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Cold gripped me "Kurt?"

"He didn’t make it"

Damn it Damn it, damn it, daot back down there By the ti off from Hammerly onto Sam Houston I tracked him all the way to I-10, then lost him"

"You sure it was him?" Bern asked

"I saw the white cat in the "

Matilda never went anywhere without that cat

We passed Addick’s Road

"Where is Rogan?" I asked

"Look above you," Bug said

I dippedlow overhead

"That tunnel would’ve taken awhile," I thought out loud "Vincent had to have watched us drill for tornados He would’ve tunneled under there in advance and waited He knew the exact moment" All of whichus, or soy with the truck," Bern observed in a detached way

"Yes Vincent kneouldn’t be able to outrun Rogan, so he didn’t try" Even if Vincent had a helicopter of his own, nothing would stop Rogan froe

"Why Matilda?" Bern wondered

"Because Jessica wasn’t there Whatever creatures he sent probably knew they had to grab the boy and the girl, so they did"

Minutes dripped by Bern wove in and out of traffic with inch-narrowwas pointless

"Think he’s duh to take the HOV lane?" I asked

"I wouldn’t," Bern said "He’d be trapped in it"

A rohite h Occupancy Vehicle lane from the rest of the traffic The HOV traffic moved faster Fewer cars, ht lane or in the ot too hot

The helicopter veered left

"What’s going on?" I said into the phone

"A white truck took the exit to Barker Cypress The ca’s voice vibrated with tension

"Should I take the exit?" Bern asked

To exit or not? Swinging off the highway onto the side street was a good strategy It would get Vincent away from the focus of our search

"Nevada?"

The exit waited just ahead I would get off the highway in his place, but I wouldn’t do it with the chopper overhead Too risky And if it was the right truck, Rogan would handle it

"I need an answer," Bern said

"No Stay in the lane"

We crept forward This ful, even for Houston So on ahead, roadwork, an accident, some disaster to account for this crawl

"The truck sped up," Bug reported "They are chasing it down"

Greenhouse Road

"I’ said it was the right truck, it was the right truck He had one of the best visual recognition capacities on the planet

It just didn’t feel right

The Fry Road exit veered off ahead

Bern looked at me I shook my head We would stay put

I wanted to run, punch, screa, but instead I had to sit We rolled forward

A blue flash dashed by me on the shoulder I stuck my head out of the openZeus