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He said, without looking up, "Fuck you, Lewis I’m not your bitch I don’t have to do what you say"

Lewis started to reply, but I grabbed hiet ernails He flinched and looked at ht dawn in his eyes and clear away the fog of anger He took a deep breath and walked away fro for the far corner of the rooaze followed hi for a confrontation

I said, very softly, "Would you be willing to join the Sentinels? Go undercover?"

That brought Kevin’s attention back to e - far too young to be so angry and defensive "What?" he asked On the far side of the room, Lewis turned and made a move, but then he checked himself with a real physical effort

"You’d be credible," I continued "You’re strong, you’ve never really liked the Wardens, and you’re on record as being one ofyou already Why not join up? You could be our inside ht stroke of fingers, and I heard hiination, "Are you sure about this?" I wasn’t, but it was the best chance ere probably going to have to send someone inside the Sentinels quickly

Kevin abruptly sank back in his chair in a tradee slump, round-shouldered and boneless His eyes drifted half closed "Yeah," he said "Why not? They’ll probably be better company than the old farts around here The Sentinels may be assholes, but at least they have some backbone"

A few eyebroent up around the table, but nobody said anything They were leaving it up to me, and I knew - knew - that I was about toman his life

I said, "Do it And Kevin?" He cocked his head to one side "If they ask you to kill me, demand at least five million That’s the currentshorted on the deal"

He s smile at all "Maybe I’ll do it at a discount," he said, "because we’re such good friends"

And then he flippedof the Wardens

"I’ a stop to it," Lewis said an hour later He’d been pacing for at least forty-five minutes, with occasional stops at theto twitch back the blinds and stare out at the city street He looked off balance, and it was odd seeing him so out of control Lewis had always, by definition, been the guy who held it together in a crisis "He’s a kid, Jo You can’t send hi to," I said "Cherise is going with him"

He spun and looked at me as if I’d lost as left of my mind I didn’t blame him; if I’d ht to order ner fall colors

I raised h, e of Lewis’s office door and gave me a tentative wave "Coave Lewis a char dimpled smile that didn’t seem to make him feel any less unhappy about my idea, and shut the office door behind her That didn’t leave much room Typical Lewis: Give hianization around the world, and he’ll do sooofy like take the smallest office available, even if he has to kick a junior analyst out to do it There was a battered desk that still bore scars froh this place, and a couple of slightly-less-than-new chairs, and paperwork And a sleek new computer that I doubted he turned on much

With the four of us, it was crowded I say four, even though David was, to all intents and purposes, a shadow; he hadn’t said a word, and he’d taken up a post leaning in the corner, ar us with an expression I could only think of as bemused

Cherise spread her ar?" she asked

"You have any objection to going with Kevin when he joins the Sentinels? It could be dangerous, you know"

"Ooooh, I live for danger! But do you think they’ll believe I won’t run back to squeal to you about what’s going on?"

"I think just the opposite," I said "I think they’ll keep you as a hostage for Kevin’s good behavior, and that also ensures you don’t rat them out to me It puts you squarely in the hot seat It alsoof as a threat What do you think?"

Her blue eyes widened; she seeht for a second, then nodded "Could work," she said "Could definitely work"

Lewis lost his cool "What the hell are you talking about, could work? Look, Jo, I’ a kid in, and I’o She’s not even a Warden - "

"Exactly," I said "She’s not even a Warden If they’re going to underestimate anyone, they’ll underestiave Cherise the nod, and her forure of the beach bunny taking on sharper edges and angles

Rahel sighed, stretched, and looked down at her clothes as they shifted to her traditional neon-yellow pantsuit She flicked an iinary mite of dust from the cloth, and cocked a sassy eyebrow at Lewis

He closed his ain to say, "I didn’t know you could do that"

Rahel ss I can do that you haven’t even begun to iine " She winked, to top it off

"Are you sure you’re strong enough?" Lewis asked He was trying very hard to ignore the so enough to iers impatiently "Please You insultlike difficult to i as I had I’d known the Djinn could do it, of course; David had pulled it off with me e’d met, and there was no doubt that he could, when he chose, take on other forms But he’d told uise, able to perfectlyI hadn’t known any more than Lewis had, evidently I wondered whose form she’d taken on before, and for what purposes

"You’re sure you knohat to do?" Lewis asked