Chapetr 2 / Page 3

The willingness to use necessary force is a barrier everyone must face. These two had read Harper’s dossier. The passenger knew that if Harper got to four seconds without results, his knee would be shattered. Harper was hardly a normal suburban businessman. Besides, they were simply here to observe and not to take a tour of the local trauma wards.

A Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum dropped neatly between the driver’s legs. “That was right neighborly of you.” He frowned at the passenger. “I’m sure you have a good reason to be carrying a fine cannon like that.” He dropped the Sig into his other pocket and scooped up the .44. “So let me make sure we understand each other. If I see you again, you’ll be spending months in the hospital.” The frown vanished and twinkling eyes turned colder than the sky above. “You do something really stupid, they’ll be hauling you away in pieces.”

The Glock and the Smith vanished into his coat. A smile returned and Harper said gleefully, “Have a nice day.” He stepped back and kicked the door shut. To emphasize his point, he thrust-kicked the driver’s door, leaving the heal print of his cowboy boot. The engine turned over and the pickup backed out of the slot. His shadows drove away without looking back. Harper should have been happy with his success, instead, a grim foreboding settled in a cold spot between his shoulder blades. It had been a long time since he had to chase off shadows such as these. Now they were back. Someone was testing the waters again.