Will and the girl turned to stare at him. The man trailed off. “. . . I’ll come back,” he finished, and backed away.

“Is that what this is about?” the Indian boy asked me, gesturing around the shop. “Human shields?”

“Call it that if you like,” I said. “The question is, do you want to start a fight in the middle of them?”

Will gave me a look of utter contempt. “You really are a piece of work, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, given that you tried to murder me I can’t say I care much about your good opinion,” I said. “Now let’s do a head count. You’re outnumbered, outgunned, and in the middle of a crowd full of civilian witnesses. So again—do you really want to start a fight here?”

Will tensed. My precognition lit up and I closed my hand on the gun beneath the counter. He was about to—

The Indian boy grabbed Will. “Will! No.”

Will’s lips curled but he didn’t move. The customers seemed to be belatedly noticing that something was going on and a few of them had backed away, giving us some space. “I’m gonna fuck you up,” gold-hair girl told me and Luna.

“Try to send that ground fire at me or Alex,” Luna told the girl clearly, “and I will stuff it down your throat.”

“Bev!” The Indian boy caught the girl’s arm, his voice urgent. “Don’t! Remember the plan!”

Will shook the Indian boy off, but his face was controlled again and the moment was gone. “Big man, hiding behind kids,” he said, staring at me. “Why don’t you come out on your own?”

“Because I’d lose,” I said. “Last time we tried that you beat me, remember?”

Will’s lip curled. “Scared?”

“Actually, yes,” I said. “I’d rather not get killed if it’s all the same to you. Oh, and while we’re at it, what makes you so sure your sister’s dead?”

Will had been about to snap something back at me, but that made him stop. “Is that some kind of joke?”

“The last time I saw Catherine, she was still alive,” I said. “How about this? You stop trying to kill me, and I’ll do all I can to find her.”

Will stared at me. “That’s bullshit!” the girl said angrily. “We know she’s dead, we got told—”

“Bev!” the Indian boy snapped.

I held Will’s gaze. “Well?” I said when he didn’t move. “How about it?”