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Valentine sat down on the stu at the youth "Hell," was all he could think to say He looked over at Frat "Do you know about the deal with your sister?"

"Yeah, Mo about it They talked about packing up and asking you to lead them out of Wisconsin Myus watched Turned out she was right They woke Molly up early and talked about it upstairs first thing this ?"

"I don&039;t know Molly started crying"

Valentine concentrated on keeping his face blank

"Frat, do me a favor You have a few rabbit snares around, don&039;t you?"

"Uh-huh There&039;s a warren up in one of the pastures, and there&039;s rabbits in the hills, too"

Valentine scanned the hills "Go up and check your traps See if you can see where that other patroller is Can do?"

"Sure Can do"

"Come and look for o in the house for a fewaround, and your parents caoing"

Frat scampered off toward the house

Valentine forced himself to put away his tools for the benefit of the hidden observer He wandered to the stable, in no particular hurry The ancient stalls, ths of rope The rich smell of horse sweat and manure filled the warm afternoon air

Five horses, he considered Three belong to the Carlsons, then his and Gonzalez&039;s Mrs Carlson on one, the girls on the second, Gonzalez sharing the third with Mr Carlson, taking turns riding it He and Frat could walk; the boy looked lean and capable They&039;re far horses, not packhorses Best keep the load under 150 pounds for travel up and down hills Blankets and tenting, rope and equip a shoea horse Maybe a week&039;s food for et us out of reach? God, the lifesign Extra Reapers in Glarus to think about, they&039;d cover the thirtyShit, we&039;d be drawing to an inside straight And Gonzalez can&039;t shoot

"Hi, David," a scratchy voice said

Molly

"Phew, you&039;re sweaty Frat said you were cutting wood"

"Oh, yeah Well, I thought I&039;d leave your dad with a good supply Or he could sell it, help pay for all the food we ate Don&039;t kno to pay hi our lives Are you okay?"

She ran her hands through unco the sun-kissed blond strands behind her "So you know, then"

No point in lying, he thought "Yes I sort of eavesdropped last night through the basement air vent None of ly picture What did your parents say?"

"They just told , and we&039;d talk about it more today But I&039;ve already made up my mind"

"Not the Masada solution, I hope"

A hint of her old smile crossed her face "No" She took a deep breath "I&039;le word: I&039; it faster, it would be over with all thethat would be her decision What alternative did she have? Perhaps he could offer one

"Did you tell your parents?"

"Not yet I wanted to tell you first I know that sounds dumb I mean, it&039;s not like you&039;re my husband, but-"

"Molly," he interrupted, "I&039;ve been thinking about getting your family out of here And not just since yesterday, either It&039;s a slim chance, I&039;ll admit Here&039;s e do-"

"David, don&039;t start It&039;s okay"

"No, listen to what I&039;ve-"

"No, I want you to listen toto slip out, becoht?"

"Not just us, everyone Your parents, the horses, even the dog"

"Listen, David, you&039;re crazy None of us are in shape to ride or walk for days and days And they&039;re watching us Ifus see two men, that probably means there&039;s six more all around sos know that if we try soet the five-year bonds just for calling the patrols

"They&039;re only giving me an illusion of choice in the matter My mom didn&039;t say it, but I think that one side of the coin has the promise of the bond, but the other has a threat If the bishop says frog,like faet in the way of orders"

Valentine opened his ently cupped her hand over it "David, I&039; us out Before this stuff with Touchet, it would have worked, I&039;m sure No one would have expected us to up and disappear We could have done it with you guiding us You know, alns I couldn&039;t find my way to Madison if I wanted to, or anywhere else outside a twenty-ed hiely unhappy at the eood and brave," she said "But let&039;s face facts I&039;ons anyway This guy is a big shot He&039;s going to get what he wants I see a fe faret a trip to Madison Maybe he just likes having a girl on his ar&039;s for sure, I don&039;t want a baby My mom said there&039;s a way-"

"Molly, don&039;t say it I don&039;t want to think about you doing that," Valentine said, twisting his nancy? Well, you&039;re a uess you don&039;t have to think about it if you don&039;t want to You seem a little old not to know the facts of life, but women have to consider the possibility"

"No, I&039;ve just heard things About wo that way, you know"

She looked down the aisle of horses and patted Lucy on the nose Valentine looked at her, in an old pair of her father&039;s pants cut off at the knee, breasts swelling under a T-shirt In her disheveled state, she looked younger than her eighteen years, too young to be cold-bloodedly discussing abortion

"Well, with luck, the old fart&039;s incapable," she said, closing the discussion She walked down the line of horses "Great, the hay nets are eroo out to Frat and uys, we can&039;t turn you out in the new field until the fence is done! These t horses ate up what grass you guys left in your pasture Do et two bales fro to water these two"

Valentine crossed to the barn and climbed into the hayloft He liked the sweet s the cow odor from beneath A couple of sparrows hopped and played in the air, and spiderwebs caught the sunlight like little silver flowers

He heard the ladder rungs creaking Molly joined hiood teeth She had washed her face at the horse-pump, her T-shirt had a wet, face-shaped patch over the belly where she&039;d used it to dry herself

"Thought I&039;d give you a hand with the bales They&039;re really loose Soht, it gets all "

Valentine sniffed a bale "Hey, you&039;re right I didn&039;t know that All the hay I&039;ve ever seen has been packed too tight Doesn&039;t sood as this"

"That&039;s the clover We grow that on the other side of the road"

She cut a bundle and spilled it onto the floor of the loft

"Very funny," Valentine said "How are we going to carry it now? Or do you want to make a scarecrow?"

"Sure, David," she said, her eyes big and bright "We can use your clothes Why don&039;t you take theive them to me"

"What&039;s that?" he said

She knelt in the hay "Too shy? Okay, I&039;ll start"

With a quick, graceful movement she pulled her T-shirt up and over her head Her shapely young breasts bobbed enticingly as she leaned back into the hay Valentine stood and gaped, feeling his groin swell, otherwise utterly dumbfounded

"David, do I have to spell it out for you? Let&039;s make love I need you to do this for me"

"Molly I mean, we&039;ve never even kissed, this is kind of-"

"Sudden?" she finished "Well, yes, I suppose you&039;re right Actually, I&039;ve only kissed a couple of guys And one, he was in the patrols, I didn&039;t even want him to kiss me But he did, and he put his hand on my chest I yelled, pushed him away, and ran for it That&039;s the sum total of in I&039; that bothersforced to do it in the first place the thing that bothers me the most is that he&039;d be my first time Not a memory I want to have for the rest of my life I know you, I like you a lot, and I think you likethan soentleman, too, otherwise you&039;d already be on top of ht hasn&039;t crossed o slow, okay, David?" she said, scooting her hips up off the floor of the loft and slipping the oversize shorts down to her feet She kicked the

Valentine sank to his knees beside her, placing his mouth on hers He was also inexperienced, his innate shyness and quiet s few and far between Molly Carlson, perhaps the irl he had ever knoas in his ar Ani lust took him where his self-confidence feared to tread He felt her probing hand reach the hardness in his pants She fumbled with his belt He wanted to take off his shirt, but her soft, yielding ainst his, it was impossible to break contact She undid his belt and the worn-out stitching of the fly gave way to her hearty pull; skittering buttons flew in all directions He entle kisses across her face and down her neck She giggled and squirainst his chest He pulled his shirt up and off his head and thrashed out of his pants

She ca him with a hard kiss that went all the way down to his soul, and he lost balance, falling onto his back with her on top of him Coppery-blond hair tickled his face and neck like tiny dancing fingers as she kissed him Her hand trailed down across his sto, and finally gripping his hardness His own arms traced the muscles on her back and caressed the soft skin of her buttocks She responded, rubbing herself against his thigh, one of her hands playing with his black hair as the other stroked hiroaned, a deep and sensual rasp in his voice He returned the favor, his gentle hand tracing the outlines of her sex, froular s Their kisses became a rapid staccato, and he felt a rush of moisture come to her

"Please, David Slowly, okay?" she breathed in his ear She turned over on her back, and he followed her azed up at him, pupils dilated in the dimness of the loft He suddenly wanted this moment to be forever, Molly in his arms and the smell of womanhood and clover and a hint of lavender-sweet nepenthe in his nostrils He pressed hiuided him inside, and they were one He took her in a series of slow strokes, each one slightly deeper than the last A wince of pain washed across her face and then turned, as an ebb tide gives way to the flow, into a flush of passion Her hands alternately clawed and caressed his rippling back with each deep, slow penetration They lost theether and yet apart, until at last he cli hiaping open as if in a screaibleaway the afternoon He teetered on the pleasant point between exhilaration and exhaustion

"Are you okay?" he asked

"Wonderful," she said, drawling out the word She reached between her legs and brought up her fingers A ser and thuone after all the horse riding," she mused

He kissed away the blood froirl named Molly alked into the barn that afternoon would have been disgusted at the gesture, but the wo

"Ha, fooled you My tilanced up at her, eyebrows lifted

"Joke," she said, twitching her nose at hi her eyes

"Well, since this chore is done, I really have to look into et aith it She restrained hirip around his neck

"Chore indeed! When I took off my shirt, you about passed out"

"Yeah, the blood drained out of reed

"I knohere it all went I&039; funny for a while, I think"

They kissed, laughing into each other&039;sactually helps you, too If you and Gonzo pack up and go right after I do, it will fit perfectly I&039;et pissed and leave You can keep the story about looking for a place to farit Even if they call Monroe to check it out, your story will stand up"

He rolled onto his back in the hay with a sigh He did not want the afternoon to end

"When are you going to Monroe?"

"To for Richland Center the day after touess That&039;s what Uncle Mike told uy that iins for hied "You&039;d know better than I But if he gets production out of the farms, I suppose he&039;s pretty i, I wonder if Frat found any rabbits Your a to have a hard ti normal in front of them"

"You and uilty about? You&039;reher with his chin The shyness had ically vanished Or perhaps it had been exorcised by a far stronger and ic

"Molly Valentine," she h!"

"Hey!" he objected

"No, I just hate the Molly part I love Valentine Melissa Valentine? That&039;s better Nobody ever called me Melissa Molly is way easier to shout"

"Put your pants on, Melissa Or we&039;ll be here all night," he said, looking out at the setting sun

"That wouldn&039;t be so bad I wonder if the patrolot an eyeful"

Dinner passed self-consciously, but Valentine found he could talk to her parents without feeling too uncos on their minds All Valentine could do was look at Molly&039;s red, raw lips How could they not notice that?

Gonzalez noticed soot ready for bed

"Hey, Val, what happened today?" he asked

"Split a lot of wood"

Gonzalez snorted "You stuck your wedge into so"

Valentine turned around "What&039;s that supposed to mean?"

"Well, your fly&039;s been unbuttoned all night, and your back looks like two alley cats went about fifteen rounds on it Unless you&039;ve been rolling in barbed wire, I&039;d say soo to sleep, funny so she needed fixed, so I took care of it for her"

Gonzalez shook his head and turned over, carefully positioning his injured arood jobs," he observed

Valentine awoke in the ht tread on the stair In the di down fro the basement

"David?" she whispered

"Over here," Valentine breathed back

"No, over here," Gonzalez answered

"Shut up, you," Valentine said, throwing his pillow at the scout

"I wanted to talk to you Sorry, Gonzo," she said

Gonzalez swung his feet to the floor with a groan and pulled on his pants with his good ar it&039;s been since I&039;ve watched a sunrise Don&039;t ," you two"

"Thanks, Victor I mean it," Valentine said

"You owe me one See you at breakfast"

He moved soundlessly up the stairs

Molly scuttled into Valentine&039;s arrateful for her surprise

"Did you want to talk?" he asked

"Sort of," she said "But not anyo into the secret room It&039;s dark, and we can make a little bit of noise But just a little"

Valentine opened the panel in the wall, and they nipped into the deep shadows, holding hands

"Hey, you used one of those soaps," Valentine whispered, s her clean skin

"Yes, this one&039;s-"

"Roses," Valentine said, caressing her hair "Beautiful"

She shut the door, and they were in blackness so total there was nothing but touch, and the faint s, lay down together Theyneays to please each other, delight each other, and, finally, love each other

They said good-byes in a steady, spirit-sapping drizzle As Flanagan and his ubiquitous shadoaited out of the rain in the patrol car, fas Valentine, Molly, and her parents all wore the same air of false cheerfulness that appears at a funeral, after a septuagenarian drops dead in perfect health "Never knehat hit hio that way No pain, no suffering, no illness Luckyfor the tiny patch of sunshine a the dreary clouds

The same forced tone was present in Mr Carlson&039;s voice as he said good-bye to his daughter Molly wore her oldest cow- work clothes, clean but nevertheless perets," she had said to her estion that she wear her prettiest dress, a blue-checkered barn-dancer that ive that to Mary So the room before her mother could ask what she meant

"Take care of that ar his left hand "My turn to see the big city, Frat At least Madison isn&039;t Chicago, thank God Mary, there&039;syou in charge of the stables while I&039;one, and you&039;d better keep it clean"

Her words to Valentine, in hindsight, also hinted at her darktonight, right? When it gets dark?"

"That&039;s the plan I&039; on that pack for "

She smiled up at him, satisfied They wandered to the side of the house, where they could kiss without watchful eyes on the Reapers, David You kno that I&039;ve thought of it, maybe your Masada solution is the better one Take a few of therih Or maybe throw up But it&039;s not forever It&039;s really kind of pathetic of hi uncle out into the woods to bring hiunpoint"

"That&039;s the first thing I&039;ll tell hiht

"Come back and work the farht now doesn&039;t ht a teaet your whole fao He&039;s pretty co people out of here"

"Well, I owe your fa to collect on it I&039;ll come for you someday in the fall, if I can"

She looked into his eyes "I think three years fros to worry about Be careful with pro, "Toht? That&039;s like the law of the Kurian lands"

"You&039;ve got five years promised to you and your faht be as worthless as the ring he tossed into the audience Just go tonight, okay? But can you tell , David? Was I your first ti?"

Valentine owed her the truth "Yes I hope you liked it I&039;ve never been very lucky omen"

"Good You&039;ll remember me, then"

"I&039;ll reood at pointing out the obvious," he said, giving her nose a gentle tweak

They embraced, kissed, and touched each other&039;s faces as if trying to record ertips

"Believe it or not, I&039;ll come for you It&039;s a promise, Molly" He read hurt disbelief in her eyes "No, not a promise: a vow" Now only the hurt remained

"Don&039;t," she said, unable to look at him "A lot can happen in three years"

"A lot can happen in three days Like falling in love, Melissa"

"David, stop You&039;re justit painful This is an end I don&039;t want you to talk like it&039;s a beginning"

He kissed her, trying to win a concession through sheer sensual power

"No," she said, lowering her eyes froo like this"

She turned and fled

At dinner that night, Valentine and Gonzalez decided to leave with the first light of dawn A s, would seeht escape

After a final farewell talk with the Carlsons, Gonzalez and Valentine lay in the baseht in the secret room Gonzalez hid his anxiety about his injured ared at his scout Gonzalez worked best when the only thing worrying hiht be around the next bend or over the next hill, so he talked frankly about how they would accommodate his injury on the trip ho since retired, and they burned only a foul-sht

"You&039;ll ride," Valentine said after rolling hisaround longer, but it ht be months before your aret better?"

"Of course, Gonzo Nerve tissue just takes forever to heal"

Gonzalez ht never grow back"

"Well, you can n In fact Hey, an engine"

Both Wolves used their hard ears It sounded like a truck engine Perhaps one of the se But it stopped in the road, idling with thick coughs of exhaust

Valentine and Gonzlalez exchanged looks Without another word, they got up and moved to the secret door They carried the tallow lamp behind the false ith therabbing knives and guns A crash sounded fro sound of a door being kicked in

A whisper came from the other side of the secret door

"Guys, are you in there?" Frat whispered

Shouts fro orders to search the house

"Yes," Valentine answered softly

"Twovan and twoin Gotta go," Frat said Valentine finished tying his parang sheath on his leg and picked up his rifle

"Hey, kid," an unknown voice barked "Get outta that bed and get up here"

"I&039; froun at me, okay?"

Gonzalez blew out the tallow dip in case the s roory and scared, as he descended the stairs fro room "What in the heck is all this, Toland?"

"Orders You&039;re wanted for questioning"

"Orders? We&039;ll see what Major Flanagan has to say about that!"

"He gave the orders, pard," the harsh voice answered "Think your days of being under his wing are over Your little girl stuck a steak knife into Mr Brass Ring&039;s neck-"

"Oh, asped

"-a couple of hours ago," Toland continued "Your brother is fucked, and he knows it, and he thinks the only way out of the jam is to arrest everyone here"

"Can I at least tell one?"

"The Breitlings? We&039;re supposed to arrest theuy as seeing your daughter? The ht personal to his office"

"They left after dinner," Frat volunteered "David was pissed about the whole thing with Molly"

"Shuddup, Sambo If I want your opinion, I&039;ll slap it out of you Carlson, is he right?"

"Yes, you searched the house, didn&039;t you?" Carlson said, voice still treo, and when?"

"After dinner They didn&039;t even eat with us I think they went north, but I dunno I&039;ve had other things ontheo after the cae Should we link &039;eo out to the car and radio that we got the Carlsons in custody Also put out a general call to pick up two et busy with those shackles"

Valentine touched Gonzalez on the shoulder in the darkness, and they felt for the door They cut across the shadowed base to the rattle of chains as the patrollers fixed the fa irons Valentine led the way up the basees to lessen the sound of boards creaking They padded through the kitchen barefoot, Valentine with his repeater to his shoulder and Gonzalez with his held against his hip Valentine paused for just a second to listen at the corner between the kitchen and the front living roo to place the occupants by sound All he could hear was a frightened crying fro clicked closed and chains passed through steel eyes He gestured to Gonzalez, who moved to the kitchen door of the house

With a quick sidestep Valentine rounded the corner, gun tight to his shoulder, a shotgun-wielding hts "Nobody un, put it on the floor, holding it by the barrel You tith the chains, facedown on the floor!"

As he spoke, Gonzalez opened the back door, holding the rifle in his armpit, and disappeared into the darkness

The patrollers, conditioned by years of practice in using their guns to bully unarmed farmers and townspeople, complied with alacrity The Carlsons, dressed in their bedclothes, kicked the weapons away fros

"Okay, you with the stripes, facedown, too Good Spread eagle, gentleht shots in this repeater; the uns away froan collecting pistols and shotguns "This&039;ll cut it, Carlson," Sergeant Toland said, speaking into the floor "Before, you were just wanted for questioning This means you&039;re all dead within a day or two Not an easy death, either, if the Reapers-"

A pistol thrust into the sergeant&039;s e When I want any of your lip, I&039;ll blow it off," Frat said, cocking the revolver

"Mr and Mrs Carlson, start putting the shackles on them, hands and feet, please," Valentine said

The screen door swung open, and the fourth patroller entered, his fingers laced behind his head and thehim behind the ear

"Pillow here just reported the situation as being under control," Gonzalez said "Is it, sir?"

"Sees?"

"They hadn&039;t gotten around to them, yet," Mr Carlson said "They&039;re probably still asleep"

"Mrs Carlson, after you&039;ve finished, do you think you could go get theet some more clothes on first?"

"Of course" The patrollers were now securely shackled and handcuffed They&039;re scared, Valentine thought, looking at the sweat stains on the blue uniforms He was also pretty sure that the one named Pillow had pissed himself Scared people confuse easily

"Boy, thatat his benefactor "Hey, Sarge Do you knohat you&039;ve stumbled into?"

"You&039;re a corpse, boy You&039;re a corpse that happens to be walking and talking for a few e Look at this," he said, thrusting his rifle butt under Toland&039;s nose "You&039;ve just busted in on a Twisted Cross double-secret blind operation"

"What the fuck is the Twisted Cross? "Double secret&039; bullshit!" Sergeant Toland said, unimpressed

"You wouldn&039;t knoould you? We wanted Touchet dead, but we couldn&039;t get at hiht off soyou this? He was trying to spy out the operation at Blue Mounds"

"Bullshit," the sergeant responded "Bangin&039; the Carlson girl ain&039;t going to accoe, you don&039;t have to believe ive you two facts One is that you&039;re still alive, and the other is that all this is way over your head So with our operation, or you wouldn&039;t have gotten those orders to bring these folks in I suggest that in the future you have Madison confiran says Gonzalez?"

"Yes, sir," his scout replied

"We&039;re switching to plan Red Charlie"

"Er you&039;re in charge, sir," Gonzalez said Valentine hoped the patrollers would interpret Gonzalez&039;s confusion for reluctance

"Let&039;s go outside and discuss it Mr Carlson, Frat, keep an eye on these four"

In the cool night air, Valentine patted Gonzalez on the back "Good job with Pillow, Gonzo You still haven&039;t lost your touch, injury or no"

"Sir, what&039;s our nextto leave now?"

Valentine nodded and walked down the road toward the vehicles A dirt-covered patrol car and a delivery-van-type truck stood in the blackness The clouds had still not dispersed

"Gonzo, I&039;ive you a lot of responsibility Maybe it will take your et the Carlsons and the Breitlings out of Wisconsin All the way to the Ozark Free Territory"

"We can do it"

"Maybe we could But, Gonzo, it&039;s not going to be a we It&039;s going to be a you I&039;ed with surprise "My friend," he said finally "She&039;s probably dead already"

"If she is, she&039;s going to have some company That asshole of an uncle, for one"

"What isyou andaboutbehind all those skulls, or killing one Quisling? I hate to tell you your duty, but-"

"Fuck my duty," Valentine said Just the words the squad, but he ed for a sheep as a lamb "I&039;ve had too irl"

"I&039;ve already forgotten what you just said, sir But you will still have to explain this if you get back What am I supposed to do with these civilians? The prisoners? I&039;d have a tough ti it back to the Ozarks, just me and my horse, let alone all these people"

"Here&039;s the plan" Valentine said Gonzalez listened as his lieutenant gave his final orders

An hour later, everything was ready The patrollers were locked in the feed shed, still shackled The feed shed had the best lock and was the only all-cinder block construction on the farht up and rear liftgate closed; horses were saddled and tied to the rear bumper Inside the spacious interior, e prisoners in position, were the Breitlings, Mrs Carlson, and Mary Carlson, clutching a few blankets and so Mr Carlson was at the wheel, and Gonzalez rode shotgun Both were dressed in blue patroller unifor captives

Valentine and Frat stood outside the passenger door Valentine wore the best of the uniforms and carried the identity papers of the patroller whoPillow

"We e outside Benton, okay, Frat?" Gonzalez asked, rolling Valentine&039;sit to the tube Frat nodded

"Mr Carlson, if I can&039;t get your daughter, I&039;s," Valentine said "They&039;ll coot Should make it a little easier for you"

"No one&039;s asking you to do this, son," Mr Carlson said from the driver&039;s seat "Molly&039;s probably already dead Maybe she used the knife on herself after killing Touchet" Carlson&039;s lips trembled as he spoke

"I don&039;t think she&039;d give up that easy, Alan If she&039;s alive, I&039;hter, or not at all" He turned to Gonzalez and shook his friend&039;s good hand "Gonzo, I know you can do this," Valentine said quietly "You&039;ve got the brains and the skills Just keep theet back, tell the you remember, even if it doesn&039;t seeet a Cat or two up here to find out what&039;s going on at Blue Mounds One other thing: Get Frat into the Hunters, or at least have him posted as an Aspirant He&039;ll make a better Wolf than either of us, at least soet the Carlsons started I&039;ve got so"

Valentine racked his estion to increase Gonzalez&039;s chances There was always one ency to consider

"I will do it, all of it, sir Vaya con Dios, jefe And I&039;ll be praying for you, sir Every day"

"Back to praying, Gonzalez? I thought your e of that"

"She&039;s in charge of my soul I&039;ll take care of yours"

"You&039;re going to have plenty to take care of in the next couple of weeks without my soul thrown in But thank you anyway; I&039;m honored"

Carlson started up the truck, and Valentine hopped to the ground Gonzalez gave a little salute from his perch "Good luck, Lieutenant"

"Send my respects to the Zulus, Gonzo!"

The truck rolled off into the darkened west Hours to go before daylight

"Okay, Frat You and me noish I had learned how to drive better"

"It&039;s okay, Lieutenant," Frat said,around to the driver&039;s side "I know the way, so it&039;s just as well"

"You can call hts off"

"I know, I know You told me Where to?"

Valentine checked the contents of his pack and a spare feedbag, which held extra restraints and a few packets from the Carlsons&039; kitchen "Your uncle&039;s house You can tellyou remember about it on the way"

Frat covered the twentyto tractor trails and cattle paths as he drew close to Monroe The roads were eo up on the last act of the play The radio squawked occasionally, reporting fro for two men on horseback Valentineto the dra far forward as if the extra foot and a half of viewing distance made a difference, Valentine applied a hacksaw to the double-barreled shotgun, taking off the barrels frorip onward He then filled the pockets on its leather sling-bandolier with buckshot shells A second puun lay on the wooden backseat of the car

"Okay, we&039;re in the fields behind his house It&039;s right beyond that line of trees there," Frat informed him "We&039;ve stayed over here a few times, back when he had a wife"

"Whatever happened to her?" Valentine asked

"Don&039;t know Nobody does One day she was just gone, and we learned not to ask"

"So he&039;s notquestions, then?" Valentine stepped out of the car and took the pu shells into his stolen uniforun handy, Frat Don&039;t be afraid to use it, and pull out if so comes after you Keep alert"

"I will, sir You be careful"

Valentine walked silently up to the line of trees, listening and ss Their scent seemed to be everywhere across the lawn Perhaps they were around front

The extravagant house had bright security lights led out to bathe the lawn in white light Their brilliance threw the surrounding terrain into harsh, black-and-white relief, blazing white wherever the lights touched and utter black in the shadows Valentine whistled softly

One of the great black rottweilers appeared froe corner Valentine reached into his feed bag and placed a few strips of rowled and took a few steps closer Valentine stayed very still, offering the e of the woods

"Good dog, good dog," Valentine said soothingly The dog licked its chops and padded forward Valentine lowered the blade to the grass, and the dog began eating Flanagan obviously used the dogs only for show; a real guard dog would be trained not to take food frothe hopeful-looking dog

Valentine watched the sleeping house for a few ed across the lawn to the back door The rottweiler trotted along happily The second hound, curled up on the mat at the door fast asleep, startled at their approach Seeing the other dog, it caht visitor Valentine issuedthe top of the sill to the left of the door for the key Frat said was hidden there He found it, placed on a small nail hammered into the top of the sill

The key fit the dead bolt on the back door, but Valentine was able to open the door only an inch or two A heavy chain across the inside of the door barred further progress He reached into his bag of tricks for the rusty crowbar from the patrol car&039;s trunk, fixed it to the chain near itson the doorja

Valentine entered the kitchen behind the business end of the shotgun The tabletop was a ht over the table was still on, bathing the littered octagonal surface in a puddle of yellow A heavy electric typewriter sat before a chair, a coldof coffee next to it, nestled like a small brown pond in a forest of e room

He looked at the typed report on the table, flipping to the second page Apparently it was a state sentry outside Touchet&039;s VIP suite door at the New Universal Church building A paragraph caught Valentine&039;s eye

When the cook entered with Mr Touchet&039;s nightcap of coffee, I heard hiun and entered the bedroom Mr Touchet was facedown on the bed, nude except for a pair of socks The young wo to force up theof the bedroo that it was nailed shut As I entered, she smashed it with an ashtray but I was able to restrain her

After she was handcuffed and held down by the cook, I examined Mr Touchet for a pulse He was dead He had a steak knife handle sticking out of the back of his head right were the neck meets the skull His back was coated with some kind of oil and he lay on a towel There was very little blood on the towel Mr Touchet&039;s brass ring had been reer and was placed around the handle of the knife

The young wo obscenities at us, so I hit her She had not been injured by Mr Touchet; the bruise on her face was fro rooil Alasses finally off, pistol belt looped around his arm The air around him slass turret-rooan The major slept in his chair, phone in his lap, widespread feet propped up on his desk

The prowling Wolf shifted the shotgun to his left hand and took up the parang No e-shaped point just above Virgil&039;s Adail Ames opened his eyes Valentine wiped his knife on the rich leather sofa and an hen the blued steel of the shotgun barrel poked hian sputtered into surprised wakefulness, Valentine changed the angle of the shotgun barrel, pointing it between Flanagan&039;s outstretched legs

"You wanted to see il!" Flanagan shouted

"Dead, sir," Valentine reported "Better speak up, or you&039;ll be joining him in five seconds Tell il!" Flanagan cried

Valentine stuck the shotgun toward Flanagan&039;s screaood, and it&039;s giving ue out and have you write down your answers"

"Fuck you, Saint Croix We don&039;t just have Molly, we&039;ve got all the Carlsons, as of eleven this evening If you back out of here and never let ht even live"

The powerful, spearlike thrust of the shotgun shattered two incisors and left a wor fro skin The major&039;s hands flew to his wounded mouth, and Valentine clipped hiun butt The major fell over, knocked senseless Valentine busied himself with handcuffs and rope

The house was dark when Major Flanagan came to Valentine splashed cold coffee into his face Groans rose fro just before he vomited all over himself The paroxysm showed how securely he was tied into his office chair

Handcuffs fixed his wrists against the arths of rope cocooned his chest and shoulders into the back His legs were tucked under the chair and secured by ankle shackles with a short length of chain winding behind the central column that attached the chair itself to the little circle of wheels below

No hint of h the s of the office Valentine stood next to the desk, a breathing shadow

A ar lighter, waving the lit end hypnotically in front of Flanagan&039;s face Its diry eyes "Okay, Uncle Mike, do you want to talk to ?"

"Talk about what?"

"Where Molly is"

"She&039;s in the Order building in Monroe"

Valentine grabbed his pinkie and thrust the cigar lighter over it An audible hiss was instantly drowned out by the hter and stuck it back into its electric socket, pushing it down to turn it back on

"Wrong answer I read so to your report, you put her in a car for Chicago"

Ping

"Why Chicago, Major?"

"We called the Illinois Eleven as soon as it happened That&039;s what they told us to do, send her to Chicago"

"Where in Chicago?" Valentine asked, extracting the lighten

"How should I know? The Illinois Eleven don&039;t like being questioned anythe lighter wave back and forth in the darkness "No! God, Saint Croix, I don&039;t know"

This last was addressed to the approach of the lighter to his left hand Valentine forced Flanagan&039;s fist open and inserted his index finger into the cigar lighter The sround the glowing socket hohter He pressed it back into the socket, reheating it

"The pain will stop as soon as you tell o You want me to stick your dick in this next?"

The tip of Flanagan&039;s forefinger was a blackened luernail was burned back

Ping

"I think they&039;re putting her in the Zoo," Flanagan gabbled, seeing Valentine&039;s hand hter "I&039;ve been there, it&039;s on the north side of Chicago, near the lake Lots of boats tied up perht they just put everyone in the Loop when they wanted to do aith them"

"They knew Touchet They asked me if she was a real looker I told them about her I mean, if she weren&039;ttio Saint Croix, you haven&039;t been around much I&039;ve risked my job-my life even-to helpto be hurt" Sweat coated Flanagan&039;s face, wetting his bushy eyebrows and running down his neck in rivulets

"So what&039;s this Zoo?"

"It&039;s in a place called Lincoln Park I&039;ve got a little o in my desk, bottom drawer Even has phone nu brothel, that kind of thing There are a lot of bars there; they do sports, too Kind of a wild place, anything goes, like Old Vegas"

Valentine popped up the lighter and left it resting lightly in its socket "Good enough, Flanagan There&039;s one o I need a travel warranthio And soan&039;s ood there Our guys bring things to barter Jewelry, beer, food, stuff like that But what you&039;re thinking is nuts I&039;d like to see Molly alive asto happen There&039;re hundreds of soldiers froan, even I&039;ve heard of officers coo to the Zoo Even if you can find her, you&039;ll never get her out The Black Hole&039;s a one-way-"

"Black Hole?" Valentine asked

"I dunno where she would go for sure But the Black Hole is kind of a prison Wo there They&039;re used treated badly So Never went there myself, but you hear stories"

"Just tell an gave detailed instructions, and soon Valentine had his travel warrant The ned it; Valentine had freed the ht hand to do so The h, Saint Croix I had no idea"

So he thinks fawning is his ticket to safety Interesting Has it gotten hiht He put his new papers and the folded map in one of the front pockets of his shirt He then walked over to the front of the desk The shotgun leaned up against one of the carved wooden lions

"Take e, and the keys are in my breast pocket here I&039;ll tell them you went north I&039;ll keep the Carlsons under lock and key for a few days, then release them We&039;ll shout questions at &039;em for a few hours; don&039;t worry, they&039;ll be fine Of course, Molly can&039;t ever coet her somewhere safe up in the woods if your plan works Watch yourself in Chicago, though Must be a hundred Reapers there, easy But if"

The ht up the shotgun, pointing it at his head "No, Saint Croix Be fair! I gave you everything"

Valentine put the butt tightly to his shoulder and placed his finger on the trigger "You once said that if it were up to you, you&039;d handa work card Well, now that it&039;s up toto follow a little rule we have in the Wolves I call it Special Order Twelve, section Double Ought Any high-rank Quislings bearing ar squad"

"You said you wouldn&039;t killout his hand, palm outward

"I said the pain would stop," Valentine corrected, pulling the trigger The dark rooht like an old-fashioned flashbulb At the last instant, Flanagan flung his arh his arm, head, and the back of the chair Bone, blood, brain, and wood from the chair splattered the brick wall behind the chair

Valentine went through the house, filling a pillowcase with anything of value he could find: Virgil Aan&039;s cheroots and electric lighter, a solid silver cigarette box, gold jewelry belonging to the an The liquor cabinet contained two bottles of bonded whiskey They joined the other contents of the pillowcase

He went into the furnished basehts A pool table filled one end and a sun-rack, set between two eight-point deer heads Valentine&039;s eyes lit on an old Reton Model 700 He shouldered it Then he crossed to the workshop and found a tin of kerosene He opened it and splashed it along the pool table, carpet, and wood paneling He struck a match and tossed it into the puddled liquid on the pool table Flareen baize surface Sure that the fire ell on its way, Valentine climbed back up the stairs

Frat pulled the car out of the field and onto the little path leading back to the road "Nohat, Lieutenant?" he asked Oddly enough, Frat had asked no questions about what had transpired in his uncle&039;s house

"Where can I catch the next train to Chicago? Not a station, though I mean to jump on"

Frat considered the probleh Monroe A train goes along that every day Takes you right into Chicago, or the ht You&039;ll know you&039;re close when you go through this big stretch of burned-out houses Reapers burned out a huge belt around the city Great Suburban Fire, it was called Happened before I was born Then they did sorow Mile afterwhen I saw it But you&039;ll never find Molly in the Loop You could look for days How you gonna get her out again?"

"They didn&039;t put her in the Loop She&039;s in someplace called the Zoo"

Frat sht of that! They would put someone who looks like her there My et a job at the Zoo?" whenever she didn&039;t like what Phila earing"

"What else can you tell o?"

Frat turned the car onto a road heading south "It&039;s big, really big But what you got going for you is that there&039;s people froet noticed If you cause any trouble, they grab you and throw you in the Loop They use the old United States money there, too, but it has to be authorized The bills they&039;ve authorized have a stamp on them, kind of like the stamp on our work cards I&039;ht the Kurians are there, but I don&039;t kno you would ever find the curved knife of yours Too many of the soldiers know about those"

They reached a bend in the road Frat pulled the patrol car to the side

"Frat, you&039;ve been a great help You knohat to do now, right?"

"Drive fast with all the lights on, like I&039; somewhere," Frat recited "Put the car in a ravine and then walk to that bridge Go cross-country and keep out of sight I think I can e"

"I&039;o south, and you&039;ll hit the railroad tracks They curve where they run along the Sugar River, and I bet they&039;ll slon Lots of guys buot identity papers, you&039;re okay getting into Chicago Just take my advice and don&039;t cause any trouble until you&039;re sure you can get aith it Getting out again isn&039;t so easy They check the trains heading out for runners"

Valentine offered his hand, and Frat shook it "Listen to Gonzo on the way back, pup You can learn a lot from him"

"Yeah, he&039;s cool He thinks a lot of you, by the way Says the Wolves in Zulu Company call you the Ghost"

"The what?"

"The Ghost On account of you walk so s And there&039;s another reason: Mr Gonzalez says you can tell when there are va"

"The Ghost, huh? Well, have Gonzo tell them to keep their rifles clean and oiled, or I&039;ll come back and haunt them Good-bye, Frat"

"Good-bye, Lieutenant Valentine Don&039;t worry, I&039;ll get everyone out, if Mr Gonzalez just points the direction You ain&039;t the only one good at smellin&039; out Skulls"

While Valentine waited for the train in theof crackers and a brick of cheese he had taken froan&039;s kitchen He had already improvised a shoulder strap for his pillowcase of loot and adured it would bring enough money for a bribe or two, or serve as one itself He studied hisas many of the street naht Over a hundred Reapers Great place to visit, but I wouldn&039;t want to die there