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911 GET ME OUT 911

Poe was not an all-caps kind of guy

Desperate now, I held up one finger and tossed my blue hair over my shoulders "Does the NOLA PD knohat you keep behind that big door?"

Danny looked at the flashing light on the ca back into the case "You don’t need to worry about what’s behind that door You just need to leave Now" He came out fro to steero of me" I jerked away and clutchedreally et it tomorrow?"

"You said two hundred!"

"You’re familiar, somehow You haven’t been in here before, have you?" He squinted and lifted up his glasses like an old ured out how to do was h uise slip a little Danny blinked in recognition "Wait a second You soldon?"

A cell phone on the counter began to vibrate, and the acco air horn Danny turned around, and I did the only logical thing I could I picked up the stool froister and hit hith into the move, because unlike my father, I didn’t make murder a hobby Danny still went down hard Once I kneas out, I took his key ring off his belt I navigatedknot, no blood, nothing concave

He was probably fine

I took the ring from the case, left a hundred-dollar bill in its place, and then dropped it into ht key, I opened the vault door and pulled it closed behind ht turn Strobe lights near the ceiling signaled a silent alarm

If any cao back to their natural state When I reached the turn, I took a quick listen before peeking around the corner I’d expected souard All I saas hts continued to pulse The lack of s made the walls close in and tripped off a rare bout of claustrophobia By the tiht Even though I was freezing, sweat trickled downthe corner Good thing

Voices echoed against the slick surfaces of the walls and floors One was Poe’s; I could tell by the lilt of his English accent The other was male and cocky

"I won’t tell anyone what you have here," Poe said "You can just let o"

"Someone already knohat I have or you wouldn’t be here" A lighter flicked, and a shadow appeared on the wall across froarette smoke wafted toward me, and my body shook with the effort to stay still

"We’ve discussed joining forces, but couldn’t reach agreeable terreed for my comfort"

Join forces, my ass My dad didn’t play ith others

The rew smaller, his voice louder He had to be inches away I reached into the side pocket ofneeded to be perfect

Heels clicked on the concrete floor "If you came to work for me instead of him, I couldfor anyone," Poe said "I’ you--"

"Tellalive?"

I raised un and stepped around the corner "Are you?"

The ed hiroceries, his li A wet spot spread across the front of his pants

I looked up at Poe, who exhaled in relief He had a fat lip and a trickle of blood co from the corner of his mouth, and his left wrist was handcuffed to a doorknob

"What happened?" I asked

"I ported into the worst possible place The guy was on me in seconds He’s the only one I saw, but I’ for backup"

"I hit the backup in the head with a stool He shouldn’t be a probleesture to his left "I’ to need a little help Our friend with the bladder control probleh to a veil to port out of here"