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Chapter 1

CORMAC SAT quietly while the man across the desk from him talked

“… o” Porter gave a pleasant, practiced s by it He was nondescript, a ed bureaucrat with a plain suit and a tie someone else probably picked out for him The office was equally nondescript, fifteen-year-old interior design washed out by fluorescent lights shining through frosted plastic Cluttered desk, cluttered bookshelves, no view visible through a narro Porter’s padded executive chair didn’t look much uy co crazy? Cor to leave and never look back

He tried a tight-lipped smile in return, because it was expected It was polite, pretending like he thought the joke was funny He kept his hands in his lap and twirled a braided band of leather wrapped around his right wrist One turn, two, three …

Porter relaxed further, the vague look in his eyes suggesting heelse I can do for you, Mr Bennett? Anything at all?” He needed to be helpful, did Mr Porter

So rants for ex-cons, maybe soovernor, get his conviction overturned entirely, wipe the record clean and reinstate his concealed carry permit—

A bird in the hand, murmured a voice in the back of his lish accent Let’s not get carried away It’s enough to be done with this place

Correed Stick to the plan, and the plan was to end his parole as quickly and painlessly as possible Then stay the hell out of trouble so he’d never have to go through anything like prison again

“No, sir,” Cornature and I’ll get out of your hair”

“That’ll be my true pleasure, Mr Bennett” Pen scratched on paper, the official document that meant Cormac ell and truly—finally—done with the Colorado Depart the braided cord, counting Anyone watching would think he was fidgeting out of nervousness

At last, Porter turned the pages around, showed Corn, separated duplicate copies, folded one set, stuck them in an envelope, and handed the whole batch over

“There you go You are noe call ‘off paper’ and officially out of the systeratulations”