us as we head into Taj Mahal

I raiseyour ass kicked," she says

No one questions us as alk across the casino floor and get into the elevator

The raw e I knoouldn’t want loved hand is clutching aze trained above the elevator doors, watching the nuo up and up and up

In the suite there’s a wood-paneled ith a single flat screen, a leather divan, and a bowl of fresh hydrangeas on a low table The place is enormous, cavernous, with massive s open to show the expanse of ink black ocean beyond One of the big guys throws his coat over a chair and lets uns strapped underneath his arot hands

Zacharov pours pale liquid into cut glass and throws it back "You tant a drink?" he says to us "Minibar is full of Cokes"

I get up

"No," he says "I arunts and erator

"Just water," Lila says

"Souy says as he hands over the glasses and the pills "I didn’t hurt you that bad"

"Nope," I say "You didn’t" I chew three aspirins and try to lean back against the pillows in a way that doesn’t o down to the casino," Zacharov tells the guys "Win soain and they head slowly for the door Zacharov looks at me like he wants to askhave you known the location of hter?"

"About three days," I say

Lila narrows her eyes, but I figure there’s no point in hiding that

He pours himself another drink "Why didn’t you call me sooner?"

"Lila just showed up out of nowhere," I say, which is basically true "I thought she was dead I haven’t seen her since ere both fourteen I was just following her lead"

Zacharov takes a sip fro to tell s sli soht she’d taken you away froot fed up with the old--"

"No!" Lila says

He’s still lost in the thought "She practically accusedyou murdered She told the FBI that I said you were better off dead than with her The FBI!"

"I wasn’t with Mo to do with this"

He stops and stares at her "Then what? Did someone do" He leaves the sentence unfinished and turns toward hter?"

I hesitate

"He didn’t do anything to loved hand toup, isn’t it, Cassel?"

"Yes, sir," I say

"I’d hate to see anything go wrong with that If I find out--"

"Leave him alone," says Lila "Listen to me, Dad Just listen for ato find soation I’lad," he says, clearly stricken

I touchI want another aspirin, but I don’t knohere the guy put the bottle

"I’ you for her sake," he says to hter and I need to talk We need to be alone--you understand that, right?"

I nodout at the black water She doesn’t turn

Zacharov takes his wallet from inside his jacket and counts out five hundred dollars "Here," he says

"I can’t take that," I say

"I’d feel better if you did," he says

I stand up and try not to wince while doing it I shakebetter"

He snorts "One of the boys will see you hoo? Really?"

"Don’t kid yourself I can pick you up like a di to Lila, but her back is still toa little party on Wednesday at a place called Koshchey’s A fund-raiser You should come," Zacharov says "Do you knohy I like Koshchey’s?

I shake my head

"Do you knoho Koshchey the Deathless is?"

"No," I say, thinking of the strangeof the restaurant

"In Russian folklore Koshchey is a sorcerer who can become a ind and destroy his ene pin on his chest "He hides away his soul in a duck’s egg so he can’t be killed Don’t cross me, Cassel I am not a safe man to make your enemy"

"I understand," I say, and open the door What I understand is that Lila and I are on our own and we don’t even have a plan

"And, Cassel?"