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    Companions of the Night
    Companions of the Night
    Companions of the Night
    Ebook217 pages3 hours

    Companions of the Night

    By Vivian Vande Velde

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    The Edgar Award–winning author of Never Trust a Dead Man puts a terrifying spin on what should be a typical night in a small town.
     
    Sixteen-year-old Kerry has got a tough night ahead of her. What begins as a simple lost-and-found trip to the laundromat to rescue her little brother’s stuffed koala bear turns into a nightmarish odyssey of murder, vampires, and—quite possibly—true love.
     
    “Interview with a Vampire for the learner's permit set.” —The Horn Book
     
    “A freshly written thriller, an offbeat love story, an engaging twist on the vampire novel, and an exciting tale of moral complexity . . . . Point [this] book at the Lois Duncan fans as well as Anne Rice followers, and get out of the way.” —The Bulletin
     
    “[Vande Velde] is a master at taking traditional fairy-tale-like themes and making them fresh and totally unique. Companions of the Night . . . does that for the vampire story . . . . The narrative is tightly wound, keeping readers ready for excitement and action.” —Emma Carbone, New York Public Library
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherOpen Road Integrated Media
    Release dateSep 1, 2002
    ISBN9780547416205
    Companions of the Night
    Author

    Vivian Vande Velde

    Vivian Vande Velde has written many books for teen and middle grade readers, including Heir Apparent, User Unfriendly, All Hallow's Eve: 13 Stories, Three Good Deeds, Now You See It ..., and the Edgar Award–winning Never Trust a Dead Man. She lives in Rochester, New York. Visit her website at www.vivianvandevelde.com.

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    Reviews for Companions of the Night

    4/5

    244 ratings25 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I suddenly remembered this book from back when I was a kid and had to reread it for the nostalgia. I had such a good time reading it again 20 years later. I know people are upset about the age gap situation but it is really no different than Twilight in that sense. It's fantasy, people. And it's meant for young adults, at that.
    • 4/5
      I came across this book by chance and I'm sooo glad I did! A slow-burn vampire romance book with a very perceptive and intelligent girl as the main character: very refreshing and rare. The dialogues between the characters were really good too- some parts were genuinely funny and witty. Sadly, a really short book; I read it within a day. It's a pity that there's no sequel for this.
    • 5/5
      I want more. How I wish this is a series!!
    • 3/5
      This is the second book I have read by Velde (I also read Cloaked in Red which was okay). Like Cloaked in Red this book was okay but not great. It was a quick read, but it was also one of those stories where I am not really sure what the point was.In this story our heroine, Kerry, gets accidentally involved in a conflict between some vampires and a religious zealot who is set on wiping vamps out. As things progress she ends up helping out the male vampire (Ethan) that she found in trouble in the first place. The whole thing leads to Kerry doing things that are more and more dangerous and illegal. Kerry is constantly questioning who to trust; the religious zealot or Ethan (the hundreds of years old vampire).There really isn’t much love or romance in this story. Kerry and Ethan don’t ever really trust each other enough to develop more than a friendship of convenience. At times there are hints of something more developing between them but it seems to be pretty one-sided and is never acted on. Vampires are definitely not romanticized in this book. The book is decently written and the writing was easy to read. This is one of those books that describes a brief blip or fantastic event in someone’s (Kerry’s) life and then just kind of ends. As such, it left me feeling kind of unsatisfied.Overall this is an okay read but it felt somewhat pointless and unsatisfying. Definitely not one of the best paranormal books I have read. It was okay but not great.
    • 3/5
      Although I liked this book, it is not my favorite vampire novel. The characters never really came to life for me and the relationship seemed a bit forced. I preferred her book A Well-Timed Enchantment.
    • 4/5
      Not the typical new-age vampire teen paranormal romance. Grabbed my attention from the beginning and held it until the last word. Wish there had been another book in the series, but I also liked the ending.
    • 3/5
      I have a couple issues with this book (again with the age gaps VVV?) but overall a good book and a good vampire story. I really like the protagonist.

      A note from 2020 reread; still a good vampire book. One of the few vampire books involving a teenage girl that doesn't romanticize the situation too much which I appreciate.
    • 3/5
      I didn't love this one. It seemed the standard girl meets vampire and falls in love, even though this particular vampire has just slaughtered several human vampire hunters. But if you have teens who are hooked on the vampire craze started by the Twilight series, you could certainly recommend it to them.
    • 3/5
      this is waaaaaaay better than twilight but i wish the book was little deeper. the ending was bad she was just randomly like "I love you!" when she ahted him the entire time but if you like that kind of stuff i guess you'll like this.
    • 5/5
      Companions of the Night is an excellent vampire novel, and that in itself is the highest compliment I can pay this wonderful book. Companions of the Night stays firmly away from the classic vampire cheese readers have come to expect, and is surprisingly fresh and entertaining. Completely devoid of swooping capes, brooding anti-heroes, and swooning damsels who always fall for the bad guy, Companions tells the story of a young girl who finds herself caught in the vampire underworld when she encounters a group of vampire hunters trying to kill an "innocent" man and helps him escape. Unfortunately, the innocent isn't what he appears to be, and the vampire hunters have kidnapped Kerry's family in hopes of luring her and her vampire companion into their trap. Kerry finds herself forced to team up with the enigmatic Ethan to save them, and as their enemies close in, Kerry and Ethan must each chose a path, and their decisions will determine whether or not either of them will live to see another night.
    • 5/5
      I re-read this book regularly all through high school, and just recently hunted down a copy to keep at my finger tips. This book was a seminal introduction to vampires and urban fantasy for me.
    • 4/5
      Great read! Felt more realistic than Twilight.
    • 4/5
      Sixteen year old Kerry's saves a young man whom she thinks is about to get killed by a crazed gang. Her life is turned inside out when she finds out that he is a vampire and that her family can be in danger because she saved his life.
    • 5/5
      Vivian Vande Velde, produced an excellent Vampire story without the usual clichés found in many YA books. Kerry is a likeable character who is willing to go through great lengths to save her family, with the help of Ethan. Ethan isn't the nice friendly vampire (found in certain YA Vampire series), he's cunning, ruthless and untrustworthy, but shades of humanity peek out when you least expect it. Perhaps what I like most about Companions of the Night is the fact that Ethan doesn't reveal all, which means that all questions aren't answered, though at times annoying, that's also the way that life works. Not all questions are answered. Therefore, he remains a mystery throughout the book. It would have been great if Velde would have made Companion of the Night into a series, so that readers could further explore the world of Brockport, New York, however that’s not the case. I recommend this book to all fans of the Vampire genre. Companions of the Night is a journey worth taking, if only for one night.
    • 3/5
      The vampire, while still being sexy, at least to the 16 year-old main character, is still a vampire. He drinks human blood, kills when needed, lies to her left and right, but she still falls in love with him. Of course, she is a teenager and he does know how to manipulate her. I felt the vampire did care for her, but he never lost his "vampireness" if that makes sense.
    • 5/5
      Oh how I love Vivian Vande Velde. This book is just...wonderful. Kerry, the main character, is brilliant. Ethan, the other main character/antagonist, is also brilliant. A fantastic anti-hero (or hey, you could probably go all out and call him a villain). The plot is good, with some twists you don't see coming. The only thing I could critique about Companions Of The Night is that it's awfully wordy at times, which sometimes makes it hard to follow. One of the. best. urban fantasy YA books. Ever.
    • 4/5
      Kerry expected to find her brother’s stuffed animal where he’d left it, at the Laundromat earlier that day… she did not expect to have her life threatened by psycho vampire hunters. She escapes with their prisoner (they claim he’s a vampire) triggering a string of malicious events as they hunt her down. With her family in jeopardy, Kerry must do the unthinkable to save them… she must trust the vampire she helped to free.
    • 3/5
      When Kerry returns to her frequented laundromat in the middle of the night to retrieve a lost stuffed animal for her baby brother, she gets deeply involved in a vampire hunt gone awry. She thinks she saves Ethan, the intended victim who ends up being a handsome charming vampire, but then ends up casting suspicions upon herself as being a vampire herself, leading her family to peril. Action-packed and a fast read.
    • 5/5
      I recently re-read this book because long after I read it, the story stayed with me, which is saying a lot. The story is definitely written for teens, but I found myself engaged by the 16-year-old girl who unwittingly became involved with a centuries old vampire who used her for his own agenda, only coming to grudgingly respect her in the end.I liked that the vamp was written in shades of grey rather than black and white, and that because of his strong self-preservation instinct, you couldn't trust anything that he said. Kerry, the young girl, was savvy enough to not buy into his vampire bull, and was able to hold her own, and make her own decisions, even when she found herself attracted to him.The only thing I wasn't sure about was why she made the decision she did at the end. I didn't feel that the author let me into her head enough to know exactly what her reasoning was behind her decision, so that left me a little bit unsatisfied, but overall, I would say this is an intelligent and interesting addition to the plethora of vampire lit out there. Really good.
    • 4/5
      Loved the beginning of the book... it grabbed me and kept me interested for much longer than usual. Liked also that this was not a typical vampire romance.
    • 4/5
      This was a very different book. It wasn't your average vampire story. It starts out weird. It doesnt grab you until a few chapters later. It may be a long book, but it is worth reading. I give it a 9.4 out of 10.
    • 3/5
      This book was creepy! Which is good if you like horror but it freeked me out a bit. Still, it was an entertaining book that had me on the edge of me seat and glued to the page. I needed to know what happened for my peace of mind. It really drew me in. I'd give it 3 1/2 but I haven't figured out how to do the half star thing yet :)
    • 1/5
      What is it with supernatural YA novels about vampires that make me want to bash my head against the wall repeatedly? Is it just me? Because I have not found one YA vampire novel that was just plain okay. It doesn't even have to be great, just bearable. Unfortunately for me, Companions of the Night wasn't even that. I think I may have to say that it was more unbearable than Twilight... The novel starts out great. I'm sitting in my favorite comfty sofa chair with a Coke bottle on the left side and Twizzlers on the right. Clearly, I am in my element. I'm hunkering down and while I'm reading, I'm excited to get to the plot. I keep reading thinking "Okay, surely, the plot's coming soon. It's just taking a while". More pages... "I'm sure it'll be here any minute." "It's still not here?!!! Well, I can't give up now, I only have about 120 pages to go. Might as well just finish it." "Plot! There you are! Oh, how I missed you!" "The end??? That was the plot...okay..." Yep, that was basically my thought process throughout the whole novel, in regards to the plot. It just took to damn long to get going and when it finally did get going it was just "okay". For something that took so long to actually happen, it should've been "BAM! Amazing!" Now, the main character, Kerry...just plain annoying and aggravating. I think she may have been more annoying than Bella of Twilight (I THINK, I'm not so sure since Bella was all types of annoying and just full of suckage). It's just that she kept doing extremely stupid things and having even more extremely stupid thoughts. I actually rolled my eyes thinking "Oh my God! Can she really just stop thinking at least for a little while?" Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but if a guy (I don't care how hot he is) tries to (EXTREMELY MILD SPOILER HERE) kill you, then wouldn't any sane person just not like him, let alone wuv him? Unless, of course, they have Stockholm syndrome, but I really don't think that's where the author wanted to go with this. Apparently, a sane protagonist is too much to ask for in a vampire YA novel... Twilight had something going for it...it was a page-turner. The feminist in me hated that book to bits and pieces, but my God, I could just not put it down. It was like a trainwreck in that you really couldn't look away. Plus, it had Jacob and Alice and those were the only two characters I like (not enough to enjoy the first two books or even attempt to start the last two books, but they didn't make me want to claw my eyes out the way everyone else in that novel did). Companions of the Night was BORING. I only kept flipping the pages because I thought it would get better and by the time I realized it wouldn't, I had read most of it. And there was not one redeeming character in this book to make me reading it seem worth it. Nope, not a one. I have to say, I rarely hand out one star ratings because I feel guilty and if I can't find anything redeeming in a book, I just drop it cause life's too short. But this one was a really short read, so, I finished it. The good thing about this was that it was library read so I didn't waste any money on it. But still, I could've spent my time reading something sooo much better...
    • 5/5
      I remember reading this book as a preteen - target audience, woo! - and being SO MAD at the end. But now, as a much more sensible (ha!) 30-something, I agree a lot more with it. I still want a grown-up sequel, but I suppose that will have to be fanfiction! Aside from a few dated tech references, it holds up remarkably well.
    • 5/5
      This was one of the first vampire books I read when I was back in middle school. I just reread it after almost ten years, and it is still great. Unlike some other teen vampire novels this books is willing the be ambiguous and creepy and not wrap up the ending perfectly...which is a good thing! Overall, I love this book and if you like vampires, read it.

      1 person found this helpful

    Book preview

    Companions of the Night - Vivian Vande Velde

    Chapter One

    WHEN IAN CAME into Kerry’s room to ask for a favor, it never occurred to her that her four-year-old brother could ask her to do something that might get her killed.

    What kind of favor? she asked, sticking a finger in her book to keep her place. It was almost eleven o’clock at night, her second period literature teacher had promised a test tomorrow, and she still had fifty pages to go, with the author seeming in no hurry to wrap things up.

    I left Footy at the laundry, Ian said. Footy was Ian’s stuffed koala bear.

    Ian, Kerry pointed out—the same thing she’d pointed out the instant he’d entered her room—"it’s the middle of the night. You’re supposed to be asleep in bed, I’m supposed to be asleep in bed, Dad is asleep . . ."

    Ian’s bottom lip began to tremble, and Kerry rested her forehead in her hand.

    Don’t cry, she said. Ever since Mom had left, Kerry couldn’t take it when Ian cried. Maybe you forgot him at Greg’s—Ian started shaking his head—or in Daddy’s car?

    No, Ian said. I was playing under the counter where you fold your stuff. You know the pink stripy one that doesn’t match the others?

    Kerry didn’t know, but she nodded to keep him going.

    I was using the laundry cart as a fort. I know that’s where I left him, under the pink stripy counter. Can’t you go and get him?

    Kerry shook her head. I’ve only got a learner’s permit, so I’m not allowed to drive unless there’s somebody who has a license with me, she explained. "I’d get in trouble with Dad and the police. Footy will be fine one night without you. It’ll be like a campout for him."

    If Ian had thrown a tantrum, he would have been easier to resist. But he stood there silently, tears running down his face. Then, very quietly, he said, It won’t be like a campout. Somebody will steal him.

    Ian, munchkin, the kind of people who go to laundries in the middle of the night are not the kind of people who steal ragged little koala bears.

    Footy’s not ragged, Ian said. "And if it was Corny, you wouldn’t leave her."

    Kerry looked to her dresser at the unicorn she’d had since she was two. Now that Kerry was sixteen, Corny rarely traveled farther than from the bed to the dresser, but Ian had made his point. All right, all right. Kerry took her finger out of the book. But you stand by Daddy’s door and make sure you hear him snoring, or I’m not moving. And if Dad wakes up, tell him . . . Tell him what? What story would he possibly believe? And what am I doing coaching a four-year-old to lie? Hadn’t there been enough lies in this family in the year before Mom moved out? Tell him I’ll be back soon, she finished.

    She shooed Ian out of the room and pulled her jeans on, tucking in her IF IT’S MORNING DON’T TALK TO ME nightshirt. She’d be wearing her jacket, and anyway, she thought, if anybody stopped her, she was going to be in too much trouble to be embarrassed by what she was wearing. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail without even checking in a mirror.

    This was all her mother’s fault. They wouldn’t even have to go to the laundry if her mother hadn’t abandoned them, moving from Brockport, New York, to Somewhere-or-other, Florida, to study to be a private investigator—and only one postcard since. She had left the car because the man she went with had a better one, but she’d taken the washer and dryer.

    What kind of mother leaves her family, letting her kids run the risk of losing their koala bears in laundries? Kerry asked herself. It was a dangerous question, because the answer was easy: a mother who doesn’t like her kids.

    Still, once Kerry had tiptoed out of the house—and not counting the fear of getting stopped by the police—it seemed such a simple, safe little task.

    FIVE MINUTES LATER, Kerry pulled up in front of the Quick-Clean Laundry. The street was dark but not deserted. Next door the Strand Theatre was all lit up. The movie must have just ended because there were people still coming out. Down the other way was a pizza place where the college kids hung out. She could smell the tomato sauce and hear the music.

    The laundry, of course, was always open. In a college town where half the kids lived off campus, there had to be a twenty-four-hour laundry.

    Her dad hadn’t taught her parallel parking yet, and Kerry ended up a good three feet from the curb and overlapping two parking places. That left half a space behind her car before the corner, and a parking space and a half before the last of the cars from the movie crowd, but she told herself she was only going to be here a sec and didn’t need to worry about getting ticketed.

    As she opened the door, she was greeted by the smell of warm wet soap. All the lights were on—she’d seen that from the street because the place was half windows—but nobody was there. Not even the little guy who ran the place, the one who made change and sold overpriced single-wash boxes of soap and fabric softener if you forgot to bring some from home, and yelled if he caught you leaving without cleaning out the lint tray. Kerry had known that the little guy couldn’t be there all twenty-four hours that the place was open, but she was amazed there wasn’t somebody around to make sure people didn’t come in and pry open the money boxes. She felt creepy being there all alone so late at night.

    Grab Footy, she thought, and then get home. Fighting a yawn, she realized she was way too tired to tackle her literature project. She’d just have to bluff her way through the test.

    She glanced around the shop and immediately identified the counter Ian had been talking about. The counters were all white with gold speckles except that one, last remnant of a previous decor or an addition from somebody’s leftover something-or-other. She thought, Well, that was easy.

    Except, of course, Footy wasn’t there.

    Stupid bear, she muttered.

    She crawled under the counter just to make sure. There was a paper pamphlet—probably one of the owner’s Bible tracts that he was always trying to pass out—and maybe Footy could be hidden behind it. The floor was gritty with spilled soap that stuck to the palms of her hands and, when she tried to wipe her hands clean, stung where she’d bitten the skin near her nails. She poked at the paper, wondering what the chances were of mice lurking around a place like this.

    No Footy, but at least no mice either. Only a razor blade, which someone had probably brought to open the boxes of detergent.

    Idiot! Kerry thought at whoever had dropped it, remembering how Ian had been crawling under here. Carefully she picked the blade up and backed out from underneath the counter.

    Her good deed paid off, for it wasn’t until she put the razor down in the ashtray on the desk with the cash register that she noticed Footy sitting on top of the pile of religious pamphlets.

    You, mister, she said, picking up the bear and shaking a finger at him. Then she dropped her voice to a whisper because the only other sound was the hum of the fluorescent lights. You are in deep trouble, and you’re grounded until you’re thirty-seven. Whatever that works out to in bear years.

    She hadn’t even lowered her finger when the back door burst open.

    The owner, Kerry thought as she whirled around to face whoever it was that was making such a commotion coming in. Mr. Quick-Clean. He must have stepped out to get a cup of coffee or a slice of pizza and then realized how long he’d left his place unattended.

    As she turned, Footy smacked against the cash register and slipped from her fingers to the floor. Instinctively Kerry bent down to pick him up, knowing, even as she shifted her balance, that this was the last thing she should do. She should call out Hello, step forward, let the owner see that she was here, look like a paying customer—or at least like someone who had a legitimate reason to be here and not like someone trying to hide or to break into the cash register.

    But before she could straighten, she saw the people coming in through the door: four men, three of them dragging one who was—Kerry felt her heart stop, then start again at a frenzied pace—gagged and bloodied, with his hands tied behind his back.

    Kerry dropped to her hands and knees under the desk.

    A drug deal gone bad, she thought. Or a gang fight. Not that there was much of that sort of thing in Brockport, but she’d seen enough cop shows to guess.

    And she was caught right in the middle of it.

    One of the men kicked the prisoner behind the leg so that he dropped to his knees and his face was momentarily on a level with Kerry’s. Young, she saw, and scared, which was natural enough. It took a second for his eyes to focus on her, and then one of the other men jerked him backward by the hair so that his back was to one of the stainless steel laundry tubs. They began tying his already bound hands to the thick steel leg of the tub.

    Then the one who was doing the tying looked up and saw her. What the hell—, he started.

    And in that moment, which Kerry recognized was probably her last chance to get to her feet and run to the front door screaming for help, she was too scared to move.

    The prisoner tried to break away while their attention was diverted, but the man in front knocked him back so that his head cracked against the side of the tub. The third man reached over and grabbed hold of Kerry’s arm while the one with the rope returned to tying.

    Still holding on to Footy, Kerry was dragged out from beneath the desk and hauled to her feet.

    She one of them? one of the men asked. Or just a thief?

    No, she whispered, unable to take her gaze off the young man, who looked on the verge of passing out. They were going to kill him. And then they were going to kill her for seeing them kill him. I—I—I—

    Get the blinds down, you idiot, the other man said. Do you want anyone passing down Main Street to see what’s going on?

    I—, Kerry said as, behind her, she heard the blinds crash down, one after the other, then the doors being locked, both front and back. I—

    The one holding her pulled her in for a closer look. He was a black man, the only one of the group who was. He was also about twice the size of anybody else there. Taller. Broader. Kerry’s arm, even padded by her jacket, was lost in the massiveness of his hand. She’s just a kid, the big guy said, which sounded encouraging, except for the fact that he was practically breaking her arm.

    Kerry nodded emphatically.

    This other one’s barely more than a kid. They make ’em when they’re still kids?

    Nobody said anything, and Kerry wasn’t sure what was the right answer. She didn’t even understand the question. No, she suspected. Under the circumstances, no to everything except the suggestion that they send her home.

    Before she could get her voice working again, one of the other two grabbed a handful of hair, and her head was forced around to face him. I didn’t do anything, she managed, which seemed an even safer answer. Please don’t hurt me.

    The black man, still holding her arm, used his free hand to feel over her arm.

    Kerry felt her knees start to buckle. Better to be passed out for this anyway, she thought.

    But the man was moving down her arm, which was an unexpected direction, to her hand, which he jiggled as though to see how well it was attached. Then he crunched her fingers together; but when she winced, he stopped. I don’t think she’s one of them, he said.

    I don’t think I’m one of them either, Kerry agreed.

    Shut up, said the man who was still holding her hair.

    Why are you here? the third man asked, the one who’d been in charge of tying their prisoner.

    And it was only when Kerry shifted her gaze to him that she recognized him: the little guy who ran the place. Mr. Quick-Clean himself, who sat there all day reading the Bible and trying to get people to read his religious pamphlets.

    Why are you here? he repeated, sounding even more menacing than before.

    I’m sorry, she whispered. I just came to get my little brother’s bear. She tried to indicate Footy, but he was in the hand whose arm was being slowly pulled out of its socket.

    Footy dropped and landed with a soft plop.

    You’ve seen me here before, she continued. What’s he doing? she thought all the while. Drug dealers and gang members don’t encourage people to read the Bible. You know me, she insisted. My name is Kerry Nowicki. I come here with my father, Stephen, and my brother, Ian. My father always buys a helium balloon at the Lift Bridge Book Shop before we come here, and he ties it to Ian’s wrist so that we don’t lose track of him because he’s shorter than the machines. She couldn’t tell from the man’s face whether he recognized her or not. We were in this evening after dinner. Ian forgot his bear under the counter near the door. But you must have found him, or somebody did, because when I came in, he was up here by the cash register.

    The man looked from her to the bear. Finally, finally, he nodded. Yeah. He nodded again. He told the others, They come in once or twice a week.

    Always after dinner? asked the one with his hand still in her hair.

    Whatever the significance of that question, the laundry owner looked straight into his eyes. No. Saturdays, too, sometimes. Saturdays, it’s mornings or afternoons.

    The one loosened his grip on her arm, still holding on though she no longer had to stand on tiptoe, and the other let go of her hair entirely. That one said, Bad timing now, though.

    You can say that again, Kerry thought.

    Instead, he said, She could’ve become one of them since last Saturday.

    Kerry’s heart sank at the look this possibility brought to the owner’s face.

    Maybe, he said.

    One way or the other, said the one who still had her arm, we can’t let her go, not till this is over.

    This had to be their prisoner. This probably meant killing him. She saw that he hadn’t lost consciousness after all. She was tempted to promise that if they let her go she wouldn’t go to the police, she wouldn’t tell anybody what she’d seen. But she couldn’t do that with him looking right at her. And they wouldn’t believe her anyway.

    Don’t be afraid, the owner told her. Not if you’re what you say you are.

    What? Kerry wanted to scream at him. I haven’t SAID I’m anything. What do you THINK I am? But it was probably best not to say anything that might be construed as argument.

    The owner said, Nobody wants to hurt you.

    She had serious doubts about that, but she forced herself to nod.

    We’re just going to keep you here till morning. Then we’ll bring you home ourselves.

    What are you going to do to me between now and morning? she asked, her voice quavering uncontrollably.

    Nothing, the owner assured her. Sit here quietly and don’t give us any trouble, and we won’t even have to tie you up.

    Her voice got even more quavery as she looked at their prisoner "What are you going to do to him?"

    The one who’d been pulling her hair answered, That’s none of your damn business.

    The owner gave him a be-quiet look. To Kerry, he said, If he behaves himself, we won’t lay a finger on him either.

    We won’t need to, the hair puller said.

    Let her go, Roth, the owner

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