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She sreasy smile at Holden, then took another bite Holden could sood pizza over the top of Ganymede’s ever-present odor of ice and the scent of his oeat It ive an ill-tih his hand was now shaking so badly that she probably didn’t feel particularly threatened

Alance as if to ask, What now, chief?

In Holden’s mind, the room shifted into a tactical problem with an almost physical click The eleven potential co were in three clusters None of the visible arroup of four to the far left of the rooun Holden was pretty sure he could take down the three directly in front of him That left four for the Pinkwater people to handle Best not to count on Prax for any of it

He finished the split-second tally of potential casualties, and almost of its own volition, his thumb clicked the assault rifle to full auto

This is not you

Shit

“We don’t have to do this,” he said, instead of opening fire “No one has to die here today We’re looking for a little girl Help us find her, and everyone walks away froance and bravado in the woman’s face for the hed the casualties her tea where that went Holden gave her a smile and a nod to help her decide Talk to me We’re all rational people here

Except that not all of theun at her as if his gesture would be soh the air “Tell me where Mei is!”

“I—” she started to reply, but Prax screaun

As if in slow motion, Holden saw eleven hands dart down to the holsters at their belts

Shit

Chapter Seventeen: Prax

In the cine of how people of violence interacted, the cocking of a gun was less a threat than a kind of punctuation in with threats and slaps, but when he cocked his gun, thatPrax had considered any more carefully than which urinal to use when he wasn’t the only one in the men’s room or how to step on and off a transport tube It was the untaught etiquette of received wisdoun, and then people talked

“Where’s irl!” he yelled

He cocked his pistol