Fallout (Crank 3)

My nose wrinkles at an overpowering

stench of stale tobacco. The ashtray

practically overflows. “Will

you empty that, please? And you

won’t smoke with me in the car?”

I meant it as a question, sort of.

He takes it another way. Kind

of demanding, aren’t you? I don’t

have to do this at all, you know.

Still, he opens the door, dumps

the ashtray into the gutter,

replaces it. Nice. Really nice.

I should haul my butt out of

the car, back into the house

where I belong. But I don’t.

MAUREEN IS AT A HOTEL

A nice enough Best Western.

Not the Ritz, but not a dump,

either. I’d forgotten she was

part of this equation. A big part,

as it turns out, the Cadillac

being hers and all. I trail Trey

down a long hallway. “Should you

have talked this over with her?”

He doesn’t slow. No doubt.

And she can always say no.

I don’t think she will, but maybe

you should wait out here.

r /> I lean back against a gold

flocked wall, sink down it,