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a30a4c4
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Hope for the best, plan for the worst,
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Craig Schaefer |
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5a95a5a
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Oh, hey," I said. "Looks like the whole Vegas Metro SWAT division is here. Plus the FBI, Homeland Security, and probably the IRS for good measure."
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Craig Schaefer |
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77fb365
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Sounds ominous," I said. "Do you get a cool code name, too?" "No, but I have handcuffs--" "Kinky." "--and a gun." I shook my head. "There you go, ruining the mental image."
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Craig Schaefer |
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e496c45
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Of course, the best lies are always wrapped in verifiable truth. It makes the filling easier to swallow.
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Craig Schaefer |
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4b50b5c
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Alchemist's...clay? What is that?" "It's a special kind of clay," I said. "And it won't set off the metal detectors?" I stared at him through the slot. "No," I said. "Because it's clay."
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Craig Schaefer |
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e35b0ab
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He held out his hand. "Give it to me," he hissed as his fingernails lengthened into claws. "If you insist," I said. Then I shot him in the face."
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Craig Schaefer |
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5efa344
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Monsters always prey on the people who've already been beaten down.
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Craig Schaefer |
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8981c32
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And, uh, could I borrow somebody's car? Mine's impounded and I can't reclaim it because I'm kinda legally dead right now.
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Craig Schaefer |
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9aa1151
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I'd never broken into a cemetery before. There's a first time for everything.
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Craig Schaefer |
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f3b0faa
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Most confidence games depend on the mark not knowing they're being conned. The Kansas City Shuffle depends on the mark knowing it. Not only do they have to see you coming, they have to figure out your entire plan before it happens." "Problem being," Corman said, "they're working to stop the wrong con. You get 'em looking left, while you rob 'em blind on the right." "We can't take the coin out of the building," I said, "but Royce can. So let..
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Craig Schaefer |
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386b1c5
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I knew a junkie when I saw one, and this guy was a long-term member of the heroin weight-loss program.
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Craig Schaefer |
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3dc77a8
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A witch, a sorcerer, and a fucking demon from hell say I'm not trustworthy." "You're a psychopath," I said. She shrugged. "I've been told that means that I know the difference between right and wrong, I just don't care. Hey, that description sound like anybody you know, Faust?"
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Craig Schaefer |
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76d8182
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Bye, Stanwyck, I thought. I promised Coop I'd send you straight to hell. Looks like you're taking the long, scenic route instead. I'd be lying if I said I gave a damn.
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Craig Schaefer |
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1b045bf
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Literally sold his soul? Like, 'Devil Went Down to Georgia,' Robert Johnson at the crossroads--" "Like Mephistopheles and your namesake, or the violinist Niccolo Paganini, or the Rolling Stones, yes, exactly." She paused. "Forget I said that last one."
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Craig Schaefer |
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a46aad7
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Now, neither of you gentlemen are under my court's authority, so I can't technically pass my formal judgment upon you. I think...we'll just call this a double homicide.
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Craig Schaefer |
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e039584
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Two months ago, Lauren Carmichael's husband and son were murdered in a home invasion. She was conveniently working late that night. Sheldon Kaufman's sister died two weeks later, casualty of a convenience store robbery. Just a day after that, Meadow Brand's father was stabbed to death in what's being reported as a mugging gone wrong." Why don't you just kill your wife? Sheldon had asked Tony back at the golf course. Because I don't love my ..
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Craig Schaefer |
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11bc927
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I'm going to find out who Amber is. We've got to get to her before he does." My head swirled with maybes. Maybe Tony would lose his nerve. Maybe he'd drag his heels just a little longer. Maybe he'd show his hand too soon, and Amber would fight him off or get away from him in time. There was still a chance. I love social media and the people who are careless with it. Tony had an open Facebook profile. I rummaged through his pictures and post..
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Craig Schaefer |
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013cae8
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We'll put in at a private airport--the owner goes deaf and blind if you kick him twenty bucks--and head for this place in the French Quarter. Restaurant with a sideline in moving contraband. They know me there. More important, they won't sell me out. Then we can plan our next move, which I imagine is gonna involve a lot of guns." "Tell me you're single," Jessie said. "Sorry, wrong team." "It's true what they say," Jessie sighed. "All the go..
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Craig Schaefer |
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c4ef19b
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hit me with eighty thousand volts of electricity. Every muscle in my body went rigid, and I flopped like a fish on the pavement, hitting
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Craig Schaefer |
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fff94e6
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Magic is not, as a general rule, the healthiest of passions or the gentlest of muses.
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Craig Schaefer |
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2496420
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favor? Stop putting real occult-underground shit in your books. You're gonna get yourself in trouble. Or you're gonna get me in trouble." "Come" --
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Craig Schaefer |
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b2dfec2
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What's going on, Faust?" "Hive B. They're running death matches for rich sickos to gamble on. Warden Lancaster and the guards are all in on it. That's why nobody ever comes back from Hive B. They're not on lockdown, Brisco. They're dead." Under two days of stubble, Brisco's cheeks turned pale. "Jesus," he breathed. "You're serious."
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Craig Schaefer |
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53dd5c3
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I gave him the list of what I needed. Brisco squinted at me. "How is that gonna help?" "Didn't you ever watch MacGyver? That guy could make bombs out of paper clips and chewing gum." "Yeah, but...you aren't MacGyver." I shook my head. "Oh ye of little faith. Just make sure I get everything on that list, and fast. Otherwise I'm a dead man--and you're next."
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Craig Schaefer |
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2d6300f
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My first escape attempt had been a disaster and this one was likely to land me in an unmarked grave, but the situation wasn't all bad. At least I was able to cross one thing off my bucket list. You know all those movies where the bad guy gets captured, but it turns out that was the key to his master plan all along? Not gonna lie. I'd always wanted to do that.
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Craig Schaefer |
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f4f31e1
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manager, he works late two nights out of five, but there's no way to predict which ones. What I do know is his home address, the names of his wife and their two little girls, and what their bedroom windows look like. If he's there, he'll cooperate, and we won't need a gun to make him do it. Just words.
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Craig Schaefer |
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7dd683d
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When Harmony Black and her task force came to town, my girlfriend promised she'd find the best lawyer around. That was Perkins. He was so slick he didn't have fingerprints--literally--and I'd gotten the impression he'd been practicing law for a very long time. As in centuries.
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Craig Schaefer |
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a300264
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Now you've brought him in for a burglary that, unless I'm mistaken, didn't actually take place." "He was in the process of breaking into the building," she said. "We caught him in the act." Somehow, his smile grew even broader. "Really? He was in the building? Was he even in the parking lot? One of your colleagues says he wasn't." "How did you--" "Did my client have any burglary tools in his possession? Lockpicks? A crowbar hidden up his sl..
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Craig Schaefer |
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c4d6d8f
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If you even think about pulling another heist, I'll be there. If you rob a bank, I'll be in the vault waiting for you. If you so much as shoplift a candy bar, I'll be standing right behind you in the convenience store. Remember this room, because you will be back here. Soon." "Admission of the intent to harass my client," Perkins said archly. "Go fuck yourself," Harmony told him."
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Craig Schaefer |
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0f32211
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The problem with security, real and bulletproof security, is that it's ugly. By way of example, take a look at a supermax prison or better yet, a liquor store in the bad part of town. The rich and beautiful want to feel safe in their homes, but they don't want to look out through barred windows or ruin their view of the canyon with strings of razor wire. There's always a compromise between safety and aesthetics, and that compromise is where..
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Craig Schaefer |
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9b7b06f
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In my experience, the handoff was the most dangerous part of a deal. If your client decided to pay you in bullets instead of cash, this was where it would go down.
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Craig Schaefer |
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264c6b0
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Standing next to Caitlin was like walking into a lioness' den wearing a suit made of T-bone steaks. No amount of infatuation could make me forget what she was, or drown out the memory of Artie Kaufman's dying screams. So why did I linger on the steps outside the restaurant, flirting around the edges of a goodnight kiss like a teenager?
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Craig Schaefer |
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a634f6c
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There are few things more dangerous than a zealot with discipline
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zealots
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Craig Schaefer |
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f24d657
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I can't hear you, people! Make some noise if you want a good show. How about death? Do you wanna see lots and lots of death tonight?" I took in the applause, the hollering, the hammering feet, basking in it. Then my arm shot up, pointing one finger to the ceiling. The guard-tower window exploded. A man plummeted from the tower, slamming on the concrete floor behind me with a splat like someone stomping on a tomato. He'd been torn open from ..
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Craig Schaefer |
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e37dc0b
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A marketing ploy, or proof of Illuminati mind control? Over the past week, the images have spread from Miami to Houston to LA, painted by ordinary citizens who claim to have no memory of the deed. Plagued by nightmares, these afflicted souls are . . .
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Craig Schaefer |
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9ad0b8e
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Good evening, Eisenberg Correctional. This is your new warden speaking. You may have noticed that every single door in the prison has just opened. This is in keeping with our new 'leave whenever you want' policy. We fully encourage you to explore this exciting new option! Also, for your information, the guards have been complicit in a scheme to orchestrate inmates' deaths for profit, and you outnumber them by about fifty to one." I clicked ..
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Craig Schaefer |
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7fab3cf
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His eyes bulged. "How the hell...who are you people?" "She's the right hand of a demon prince," I told him, "and I'm her boyfriend. Probably should have found that out before you blasted me with a fire hose, huh?" "He did what?" Caitlin said. "Aw, it's okay." I gave Jablonski a shove, getting him moving up the corrugated metal stairs."
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Craig Schaefer |
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0cdd6e6
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What about him?" one of Brisco's entourage asked, glaring at Jablonski. They all were, actually. He wasn't a popular man. I pretended to think about it. "Well, here's the thing. I promised I wouldn't kill him if he did everything I told him to, and he did." I patted Jablonski on the back. "So I guess here's where we part ways. Nice seeing ya, buddy." "Wait," Jablonski said, his head on a swivel as he backed up against the guardrail. "You ca..
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Craig Schaefer |
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3502f3c
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Oh. Oh. Well, that is useful information. Thank you, dear. Yes, yes, you're terribly thoughtful and I couldn't have a better best friend. Yes, we'll have to do a--" A con with a bloody spike in his grip charged at us, shrieking like a madman. Caitlin's free hand clamped down over his face. She wrenched his head sideways, his neck breaking with a sharp snap, and let his corpse drop to the concrete. "--a girls' night out when I get back," she..
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Craig Schaefer |
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c30c27c
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I chuckled. "Yeah, okay." He relaxed, sinking back in his chair, mirroring my smile. "But you know the old saying," I told him. His brow furrowed. "What old saying?" "Two people can keep a secret," I said, "if one of them is dead." He barely had time for the shock to register on his face as I grabbed his wrist and yanked up his right hand. I pressed the muzzle to his temple and his hand to the barrel. "No," he gasped, just before I pulled t..
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Craig Schaefer |
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af65320
|
Cait," I called over, "how much is this going to cost?" Sudden silence. Every eye in the room fell upon me, cold as winter ice. "Right," I said, holding up a hand. "I'm just gonna maybe shut up now."
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Craig Schaefer |
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7676555
|
Shape-shifter?" he snorted. "No such thing." I leaned back on his couch and tilted my head at him. "Gary?" I said. "You've got demon blood. You know I'm a sorcerer and that magic is real. Are you really gonna take the 'no such thing' angle with me?" He glanced down, biting his lip. "Yeah, okay," he said. "Fair point."
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Craig Schaefer |
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ba1c3f7
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Do I look Lithuanian to you?
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Craig Schaefer |
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bd76f25
|
she spat a single word. A long, guttural, twisting word that evoked frozen Germanic winters. The trigger to the spell she'd been weaving for days. The toxic miasma above our heads exploded with a peal of thunder and her spite-fueled power crashed down on Cesar, one man alone in a torrent of death. The paper cut on his bicep ripped open, as if someone had taken pliers to his skin and given it one brutal, wrenching tug. Blood gushed from the ..
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Craig Schaefer |
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b516823
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Whatever you did, man, you laid her to rest." I didn't lay Stacy's soul to rest. I sent her to hell. It wasn't my finest hour."
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Craig Schaefer |