at all. Not a single one.

Hannah turned the engine off, but neither she nor the deputy

got out immediately; instead, Hannah twisted to look at Claire

and Eve through the mesh. “Here’s how this is going to go,” she

said. “You’re going to behave yourselves, get out, and walk with us into the building, and you’re going to act like civilized young ladies while we introduce you to the man in charge.”

“Or what? You’ll put a note in my permanent record?” Eve

scoffed.

“Or you’ll end up handcuffed, maybe Tasered, and the end re-

sult will be exactly the same, only with a lot less smiling,” Hannah 9780451414274_Daylighters_TX.indd 10

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said. “So I’d really rather skip all the unpleasantness and make

this as painless as possible for you.”

“Oh, sure, you’re only thinking about us,” Claire said. “I un-

derstand completely.”

Hannah gave her a long, troubled look, as if she understood

that Claire’s apparent surrender was more worrisome than Eve’s

open aggression. “I’m trying to help you kids,” she said. “Don’t

make me regret it.”

“I’m not a kid, and you ambushed my husband,” Eve said. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that there are plenty of things you’re going to regret. Probably very briefly, though, if that makes you feel better.”

Hannah exchanged a shrug with her deputy. “Well,” she said,

“I tried. If you want to make it difficult for yourselves, that’s certainly your right, I suppose.”

The two of them got out, and Hannah opened Claire’s door,

grabbed her by the arm, and shoved her against the cruiser with

firm strength.

Then she zip- tied her hands behind her. “Sorry,” she said. “But

I can read the tea leaves. The two of you aren’t going to go quietly.”

Shane was making trouble, too, trouble enough that Claire

heard the deputy in charge of him at the other car cursing as he

tried to manhandle her boyfriend into submission. Hannah let

out an impatient, frustrated growl and spun Claire around to face

her. “Calm him down,” she said. “Do it now.”

Claire lifted her chin. “Why?”

“Because if you don’t, he’s going to get hurt.”

Claire looked past her. Shane must have thrown an elbow before

they’d gotten him under control, because the deputy had a bloody

nose. Now Shane was dodging and kicking, trying to get past the

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man’s defenses again. Probably just to get to her, because there was no way he’d be getting out of the handcuffs he was wearing.

“Shane,” she said. “Don’t.”

Hannah, moving slowly and calmly, unsnapped the strap on

her holster and drew her gun, which she held at her side. She stared straight at Shane. “She’s right,” she said. “Don’t make me raise this weapon, Shane.”

“Screw you,” he said in a ragged pant and gave Hannah a defi-

ant grin.

She raised the gun, all right.