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I blinked "You’re bluffing"

"Am I? Can you really be completely sure of that? Because if you’re not, love, I’d suggest you weigh your own ainst the lives of the six hundred people ork in that building during the week And the fourteen preschoolers who could end up tragic statistics"

It wasn’t possible, was it? He wouldn’t really be willing to bo, especially when it was full of people Especially with kids inside My hands ached where I was gripping the dashboard, braced against the tense panic inHe just let me think about it in silence

Oh, Christ Hoas I supposed to knohether he’d do a thing like that or not? I didn’t know hio by my impressions, and my impression was that Eaht, right noas iven the stakes

"Pull over," I said

"Why?"

"Pull over now"

He did, buency flashers I opened the door and stepped out into the huht I was about to barf all over his leather interior, fine I just wanted to get away from him for a couple of minutes His co and cloying I looked around for the white van, but it hadn’t slowed and it hadn’t stopped; it blew right by us without a pause, and was receding in the distance

So much for my paranoid tail theory And Eaood, and had overshot us to pick us up later on the road It was a good strategy, if he had it in htforward, and eren’t likely to turn off quite yet

I heard the crunch of gravel behind otten out of the car

"Jo," he said quietly I stiffened at the sound of my name on his lips "Let’s do this in a businesslike fashion It doesn’t have to be so ridiculously dramatic Just do the job, and we’re finished, the two of us I think it would be best for us all"

He wasn’t wrong about that I fought back a powerful desire to turn and knee hied to keep most of the fury out of my voice

"Two hours," he said "Give or take If it’ll et building Eaht of the ocean It was built in the shelter of a large ridge, but that wouldn’t pose much of a problem At least, I didn’t think it would Hard to kno difficult this was going to be, when I couldn’t re like it before

I did so a Mexicanthe war It was, the outdoor barista told me, unseasonably warm even for SoCal

Eamon came with me Not like I could really stop him

We walked in silence the four square blocks around the building, which was at the outer edge of an industrial park Its proxis easy, I sensed Two floors of it were still under construction, and that would help; any instability would work inWhy do you want it done?" I asked Ea He shot lance "Insurance money?" I asked

He looked bored with ?" I shrugged "Probably But weather’s a funny thing It’s not exactly a precision instrument"

"I don’t care about precision I care about results" He stared for a second at the building "It’s a weekend, and I’ve already uard’s been called away Building’s locked up and unattended for the next six hours How long will it take?"

I had no earthly idea I inging it "Two hours," I said

"What do you need?"

I waggled the Mexican mocha "Another one of these, and you out of h to assuht, and, of course, there was Sarah holding ood behavior I sat down on a boulder on the beach, watching the dark tide roll in Point Lolowed not far away, and froht air s urge to weep

"So, are you going to do it?"

Venna’s voice I turned She was standing just a couple of feet away, perfectly turned out in a sky blue dress, white pinafore apron, white ankle socks, black patent-leather shoes Straight blond hair, held back with a blue band Huge cornflower eyes Looking absolutely the saas, when she’d left ain "You know he only wants it done for the money I didn’t think you approved of that"

"Now you show up?"

"Well, I was busy," she replied She came and sat down next to me, neat and tidy, hands folded in her lap The sea air blew her fine blond hair back over her shoulders, and her black shoes dangled several inches off the sand "Why did you leave?"

"Leave?"

"Where I put you," she said patiently "It was a perfectly nice place I even checked with other people to be sure it was all right"

"Did you actually rent the roorown a second head "Why would I do that?"

"Because hotels have a funny habit of renting the a trespasser?"

"Oh" She conteht frown "I can never keep you people’s rules straight"

I gave up "Why didn’t you just find erous," she said "It could kill you"

I stared at her, struck du about this, but honestly, I’d thought he’d been exaggerating "Youoing to tell me this when, exactly?"

She seemed offended "Most Djinn kill people every time they try it I do a lot better"

"Well, that"You’re all right, aren’t you? I didn’t remember the police would want you, too It’s hard to res like that" She shook her head as if it was a as trivial as arrests for murder "You were supposed to stay I didn’t know you’d leave"

"I didn’t leave I was arrested!"

"If you say so" Alice-Venna-sat there looking for all the world like a surly ten-year-old girl Maybe twelve Not a well-developed twelve "Are you going to do what he wants? Bring down the building?"