didn't have moi do your dirty work. You'll end up making a clear declaration that it will never happen again. And perhaps it won't — not, at least, until the stakes are this high.'
'So I'm a hypocrite,' Myron said. 'Happy?'
'But that is my point,' Win said.
'What?'
'You're not a hypocrite. You aim toward lofty heights. The fact that your arrow cannot always reach them does not make you a hypocrite.'
'So in conclusion,' Myron said, 'the ends do not justify the means. Except sometimes.'
Win spread his hands. 'See? I just saved you hours of soul-searching. Perhaps I should consider penning one of those how-to-manage-your-time manuals.'
Esperanza broke in through the phone. 'They're here,' she said.
Win put the phone to his ear. 'How many?'
'Three coming in. Susan Lex. That granite guy Myron keeps talking about. Another bodyguard. Two more staying parked outside.'
'Zorra,' Win said into the phone. 'Please keep an eye on the two gentlemen outside.'
Zorra said, 'And if they move?'
'Detain them.'
'With pleasure.' Zorra giggled. Win smiled. Welcome to the Psycho Hotline. Only $3.99 per minute. First call is free.
Myron and Win waited now. Two minutes past. Esperanza said, 'Middle elevator. All three are inside.'
'Anyone else with them?'
'No… wait. Damn, two businessmen are going in.'
Myron closed his eyes and cursed.
Win looked at him. 'Your call.'
Panic squeezed Myron's chest. Innocent people in the elevator. There was sure to be violence. Witnesses now.
'Well?'
'Hold the phone.' It was Esperanza. 'The granite guy blocked their path. Looks like he told them to wait for another elevator.'
'Top-notch security,' Win said. 'Good to see we're not dealing with amateurs.'
'Okay,' Esperanza said. 'Just the three of them are inside now.'
The relief in Myron's face was palpable.
Esperanza said, 'Elevator closing… now.'
Myron pressed the Up button. Win took out his forty-four. Myron pulled out a Glock. They waited. Myron kept the gun by his thigh. It felt heavy in a terrible, comforting way. Myron kept glancing down the corridor. No one. He hoped their luck would hold. He felt his pulse start to race. His mouth was dry. The room suddenly felt warmer.
A minute later, the light above the middle elevator dinged.
Win's face was in the zone, semi-euphoric. He wriggled his eyebrows and said, 'Showtime.'
Myron tensed his muscles, leaned in a bit. The elevator's whirring noise stopped. There was a delay and then the doors started sliding open. Win didn't wait. He was inside before the opening had reached a foot. He found Grover and stuck the gun in the big man's ear. Myron did the same with the other guard.
'Waxy ear buildup a problem, Grover?' Win said in his best voice-over. 'Smith and Wesson has the solution!'
Susan Lex started to open her mouth. Win cut her off with a finger against her lip and a gentle 'Shh.'
Win frisked and disarmed Grover. Myron followed his lead with the second guard. Grover glared daggers at Win. Win took them on and said, 'Please — no, pretty please — make a sudden move.'
Grover didn't budge.
Win stepped back. The elevator door started closing. Myron stopped it with his foot. He pointed the weapon at Susan Lex. 'You're coming with me,' Myron said.
'Don't you want revenge first?' Grover said.
Myron looked at him.
'Go ahead.' Grover spread his hands. 'Hit me in the gut. Go ahead, give it your best shot.'
'Pardon
Grover looked at the smaller man like a tasty leftover. 'I heard you're not bad,' he said.
Win looked back at Myron. ' 'Not bad,'' he repeated. 'Monsieur Grover heard I was 'not bad.''
'Win,' Myron said.
Win snapped his knee deep into Grover's groin. He followed through, driving the man's testicles all the way into his stomach. Grover did not make a sound. He simply folded like a bad hand of poker.
'Oh, wait, you said 'gut,' didn't you?' Win looked down at him, frowned. 'Must work on my aim. Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I am merely 'not bad.''
Grover was on his knees, his hands between his legs. Win kicked him in the head with his instep. Grover toppled over like a bowling pin. Win looked over at the other guard, who was putting his hands up and backing quickly into a corner.
'Will you tell your friends I was 'not bad?'' Win asked him.
The guard shook his head.
'Enough,' Myron said.
Win picked up the cell phone. 'Zorra, report.'
'They are not moving, handsome.'
'Come back up then. You can help me clean up.'
'Clean up? Ooo, Zorra will hurry.'
Win laughed.
'No more,' Myron said. Win did not reply, but Myron hadn't really expected him to. Myron grabbed Susan Lex's arm. 'Let's go.'
He pulled her into the stairwell. Zorra bounded into view — on high heels no less. Leaving two unarmed men alone with Win and Zorra. Talk about scary. But he had no choice here. Myron turned to Susan Lex, keeping tight hold of her elbow.
'I need your help,' he said to her.
Susan Lex looked at him, head high, not backing off.
'I promise not to say anything,' he went on. 'I have no interest in hurting you or your family. But you're going to take me to see Dennis.'
'And if I say no?'
Myron just looked at her.
'You'd hurt me?' she said.
'I just beat up an innocent man,' Myron said.
'And you'd do the same to a woman?'
'I wouldn't want to be accused of sexism.'
Her expression remained defiant, but unlike Chase Layton, she seemed to understand how the real world worked. 'You know what sort of power I have.'
'I do.'
'Then you know what I'll do to you when this is all over?'
'I don't much care. A thirteen-year-old boy has been kidnapped.'
She almost smiled. 'I thought you said he needed a bone marrow transplant.'
'I don't have time to explain.'
'My brother isn't involved in this.'
'I keep hearing that.'
'Because it's true.'
'Then prove it to me.'
Something in her face shifted then, changing her features, relaxing them into something strangely
