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I stopped dead, staring down at ain I slowly flexed them No pain, not even a hint of it The bones were ht nu or blood--not even the slightest hint of a scrape

Oh s to carry etting slaot back to e of the trunk lid where my hand had been

The brainsthey healed me up I couldn’t think of any other possible explanation A hysterical giggle escaped me Guess I didn’t need health insurance after all

And maybe I wasn’t crazy either I wanted to be relieved, but

A chill crawled throughsure I had my hands safely out of the way this tiht back up again I peered at the latch--or rather, as left of the latch It was in pieces, and when I looked around I could see that the hook part had so in the bottom of the trunk

Okay, so my car was an old piece of shit The latch was probably already cracked or soot lucky, that’s all

Right?

I went back into the drugstore and bought soot in the car, but paused before cranking the engine

So else was different

It took ure it out, but finally I realized it was so My stench

I didn’t have to lift rown a bit used to it over the course of the day, but I knew that the aroone I s--which I had, of course, but this was the first time all day I could believe it

When I eat brains I don’t s noise, then realized it wasthe car, I turned the radio up, then drove to the café to meet Derrel, while I did my best to pretend the last ten minutes had never happened

Chapter 9

The Top Cow Café, situated in a slightly crummy section of Tucker Point, was a cran out front so weatherworn it was barely readable and waitresses who didn’t waste their tis like courtesy and smiles But the food was terrific, and the coffee kicked ass, and I’d never been there when half a dozen people weren’t patiently waiting their turn to be scowled at

I walked into the café, bypassing the waiting people as I scanned for the hulking figure of h as I spied him at a table for four and realized who else ith hiaveother than the pained grilanced my way and offered the most neutral of smiles I couldn’t tell if he was annoyed that I was there, but then I figured that surely Derrel would have told hi with ot there Not that I would have had a proble to be chased off Besides, ruood thing, I thought as I slid into the eht next to Ivanov I’ive up syrupy carbs

"Angel, do you know Marcus?" Derrel asked with a sel’s our newest e for ue tech a couple of weeks ago"

"We ," the deputy replied with an even sure out a way to explain hoe’d actually met

Well, that was cool of hi a face-plant on the sidewalk," I said with a laugh that I was sure sounded forced and self-conscious