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Nick turned around at that, a rodent’s low cunning back on his face “Oh yeah?”

“Yes”

He ravity version of a saunter It was intended to look threatening, but to Anna, who’d grown up down the well on Earth, it just looked silly She suppressed a laugh

“Sophia won’t say shit,” Nick said, walking up to her desk to stare down at her “She knows better She fell down in the kitchen, and she’ll say it to the istrates”

“That’s true,” Anna said, then opened the drawer of her desk and took the taser out She held it in her lap where Nick couldn’t see it “She’s terrified of you But I’ht?” Nick said, leaning forward, trying to frighten her by pushing into her personal space Anna leaned toward hiation, and she is hter I love the to kill her”

“Like what?”

“I’ to call the police and tell them you threatened me” She reached for her desk teresture ht as well have said, Stopthe bones in her wrist together hard enough to ache Hard enough to bruise She pointed the taser at him with her other hand

“What’s that?”

“Thank you,” she said, “for round spash his hand on her arm It made her hair stand up She pulled up her desk terminal and called Sophia

“Sophia, honey, this is Pastor Anna Please listen toto your house soon to ask about Nick You need to show them the bruises You need to tell them what happened Nick will already be in jail You’ll be safe But Nick confronted me when I asked him about what happened to you, and if you want to keep us both safe, you need to be honest with theot Sophia to say she would talk to the police when they cas feebly

“Don’t move,” Anna said to him “We’re almost done here”

She called the New Dolinsk Police Department The Earth corporation that had once had the contract was gone, but there still seemed to be police in the tunnels, so someone had picked it up Maybe a Belter company Or the OPA itself It didn’t matter