From what I knew of our California team leader, he was the last person who wanted to leave anyone behind, but our hands were tied. “You want persuasive? I’ll give you persuasive.” He gave Earl a sharp nod and then left the room. I heard him shout from the hall. “Jason Lacoco! You, large Polish man! Follow me.”

The big fellow laughed with his hearty pirate laugh. “My name is Byreika, my small friend. Tadeusz Byreika! Let us go and scare all the people.”

No way. If we lived long enough I was going to have to sit down with that guy and ask him about his genealogy.

Earl turned next to the night supervisor of the casino. She was a sharp-featured woman in her fifties, and was the senior employee stuck under quarantine. The name tag on her tidy black pants suit said Beth. “Are all your employees accounted for?”

“They are. In one way it’s fortunate this happened when it did. This is our smallest shift. Just my shitty luck that it happens to be my shift…All of them are in this area except for the people in the security room and our guards at the vault.”

“I’d suggest leaving the vault and getting their asses up here. It’s only money.”

“There are millions of dollars in cash in that vault. I’m not even authorized to know how much.”

“Can’t spend it if you’re dead.”

Beth shook her head. “I’m not authorized to do that. The last message I received from Management specified to turn all operating decisions over to you, Mr. Harbinger, but we were to keep staff in control of the vault, regardless of what you said. Management’s orders.”

If no one could call in or out…“How did you hear—”

Earl held up one hand to silence me. “Leave it, Z…Okay, Beth. This is what you do, pull those men out of there, because otherwise, when they die, it goes on your conscience. If we live long enough for Management to get mad at you, tell him that I forced you to do it. He knows that I’m pushy like that. If this is all a very elaborate scam to rob your vault, he knows where I live.”

Beth looked really nervous. “They say he’s—”

“He’s not here,” Earl specified. “I am. Get those men up here now. Then you’re going to go with the red-bearded gentleman,” Earl pointed at Milo. “And you’re going to send some of your people to raid your stores and bring things here. Food, water, medical supplies, and anything else Milo can think of that might be useful, and trust me, he will surprise you with what he thinks is useful. Move.”

“Yes, sir,” Beth said, having been completely bulldozed.

“You get used to him,” Milo told her on the way out.