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Paolo had tried to hook up with the girl, the pre-Diana Diana She’d discouraged hiirl had sidled up beside Caine and made it clear that she’d like to ’s effects

Caine had rebuffed her, but she’d said, “Oh, you think you’re too cool, right? You think you’re out of ue, don’t you?”

“You said it, not me”

“Yeah? Guess what? Your dad needs o up on deck and tell uess what? Your dad loses this deal and he blames you”

Her eyes shone with triumph She had hihing men up on deck and their stupid fish

She was sure of it, that Diana

But Caine had laughed “Go ahead”

“I will,” she said

“Fine Go”

He had come to realize a basic truth that day: You can’t be trapped by other people, you can only be trapped by your own fear Defy and win

On that day, that day on the boat, Caine had been less afraid than the girl And he’d known intuitively that he held the winning hand

Defy and win

The problem noas that Caine was truly, deeply afraid of the creature in that mine Afraid all the way down to his bones Afraid down to the smallest, farthest, most secret recesses of his mind

He couldn’t bluff the Darkness The Darkness kneas afraid

There was a rope wrapped tightly around his mind and soul The other end of that rope was held by the dark thing at the botto that rope, picking up an ax, raising it high above his head, bringing it doith all his ht…