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The kid shrugged and started to speak, but Aer to his lips and shushed him

“And nohen that price is ready to be paid,” Amos said, his tone friendly and conversational, “you want to shake hi to get his girl back This is a fat payday, right?”

The kid shrugged again “Que no—”

Amos smashed the can of chicken food product into the kid’s face so fast that for a ure out why the hacker was suddenly lying on the ground, blood gushing fro him to the floor The can of chicken went up and then pistoned down into the kid’s face again with a sharp crack He started to howl, but Amos clamped his left hand over the boy’s mouth

“You piece of shit,” A just a ragged anionna hold a baby girl hostage forchicken?”

Amos smashed the can into the hacker’s ear, which immediately bloomed red His hand ca for help Arabbed his arh,” he said, holding on to A man didn’t decide to clobber hiuy who got into bar fights because he enjoyed theain, and then held on until A “He can’t help us if you bash his brains out”

The kid scooted backward across the floor and had his shoulders up against the wall He nodded as Holden spoke, and held his bleeding nose between his finger and thu to help?”

The kid nodded again and scrao with hi Amos on the shoulder “Why don’t you stay here and take a breather”

Before Amos could answer, Holden pointed at the terrified hacker

“Better get to work”

“There,” Prax said when the video of Mei’s abduction caain “That’s Mei That man is her doctor, Dr Strickland That woman, I don’t know her But Mei’s teacher said that she came up in their records as Mei’s mother With a picture and authorization to pick her up Security is very good at the school They’d never let a child go without that”

“Find where they went,” Holden said to the hacker To Prax he said, “Why her doctor?”

“Mei is …” Prax started, then stopped and started over “Mei has a rare genetic disease that disables her iular treatments Dr Strickland knows this Sixteen other kids with her disorder aretoo He could keep the this, Naoh security We won’t need hiain”

“Good,” Holden said “Because I’hly burned once alk out the door”

“We always have more chicken,” Naomi said with a chuckle

“Aery”