“In whatever you’re hiding in them!”

“Our stuff’s not all that great,” mused Dark Boy through a mouthful of cheese. “One of those flamethrowers might come in handy.”

If he’d been close by, I’d have wacked him. “Forget it! I don’t care what you’re up to. Better if I don’t know!”

“Boy, Dan, so right about this crazy den girl you needed off your hands.”

“I never said . . . !”

“Shut up shut up shut up!” Just like that, my brain did a perceptual reversal, like when you see in for out, or front for back. One moment, Daniel and Dark Boy; the next, two uptown guys united against me. My little room was growing smaller by the second. “I’m going home!”

“Glim, listen . . .”

“I need to be out of here!” I was losing it and for once I didn’t give a shit. I snatched the door key from my pocket and threw it at him. It bounced off his bruised cheek and fell to the floor. “Lock up when you’re done with all your . . . family business!”

Somehow, Daniel made it to the door before me. “Not yet. Wait a bit, then I’ll get you home safe.”

“I don’t need your help!”

He backed against the door. “You don’t want to go out there.”

“Don’t tell me what I want!”

“Alright, let me rephrase it. There’s a dead guy out there.”

“Since when?” Dark Boy demanded.

“Since I clocked him so he wouldn’t find the door.”

Dark Boy clucked his tongue. “Ah, Danny. I can’t take you anywhere.”

It took a moment to find my voice. “You . . . killed someone?”

“Well, he might not be quite dead.” Daniel watched me coolly. “But he will be, if his pals don’t show up in time. Must’ve stayed to snoop around.”

“But . . .” I didn’t understand the challenge in his gaze. “You don’t carry a weapon.”

“Scrounged up half a cinderblock.”

“Euw, messy!” Dark Boy pumped a fist. “So let’s finish him and split. I got a date later.”

“Can’t. I activated his alarm.”

“What the fuck for?”

“So someone else has to clean up the mess for a change!” Daniel threw his head back, the words spilling out like rough water. “Because my stock just went up in flames! Because I hate being shot at! Because I’m sore and hungry and filthy and just too fucking tired to solve one more problem I didn’t create!”

“Whoa, bro. Like you always tell me, go home and cool off.”

“His friends’ll be here any minute.”

Moaning, I buried my face in my hands. “You really killed someone? Just now?”

“Are we back with the poor little sniper on the rooftop?” Daniel slumped against the door. “You’d rather I let the guy in?”