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"How do you know this?"
"We’re incos
A pause "What’s the safety factor?" I ask
"As long as you stay away from him?"
I nod
A tear, one tiny drop, slips down her cheek, changes its mind and evaporates, while she tries to smile
"So-so," she whispers
Finally I say, "I’ my arm before I turn away
"What?" I groan "I’ I’m tired"
"Victor, wait," she says
I stand there
"In the co in "In the computer At the house There’s a file" She pauses, nods at a guest "The file is called ’Wings"’ Pause As she turns away, she says, "You need to see it"
"Why do I need to see it?" I ask "I don’t care anyirl you met on the QE2 " Jamie ss, doesn’t knohere to look, tries to coirl who disappeared frorasps my reaction-its hatefulness-she just nods to herself, " I’ confetti
Because of how the apartment is lit, extras have to be careful not to trip over electric cables or the dolly tracks that line the center of the living room, and in the lobby the first AD from the French film crew hands uy-is wearing little round sunglasses, s shoe sizes with Dermot Mulroney, but then I realize that they’re both on separate cell phones and not talking to each other and Russell pretends to recognize me and "drunkenly" shouts, "Hey, Victor!"
I pretend to smile I reach out to shake his hand
"Hey, co the hand away "We haven’t seen each other ininback, offering reat, it’s cool," I’away "Bye-bye"
"Great," Russell says, slappingto his conversation on the cell phone as Derripped between his knees
In the cab heading back to the house in the 8th or the 16th I find a card Russell slipped in my pocket
A time Tomorrow An address A corner I should stop at Directions to that corner Suggestions on how to behave All of this in tiny print that I’ at in the back of the cab until I’ainst theThe cab swerves around asub the streets My back aches I makeup applied earlier offthe cab fare
I press the code to deactivate the alarh the courtyard
The living room is empty-just the furniture pushed aside earlier this afternoon by the French fil off my overcoat I move over to the computer It’s already on I tap a key I enter a command
Chapter Sixteen