Out of nowhere a weight like the business end of an Abrams tank plowed into my kidneys. My head cracked back, my arms jumped at the ceiling.

I held onto the .45 as hard as I could, but that didn't prevent me from sprawling heavily onto the cement.

My back felt like my spine had snapped.

Sternway kicked at my right wrist, wrenched the .45 out of my fingers.

"What kept you?" He didn't sound angry or even irritated. He sounded smug, satisfied.

"Another minute, and he would have killed me."

A voice answered, "We had to be careful." A man's voice.

"If he heard us coming " Numbness washed everything away for a moment.

Numbness and rain. It was never going to stop raining. Then the man's voice came back.

" didn't want him to kill you."

Whoever he was.

Sternway said, "He has a phone, Sue. Left jacket pocket."

Sue? Hell of a name for a man. I'd always thought so.

Hands rummaged in my pocket. The phone appeared on the cement in front of my face. I could almost focus on it. Then a foot wearing an athletic shoe came down, crushed it.

"Did he use it?" A woman's voice this time.

Or not? With my back broken, I couldn't be sure.

"He says he did," Sternway replied.

"He says he called a tape recorder. It got the whole conversation."

"Oh, shit!" She sounded like she might be pretty when she was angry.

"You didn't tell him anything?"

"Enough." Sternway still sounded pleased.

"Enough to keep him from shooting me."

"Jesus Christ, Anson!" The woman wasn't pleased. Not at all.

"What were you thinking?"

"What was there to tell?" A man's voice again.

"I thought he wanted to " Sternway had two rescuers. Definitely. At least two.

"He did," Sternway retorted.

"I can't explain right now. We don't have time. We have to get rid of him. Before somebody comes looking for him."

"What do you mean, get rid of him?" the man asked.

"If Sue hadn't ruined his phone, you could call the police. I'll go out to f Essential Shotokan, use their phone."

V "Shut up!" the woman barked.

"You don't understand. Anson's right. We have to get rid of him. Now.

We'll explain everything when we have time."

I didn't much like the idea that they'd broken my back. They could get rid of me all they wanted, but I did not want a broken back. And I couldn't feel anything. Not anywhere.

But when I told my right hand to move, it twitched.

My numbness vanished in a sudden jolt of pain, as incandescent and irrefusable as lightning. Bruised bones, torn muscles, there was no distinction.

It galvanized me like lightning. Without noticing how I did it,

I squirmed onto my back. My wrist and kidneys hurt like the fires of hell, but at least now I could see.

Outlined by flood lamps a woman who looked exactly like a cheerleader I used to know in high school stood over me. Sue Rasmussen. She wore a warmup suit and athletic shoes. When I flopped over, she retreated a step, but she didn't take her eyes off Parker Neill.

He also wore a warmup suit. And athletic shoes. Uniform of the day.

Neither of them was wet. They must've left their rain gear at the end of the fire escape corridor.

Parker Ah, Christ.

He was the tank that ran me over. Rasmussen had the rep of a killer martial artist, but she lacked the sheer mass to hit me so hard.

The cavalry had arrived, all right. For Sternway.

Parker didn't look at her. His attention focused on Sternway. Shadows and uncertainty confused his round face.

"Anson " he tried to say.

"Sensei " "Trust me," Sternway ordered. He'd lost his smugness. His patience.

"This will all make sense, I promise.

"What do you think, Sue? If we shoot him " She shook her head violently.

"That could attract attention."

I agreed with her. A shot might be heard in one of the dojos. Despite the storm.

Sternway nodded.