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He knew she loved the control, the money, the sense of superiority and independence that Opti had lavished on her and used to lure her into self-blindness It hy she’d volunteered for it in the first place

The harsh reality was that there was a chance she ed at the thick oak door of Overdraft to find it locked Frank was a blurry i on a ladder with his head in the sound system Below him, the silver disk of a floor sweep lowing It was just shy of one in the , but clearly they’d closed early

Frank looked up as Peri tapped on the ith her car fob She drew back, disconcerted as she realized the cut glass for in the dark like a beacon Frank’s voice wasto his task

"I’ll talk to Frank, you take Sandy," Jack said, fidgeting as he scanned the barren parking lot dusted with ne; Peri’s Mantis was a sleek shadow under the security lights, recharged and back to its usual black and silver

Cold, she hunched into her long cashh to block the wind, but she’d bought it for the way it looked, not its therht be involved with Bill?"

"That’s why I broughther His coat was thick enough that the bulge of the weapon didn’t even show She didn’t particularly like guns, though she agreed they were handy in the right setting The six-inch knife in her boot sheath was more her style: quiet, unexpected if done correctly, lethal only if she wanted--but always attention-getting

Sandy’s slight for her hands on her jeans as she reached for the lock Sandy had evolved froo, and Peri shaired wo in plaid and jeans, then Sandy was an Asian princess, slim, demure, and capable of dramatic outbursts when the situation called for it Peri had seen her drive drunk twenty-one-year-olds out the door with her voice alone And she was the only person Peri kneas smaller than she was

"Peri! Jack," the late-thirties woman said with the faint Seattle-Asian accent that always htly exotic to Peri’sfor a debrief I locked up to keep it lanced at the light snow before ushering the okay? You’re still in your work clothes"

Cursing herself, Peri looked at her black slacks andblouse She even still had on her pen necklace Her subconscious had her ready to run--and Sandy had noticed "Could be better," she said as she scanned the bar with its low stage plastered with ’90s band posters, scuffed dance floor, never-lit flagstone fireplace, and lotto kiosk in the corner, its flashing lights even brighter than the Juke’sBox online music panel that Frank had put in after someone blew out the ’70s antique it was naht’spads, but sheto be chosen, knowing everyone atching her as she stood before it

The lights were down in the adjoining gae with its low tables, couches, and the testosteronepanel, but she could still smell electronics over the varnished wood that held sway in the main part of the bar Sos with their bare support beaht, even with the band novelties that Frank collected and stuck on the walls aures, and the occasional sunbather seeking her no-tan-line perfection

Chairs were atop the tables as the cleaner ran, and the floor was scuffed to a bland haze the color of spilled beer everywhere but a thin line along the walls The dance floor’s yellow parquet was so scratched, she could hardly see the original lines

Bill wasn’t here yet, which was both a relief and a concern Jack gave Peri a reassuring touch beforea slow beeline for Frank, still on the ladder

Sandy s stuffed into a back pocket, and Peri felt a sudden wash of affection for her longtiuilty at suspecting Sandy’s motives "Hard day?" Sandy asked, and Peri nodded "I worry about you two," Sandy said, arth as she returned to the bar and scrubbed at the brass "Bill said you drafted You lose a lot?"

Bad news travels fast Peri slid atop one of the stools "Six weeks" Taking off her coat, she set it on the glealass jaers, but Sandy had more cosmopolitan tastes, and every restaurant in a four-block area could be accessed for delivery from the tabletop pads "It could have been worse," Peri added as she decided to leave the scarf on She didn’t recall knitting it, but her fingers re the polishing rag, Sandy went behind the bar, the light fro as she stuck her hands under it for a few seconds Frank had co in hushed but strident tones Peri ju of lukewarm coffee "How about you start with the black eye?" she said, leaning against the bar toblack hair fall in a curtain to one side of her face