Christ, Alicia thought as she saw the three car thieves freeze. Is he out of his mind?

“Hey, yo,” said the white guy, straightening and taking a step toward Jack. He wore a studded black leather jacket and ultra-short blond hair. He sported rings in both ears, his upper lip, and his right eyebrow. “You some sorta fuckin’ cop or somethin’?”

“Who me?” Jack said, smiling timidly. “Oh, no! Not me. I’m no cop. But that just happens to be my friend Julio’s car. And none of you guys is Julio. So why don’t you find yourselves another car to boost.”

Now it was the Hispanic’s turn. He whipped the Slim Jim out of the window well and waved it in Jack’s face.

“Ay, you crazy, meng? This is my man’s car, and we’re helping him. Now you get outta here ‘fore I shove this down your t’roat and pull your asshole outta your mouth!”

They all seemed to think that was pretty funny. As they laughed and low-fived each other, Alicia noticed Jack’s left hand ease from his pocket.

Don’t do it, she wanted to shout. It’s three against one. You haven’t got a chance.

But as she watched Jack, she wondered about that. She sensed something primal and electric radiating from him. He’d been so laid back, so low-key in her office and back at the bar a moment ago, but now… now he was a different man. He seemed to vibrate with intensity, with fire, as if his daily existence was merely a series of interludes he had to endure until he was allowed a moment like this.

“And after he’s finished,” the white guy said, taking the metal piece from the Hispanic and holding it under Jack’s nose, “I’m gonna come in the back door and yank out your tonsils!”

Tension coiled through the air, tightening. Alicia had heard that people who survived lightning strikes spoke of a strange, hair-raising—literally—sensation just before the strike. Alicia felt that now, as if the air molecules were ionizing and polarizing in anticipation…

“You have such nice blue eyes,” Jack said over the new burst of laughter. “Can I have one?”

Before anyone could react or reply, Jack’s hand darted up to the white’s face. The move was so fast, so unexpected, that Alicia couldn’t follow it. All she knew was that one second Jack’s hand was darting through the air, and an instant later the white guy was staggering back, screaming.

He dropped the Slim Jim and clawed at his face, almost knocking over his black buddy as he turned in a wild circle.

Alicia gasped and backed away as she caught a glimpse of bright crimson flowing down his left cheek before his hands covered it.

Christ in heaven, what did he do?

“What the fuck—?” said the black guy, his head pivoting between Jack and his buddy who had dropped to his knees now and was pawing at his eye with bright red fingers and screaming, screaming.