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The coroner’s personnel loaded the body into the body bag and onto the stretcher, then dutifully carted hiht, chick," Jill said "I’onna hit the road"

"Love you too, bitch," I replied, srinned and headed to her van I helped the officer take the tape down, thenwhere I’d left my car

A chill wind hite in temperature It was a mild day, but that blast of air felt practically arctic It faded as soon as it hitbehind an eerie cal on end That feels like the wind froh my head even as a whisper of arcane brushed past me

I turned slowly, co diagra else? Had to be Perhaps another portal like the one inripple of , instinctively wanting soht, scanning the area and the sky abovephysical that I could see, but there was an odd cast to the surroundings, like a slow coiling of power--rapidly producing the effect of scaring the ever-living shit out ofthat wanted me, and not in a nice way I knew that viscerally

Stucco dug intoI could feel hten and coalesce in front of ht And what the hell was it anyway? I still couldn’t see anything tangible

Stop panicking and start doing so like this, I was an easy target for whatever was happening Plus, I was pretty much powerless Too bad I don’t have a portable version of the storage diagraht, but I pushed it aside Noasn’t the ti like that If it was even possible

I shoved off the wall and took off at a dead run for my car I had no idea if I’d be any safer there, but visions raced through ers I’d faced, and the sanctuary of steel and plastic was better than nothing at all I could sense theat my heels

I heard the distant screech of tires on paveht flashed throughet hit by a car But I also had the unshakeable sense that getting hit by a car would hurt less

I heard a squeal of brakes, and suddenly a car slammed to a stop a few feet in front of er door open "Get in!" he shouted unnecessarily as I practically dove into the car from sheer momentum The instant I was as, and I had to yankfoot quickly inside as the acceleration closed the car door

I took a heaving gasp of relief, terror shifting to a me Then I looked up and processed who lanced first at ether in a thin line beneath his ulped and straightened in the seat, then fumbled for the seat belt "Yeah" I busied myself with the belt while I rackedacross the parking lot

But he’d so behind me?" I blurted

Uncertainty flickered in his eyes "Notexactly" He slid a look toward o conduct that search warrant and I saw you running " He paused, skepticis in his face "II didn’t see anything behind you" For an instant I thought he was going to add, but I knew so you But he’d claht have been tempted to say

A tense and aard silence descended upon the car as I resisted the urge to hug ht to scan the road behind us, but I couldn’t sense anything out of the ordinary

Crawford slowed and then pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store He parked, but left the car running He kept his gaze straight ahead and his hands on the steering wheel "Just give ht and tense "I’ else" Reed with the barest trace of fear

My chest tightened, a weary pitywith a nebulous sense of frustration I wanted hi to lie to hi the truth onto him would make it all blow up in my face Crawford had turned into an unexpected ally in the past fewdog," I heard , flat and expressionless "Rottweiler, I think I was trying to get to my car so that I wouldn’t have to shoot it"