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There is a burning intensity in Anton’s face, belied by his half sainst the bar If he wants to lead the fauys like Grandad He can’t afford to be shown up by an oldto prove, and he’s happy to use me to prove it
"Take the drink," Anton says
"He’s underage," says Grandad
That h I throw back the vodka in a single s Warh Everyone laughs harder
"It’s like everything," one of the guys says "The first one’s the worst"
Anton pours ," he says "The second one’s the worst because you knohat’s co"
"Go ahead," Grandad says to "
I look up at the clock Ten twenty
The second shot burns all the way down
One of the guys claps randfather "Let the kid stay We’ll take good care of hi my name into a reprimand "You don’t want to be tired for that fancy school of yours"
"I came with Barron," I say I reach across the bar and pourwith oes down my throat like water I step away from the bar and make myself stumble a little I feel heady with confidence I’m Cassel Sharpe My mouth wants to shape the words I’
"You okay?" Anton asks, looking at ure if I’m drunk His plans depend on me I look as blank as possible and hope that it freaks hi the only ainst the tide of people "He’ll sleep it off in the car"
"Let ht back"
He looks furious
"Co ride" On the wall the clock reads ten thirty Anton’s going to be heading into position, guarding Zacharov Barron’s probably already looking for uess His bladder could be o with you," Grandad says
"I think you can trustin any trouble"
"Yeah," he says, "but I don’t"
We head toward the bathrooh to the kitchen that we have to head into the shadoless area behind the bar I look over and see Zacharov and a beautiful wo on his are fro his hand, leather glove against leather glove
There in the crowd I think I see her Lila Her hair white under the lights Her ht
She’s not supposed to be here yet She’s going to ruin everything
I veer off toward the buffet Toward her By the tione
"What now?" Grandad asks
I pop a rose-flavored syrniki into sneak food," I say, "since you’re so crazy that you won’t letto do," he says "I see you looking at the clock No more bull, Cassel Piss or don’t"
"Okay," I say, and walk into the bathrootheir hair in thea line of coke off the counter He doesn’t even look up when the door opens
I go into the first stall and sit down on the lid of the toilet seat, trying to calm myself
My watch reads ten forty-three
I wonder if Lila wants everything ruined I wonder if I really saw her in the crowd or if I just conjured her out of my fears
I take off my suit jacket, unbutton my shirt, and tape the packet of fake blood directly ontoto get later when I rip it off I tug the wire through the inside ofrab
Ten forty-seven
I check for the bottle of puke taped behind the toilet bowl It’s there, but I have no idea which one of theht
Ten forty-eight I attach the wire to the trigger
"You okay in there?" Grandad calls So noise and pour out half the contents of the puke bottle The roo again, this time for real
I pour out the other half and carefully return the eain
"You okay?" Grandad doesn’t sound impatient anymore "Cassel?"
"Fine," I say, and spit
I flush the toilet and button up my shirt carefully, then pull on the suit jacket but don’t button that
The door opens and I hear Anton’s voice "Everyone out We need the bathroos feel unsteady with relief I open the door of the stall and lean against the frame Al, but the stragglers and the cokehead are filing past Anton Zacharov stands at the sinks
"Desi Singer," he says, rubbing the side of histiravely, nodding toward Zacharov, his nod alured you for politics"
"We who break laws should care the most about them We deal with them more than other people, after all"
"They say that all really great crooks eventually go into politics," Grandad says
Zacharov smiles at that, but when he sees me, his smile fades "No one’s supposed to be in here," he tells Anton