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He sipped his beer and looked around at the other custo an interest in theroup at the table nearest the door Two couples Good-looking girls Darkly handso on an act for the wo tootoo hard, determined to impress the little hens

Frye decided to have soured out hoould set it up, and grinned happily at the prospect of the exciteave her e"

"You’re very generous," she said, sister

He pulled on the leather gloves

His sixth bottle of beer was still half-full, and he took it with him when he slid out of the booth He headed toward the exit and contrived to hook a foot on a chair leg as he passed the two couples who had interested hiained his balance, and leaned toward the four surprised people at the table, letting the to look like a drunk

He kept his voice low, for he didn’t want others in the restaurant to be aware of the confrontation he was fo

He knew he could handle two of theht an ar of the two rin, and spoke in a low oddaer had been sy When he heard the insult, his wide brown face went blank, and his eyes narrowed

Before thatto the other one and said, "Why don’t you get a foxy lady like that blonde back there? What do you ith these two greasy wetback cunts?"

Then he ht wouldn’t start inside the restaurant Chuckling to hiy night, and hurried around the building to the parking lot on the north side to wait

He was only a few steps from his van when one of the lish "Hey! Wait a second,and swaying as if he found it difficult to keep the ground under his feet "What’s up?" he asked stupidly

They stopped, side by side, apparitions in the mist The stocky one said, "Hey, what the hell you think you’re doin’,his words

"Cerdo! the stocky one said

"Mugriento cerdo!" said the sli that dalish"

"Miguel called you a pig," said the slirinned and ed, and Frye waited uel rushed in with his head down, his fists up, his arms tucked close to his sides He threo quick and powerful punches at Frye’s iron-ranite handssounds as they landed, but Frye took both bloithout flinching By design, he was still holding the beer bottle, and he suel’s head

Glass exploded and rained down on the parking lot in dissonant uel dropped to his knees with a horrible groan, as if he had been poleaxed "Pablo," he called pleadingly to his friend Grabbing the injuredenough to rauel’s teeth clacked together with an ugly noise As Frye let go of hi noisily through bloody nostrils

Even as Miguel cru-damp pave thin weapon, probably a switchblade, probably sharpened into cutting edges on both sides, certain to be as wickedly dangerous as a razor The sliuel had been

Hearound to Frye’s right side, searching for an opening,with the lightning ht, and if Frye had not juuts Crooning eerily to hiain and again, froht to left As Frye retreated, he studied the way Pablo used the knife, and by the tie van, he sa to handle hi passes with the knife instead of the short vicious arcs ehters; therefore, on the outward half of each swing, after the blade had passed Frye but before it started coain, there was a second or then the weapon wasno threat whatsoever, a ed in for the kill, confident that his prey had nowhere to run, Frye tiht instant As the blade swung away fro it, bending it back against the joint The sliony The knife flew out of his slender fingers Frye stepped behind hiot a hammerlock on him, and ran him face-first into the rear end of the van He twisted Pablo’s arot the hand all the way up between the shoulder blades, until it seeripped the seat of the man’s trousers, literally lifted him off his feet, all hundred and forty pounds of him, and slammed him into the van a second ti stopped When he let go of Pablo, the sliuel was on his hands and knees He spit blood and shiny white bits of teeth onto the black et up, friend?"

Laughing softly, Frye stepped on his fingers He ground his heel on the uel squealed, fell on his side

Frye kicked hiuel did not lose consciousness, but he closed his eyes, hoping Frye would just go away

Frye felt as if electricity was coursing through hi fro within hi experience, as if he had just been touched by the Lord God Alht and holy light

Miguel opened his swollen dark eyes

"All the fight gone out of you?" Frye asked

"Please," Miguel said around broken teeth and split lips

Exhilarated, Frye put a foot against Miguel’s throat and forced him to roll onto his back

"Please"

Frye took his foot off the h with a sense of his oer, floating, flying, soaring, Frye kicked Miguel in the ribs

Miguel choked on his own screa exuberantly, Frye kicked hiave ith an audible crunch

Miguel began to do soled an to cry