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Sunrise daarrew oppressive I was upstairs in urt Exhaustion was blurring- hence the yogurt, which wasn’t really eating, per se All I wanted to do was take a shower and nap Can’t do anything until David coht as well rest up
Instead, after my shohich was every bit as wonderful as I’d anticipated) I ended up, phone book and phone next toso I could cross off ite proble to be served on plastic? Really? - when the phone rang I picked it up i it would be a callback from the florist
Instead, it was Cherise, and man, was she pissed "You don’t trust me," she said "I can’t believe you!"
"Where are you?" I asked in alarm, because I’d left strict instructions that Cherise could not be seen or heard from, under any circumstances, until this charade with Kevin and Rahel was over with "Cher - "
"Oh, relax, this is a secured line My buddies from the Wardens and Houard So I’ood little convict," she said "By the way, thanks for booking me at a nice hotel Lewis said I could order roo the waiters, noEven if I order porn"
If that was the worst of it, I’d gladly pony up the cost of pay-per-view "You need anything? Clothes?"
"What’s the point? Not going anywhere I’ around in a T-shirt It’s like a pajaet really bored with paintingto call you and take it out on you" She paused for a second, and her tone grew erous? You know, for Kevin?"
"Maybe" I couldn’t be dishonest with her, not Cherise "But he wanted to do it In fact, he kind of insisted"
"He would Rahel’s doing ht? So he’s covered?" She er for reassurance I sed hard
"He’s covered," I said "Rahel’s set hier But I’d fought that battle with David, and lost All I could do was hope that Kevin, whom I’d properly prepared with all the infornize trouble co and help her avoid it
"These Sentinel people Do you knoho any of them are?"
"No," I said "Well, one, but he’s dead now"
"Then how do you knoho you can trust?"
"I trust you," I said "I trust Lewis For this, I trust Kevin I always trust David But believeset yourself hurt quite as often" I heard the TV cooing to my happy place Russell Crowe movie festival, baby Sorry you can’t be there, but if you decide to come over - "
"I’ to see you would blow our whole operation"
"I guess" She sighed "Okay, Mr Dreamypants is on Call you later?"
"Yes," I said "Hey, Cher?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you know any good caterers?"
Cherise’s question about the Sentinels stayed with me the rest of the day, as I went about my so-called normal life If anybody had turned up likely suspects for the Sentinels list, they weren’t sharing it with ot calls fro ossip about the confrontation with Kevin I answered honestly to both, so far as it went I didn’t try to hide my frustration with Kevin, but I told them it was Lewis’s problem, not e, but h I couldn’t rule anyone out
Hearing o off I was boiling pasta I took the precaution of turning off the burner - in case I died, no sense in burning the building down again - and went to look through the peephole
It was David Oh I had told hiet hi it wide -
David lunged forward, grabbed me by the throat, and drove me back to the wall as he kicked the door shut It was a real threat; his grip was bruising ulation I grabbed for his wrist, which was stupid, and tried to get a screanized the expression It wasn’t David’s, although he earing David’s face I croaked out, "Don’t you fucking pretend to be hied, and the Djinn morphed into his more usual form
It was Ashan, leader of the Old Djinn Venna’s brother and boss, and the least likeable creature I’d everthe ones who’d tried to kill rays and ice whites, and he didn’t care for people at all He liked ood deal less than that "I’ve come for a purpose," he said, "but I don’t need to hear your prattle"
I ot the point across that his grip onh to allow breath in, profanity out After the profanity, I gotto Die to Total Panic, and said, "What the hell are you talking about?"