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They were driving down drl tto the desert in his old Caain, but by this time, Natalie found the lack of lit-up switches and dials soothing rather than disturbing She was starting to see the unexpected benefits of a life without as es in light and movement in the dark interior of the car Her ears weren’t distracted by anything but the hum of the wheels as they sped over the cracked asphalt

She stilla phone? You owe et you one Will you lose anything from your old one?"

"I had it synched up withit, huh?"

He size for much At least when he did, she’d knoas sincere "I need to call Kristy and let her knohere I a to tell hed "I’ll be amazed if they haven’t fired me already"

"You told me you had sick days"

"Yeah, I’ to take before I can get back to work?" And, as suspected, he had no response to that She decided to change the subject "So, Rory, huh?"

"His involvement makes sense and it doesn’t He’s either clueless--a definite possibility--or he’s letting Ivan duid and Gio, most of the es to their authority recently If this is connected to the spread or distribution of Elixir--"

"Which everyone seems to think is likely"

"--then we need to be prepared for Ernesto to be challenged, too But at the saed? He’s got a pretty easy life right now Well, not as one, but he still has a lot of status Ernesto has always been generous with hi the status quoalmost as many questions as me now; I’m so proud And two, sometimes people’s motivations for crime don’t make sense Soht crazy Or there is no purpose No reason I’ve seen that, too You really think theseconspiracy?"

"They’re either linked, or it’s a hell of a coincidence Elixir just happens to show up in Mexico, and Ivan just happens to lose a waitress who’s been taking it, who just happens to show up dead near my sire’s casino? I don’t believe in coincidences like that Hopefully, we’ll find out ht"

She had forced hiain It was ti that Rory would have with the ain, he thought they could investigate Rory’s involveinally he had thought to do all that by hiered hi to wander off anywhere without me No matter what you hear Or see Or suspect"

"Yes, Coe"

"I like you so nore the sarcasm"