That was when the cabbie stopped cursing and looking helpless. He grabbed Chuck’s right wrist with both hands and gave a sharp backward twist. Baker thought he heard a bone crack. The cabbie ducked the pile-driver left Chuck threw at him and delivered a vicious sidekick to the inside of Chuck’s knee. Baker knew he heard a ligament pop.

Chuck grunted and dropped to the street, clutching his knee. The moves took Baker by as much surprise as Chuck. Something very wrong here. Instead of running, the cabbie was coming his way, looking anything but frightened. Baker had a big weight advantage—what was this guy thinking? But then the guy was in his face. Who was this guy? Cabbies sat on their butts all day. They weren’t supposed to move this fast…

Baker swung a right and missed as the cabbie leaned away from it. He grabbed the guy’s arm with his left hand to steady him for the next shot, but he was slippery as a greased snake. He pulled free, and Baker’s face exploded in pain as the heel of the cabbie’s palm rammed up into his nose. Baker swung blindly and connected with what felt like ribs, but then something—a fist or a foot, he didn’t know—pounded into his solar plexus. He heard himself grunt as the air exploded from him. He grabbed for the guy as he doubled over, hoping to take him down with him, but then something that had felt like a billy club but had to be an elbow rammed into his right kidney.

That did it. Baker dropped through a haze of nausea and agony, landing on his hands and knees, with his dazed mind mumbling, What happened? What happened?

7.

7.

Horns were beginning to blare from traffic backed up behind the accident as Jack jumped to the panel truck’s side door. He cocked his right arm as he yanked the handle with his left.

Had to be someone else inside besides Alicia, he figured, and he wanted to strike while he still had surprise on his side.

He wished he’d been prepared for this. He had the Semmerling, of course, and the knife strapped to his leg, but as comforting as they were, he’d truly have liked a twelve-ounce sap in his hand right now.

The first person he saw when he opened the door was Alicia. They’d taped her into a chair, but other than that it didn’t look like they’d harmed her. Her eyes widened when she saw him.

“Jack!”

And he’d been right about someone else being with her, but the doughy guy with the bloody mouth didn’t look like a problem. A quick glance inside revealed no one else.

As Jack leaped inside, Mr. Bloodymouth shrank back.

“Who are you?” His voice rose in pitch with each word. “What do you want?”