He started to follow her down a street. But it looked dark down in the direction she was heading. Glancing back over his shoulder, Ron saw that the bright lights of the main avenue seemed to be behind them.

“Wait . . . shouldn’t we be going the other way?”

Sylvia reached for his free hand. “Naw—that’s where all th’ tourists stay. Dose big dumps charge ya two hunnerd a night for a room th’ size of a rat’s nest. And they’re all full-up by now. Right? C’mon down this way.”

She seemed to be in a hurry.

“What’s the rush?” Ron asked.

For a moment Sylvia’s face looked strange. Like she wanted to tell him something but was afraid to. The light from the street lamps made everything look weird, shadowy, off-color.

“C’mon,” she repeated, with a smile that was starting to look forced. “This is a great hotel. You’ll like it.”

Shrugging, Ron let her lead him down the street, into the deepening darkness. They crossed one avenue and started down the next block.

“Hey Sylvie.”

She stopped as if she had hit a steel barrier.

Ron turned to see a guy about his own age and height step out of the shadows of a doorway. He was grinning, but there was no fun in it.

“Been waitin’ fer ya,” he said.

“I’m busy, Dino,” Sylvia said. Her voice was suddenly flat and hard, nothing like the way she had talked to Ron.

“Yer supposed t’be workin’,” Dino said. “I been waitin’ here for a half-hour, maybe longer.”

“Some other time,” Sylvia said. But she didn’t move.

Dino looked Ron up and down. Without taking his eyes off Ron, he asked Sylvia, “Who’s th’ dude? You goin’ out on yer own again? You know what Al’s gonna say when he finds out.”

“You don’t hafta tell him.”

“Get ridda th’ dude,” Dino said, still looking at Ron.

“Flash off, Dino,” Sylvia said. “I’ll see ya later.”

Dino pushed Ron on the chest with one hand. “Get humpin’, dude. She’s seen enough of you.”

Ron took a half-step backward, but he could feel his anger rising. “Now wait a minute—”

“I said get humpin’!” Dino swung an open-handed slap at Ron’s face.

Without thinking about it, Ron dropped the box of clothes, blocked Dino’s slap, and countered with a right to his midsection. Dino’s eyes popped wide and he went “Oof!” and folded almost in half.

But when he straightened up again there was a knife in his hand. Long and slim and glittering in the light from the street lamp.

“Dino, don’t!” Sylvia screamed.

“Shuddup!” he snapped. “You get yours next.”

Ron felt hot with anger. This guy was going to hurt Sylvia; he meant it. But first he’ll have to stop me.

Strangely, Ron felt no fear. Almost like karate class back home. Calm. Even his anger was helping him to see things clearly. Dino was about his own height, yes. But he was skinny, almost frail-looking. His eyes looked weird. And he moved slowly. That slap he had aimed at Ron had been so slow that the kids in karate class would have laughed at it.