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"What?"

"You owe et it?"

"Yes, I’!"

"Billy! Did You Get--"

"Yes, daot it!"

"Thank you," I told him fervently

And shifted

Chapter Three

"Don’t," I told Marco, a decade and a half later, when he opened the door to the Vegas hotel suite I called houard He’s about six foot five, ht train My legs aren’t as big around as his arht feel weird except that most ar-, example of machismo who is usually covered in weapons he doesn’t need because he’s also awhen he decides to play ht

"Hadn’t planned on it," Marco said, and yankedwith you?" I asked, because Marco was looking kind of freaked-out That orrying on soned to lead uard because he was the oldest of Mircea’s h he was kind of looking rattled now

"We got a proble loose a little cloud of Tony’s lousy housekeeping "No"

"What does that ing in at two a around my neck and an all-but-destroyed T-shirt But apparently not I edged around hi pastries frooing to live long enough to have to worry about cholesterol

"Itto bed If there’s a problem, it can wait until--"

I stopped, because I’d just noticed the living room It would have been called sunken if it hadn’t been on the twenty-second floor of the hotel It was a tasteful medley of white and blue and yellow, since I’d had a say in redecorating after the last disaster hit It was also usually deserted, the guards preferring to hang out in the lounge with the pool table and the beer fridge

But that wasn’t true tonight Tonight, every guard on duty was either sitting in the little conversation area, sathered by the bar It was like a party

Or rim

"Why’s everybody out here?" I asked Marco, who had followed ht of stairs

"’Cause of thee Which I’d just noticed was closed off, with the pocket doors shut tight I’d never seen theuys preferred an open floor plan to better keep an eye on me

But it looked like they felt they could do without an eye on whoever was inside

"Who’s ‘theht" At least, I really hoped I didn’t The kind of guest I got at two aed variety, and not the fun kind "Tell me it’s not more senators," I said, because I really, really wasn’t up to that

"I wish"

I sighed and crossed my filthy arms "Okay Out with it"

But he didn’t come out with it "Where’s Jonas? You’re supposed to be with hied "Ho for coffee And it had been a while, since despite the fact that I looked like a war refugee, I’d still had to wait in line

Vegas

"Daht Marco looked al doors opened and a s them dramatically shut behind hilowered at him

"You heard me," the vaer, that they deserve--"

"I’ll tell you what they deserve," Marco saidto eat, but you knoe don’t have any food in the place and I don’t knohat--" The va at

"No," I said, trying to hide it behind uy who had just crossed a room in an eyeblink was named Fred He looked like an accountant when he stood still long enough--ispy brown hair and a soure--which was fair, since that’s what he had been before getting tapped for guard duty I still hadn’t found out who he’d had to piss off to get stuck with that

I kneho he was h

He saw ray eyes going huge And then the little weasel ran for it

"Come back here!" I de I’d just stood in line twenty freakingfor the kitchen

Only to findon him when he arrived

"What--how--shit!" He stared atto attack him, since it hadn’t beaten in a few hundred years now "You know I hate it when you do that!"