Nick heaved a sigh of relief. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Got a call from your pastor friend,” Donovan said without taking his eyes off Riddick. “Where’ve you been, Nick? I’ve been waiting here for hours.”

“I’ve been a little busy,” Nick said.

“Me too. Ever heard of a cell phone?”

“I left it in my car.”

“That’s the bad thing about a cell phone—you have to have enough intelligence to keep it with you.”

“Someone’s a little grumpy.”

Donovan addressed Riddick now. “I know you—you’re that private security guard I met in John Braden’s office. I hate to break it to you, ace, but you just blew your chances for a job as security guard at the Patriot Center. Too bad—I think you were qualified.”

Riddick didn’t reply—he just stared at Donovan and blinked.

“I’ve seen that look before,” Donovan said. “Right now you’re running through your options, and you just don’t have many. You can shoot Nick if you want to—”

“Donovan. Hold it.”

“Relax, Nick—he won’t do it. He knows that if he does I’ll put a bullet through his head.”

“That’s a big comfort,” Nick said.

“Now he’s wondering if he can get off two shots—one at you and one at the lady there. It’s possible, if he speed-fires—but he knows I’ll still kill him where he stands, so what’s the point? What he’s really dying to know is if he can turn and get off a shot at me before I fire at him. Let me answer that one for you: No—it’s just not possible. The way I see it you’re pretty much screwed—and you know it too. So here’s what I want you to do: Slowly lower your arm to your side and let the gun drop to the ground. Don’t bend your arm; don’t turn toward me; don’t make any sudden moves. And if I even think I see the look in your eye that I’ve seen a dozen times before, I’ll empty my clip into you—and believe me, at this range I won’t miss. Do it right now—lower the gun slowly—let it drop. C’mon, kid, you’ve used up your stupid quota for the month—do something smart for a change.”

Riddick hesitated for a moment—then slowly lowered his arm and let the gun fall from his hand.

The moment he did so, Alena lifted the latch on the gate and swung it open wide. The hysterical dogs immediately scrambled from the kennel and began to bark furiously at Riddick—all but one. The enormous black Phlegethon spotted the only armed man left among them and broke away from the pack to charge across the clearing at Donovan.