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“I couldn’t even see you You were here And then you were there”

“That’s why they callhim a jaunty wink But then her stomach reminded her that she had just burned up the day’s calories It rumbled so loudly, she was sure Jack must hear it

“You know, of course, that a breeze is actually a slow,sort of wind,” Jack said pedantically

“And you know, of course, that I can slap you eight tiht?”

Jack blinked

Brianna smiled

“Here,” Jack said cautiously He handed the gun to her, butt first “Take this”

She stuffed it into the backpack at her feet She drew out a can opener and the can of pizza sauce she’d saved up She cut the lid from the can and drank the spicy slop inside

“Here,” she handed the can to Jack “There’s a little left”

He didn’t argue but tilted the can up and patiently waited as no more than an ounce of red paste slid into his mouth Then he licked the inside of the can and used his forefinger to spoon out whatever he hadn’t been able to reach with his tongue

“So, Jack Whatever happened to you getting the phones working again?”

Jack hesitated, like he wasn’t sure he should tell her anything “They’re up and running Or will be as soon as I get the word from Sam”

Brianna stared at him “What?”

“It was a pretty simple problem, really We have three towers, one here in Perdido Beach, one e There’s a program that checks numbers to make sure the bill has been paid and so on, so that the nuram isn’t in the tower, obviously, it’s outside the FAYZ So I fixed it so that all phones are authorized”

“Can I call my mom?” Brianna asked She knew the answer, but she couldn’t quash the bounce of hope in ti