Bubba took in our shocked faces and smiled. He leaned in toward Phil and said, “Take a good look at them. Then think what I’m going to do to you someday, pussy.”

As Bubba sauntered down the alley toward them, I said, “What, you already interrogated them?”

He shook his head and swigged some vodka. “Hell, no. I had no idea what questions to ask.”

“So why they all beat to shit, Bubba?”

He reached Kevin and bent down by him, looked back at me with his deranged grin. “Because I was bored.”

He winked and slapped Kevin’s jaw and Kevin screamed through his wired teeth.

“Jesus, Patrick,” Phil whispered. “Jesus.”

“Relax, Phil,” I said, though my own blood churned.

Bubba stepped over beside Jack and slapped him in the side of the head so hard you could hear the sound ring across the fourth floor, but Jack didn’t scream, just closed his eyes for a moment.

“Okay.” Bubba turned around and his trench coat lifted and swirled around him for a moment. He staggered back to us and his combat boots sounded like the hoofs of Clydesdales. “Ask your questions, Patrick.”

“How long they been there?” I said.

He shrugged. “Few hours.” He picked up a dusty bowling ball from the rack, wiped it with his sleeve.

“Maybe we should get them some water or something.”

He spun on me. “What? You fucking kidding me? Patrick”—he placed his arm around me, used the bowling ball to gesture in their direction—“that’s the asshole who threatened to kill you and Grace. Remember? Those are the fucks who could have stopped this a month ago, before Angie got shot, before Kara Rider got crucified. They’re the enemy,” he hissed and the alcohol on his breath rode over me like a wave.

“True,” I said as Kevin shook involuntarily. “But—”

“No buts!” Bubba said. “No buts! You said today you were ready to shoot them if necessary. Right? Right?”

“Yes.”

“Well, then? What? There they are, Patrick. Be a man of your word. Don’t fucking embarrass me. Don’t.”

He removed his arm and pulled the bowling ball close to his chest, caressed it.

I’d said I’d shoot them to get information, and at the time I’d felt it. But it was real easy to say and real easy to feel standing in a hospital waiting room, for distanced from the actual human flesh and bone and blood I was threatening.

Now, here were two bloodied human beings rendered completely helpless and at my mercy. And they weren’t vague concepts, they were breathing. And shaking.

At my mercy.

I left Bubba and Phil and walked down the alley toward Kevin. He watched me come and seemed to gather strength from it. Maybe he thought that I was the weak link here.

When Grace had told me he’d approached her table, I’d said I’d kill him. And at that moment, if he’d walked into the room, I would have. That was rage.

This was torture.