“I pulled the phone toward me and punched in the number of the sheriff's office in Flat Mesa. The deputy at the desk put me straight through. The phone made a couple of clicks, and then the sheriff's voice sounded in my ear."Jones," he said. Dark, biting, laconic."Hey, Nash. It's Janet."There was a long silence."Fuck," Nash Jones said clearly, and he hung up on me.”

“I couldn't help smiling back. Maya had decided opinions and didn't keep them to herself. "Jones had his chance, and he blew it. There's an old Navajosaying that I think applies here: 'You snooze, you lose.' ”

“Why are you still so damned protective of me?:“You have to ask?”“I do.”Mick came closer still, until his face hung an inch from mine. “If you have to ask, then you wouldn’t believe my answer.” He drew away and continued wiping my hands.”

“Hey, senorita, want to throw back some margaritas with me?"Maya gave him a scornful look as only Maya could. "Who the hell are you?""Your dream come true, sweetheart.""I might puke." Maya shoved past him, her toolbox just missing his groin. "It's too early in the morning for assholes.”

“Demitri sent for a tray of hot, fresh coffee with four cups. the waiter who brought it tried to look into the room to see what they were doing but Demitri grabbed the tray and slammed the door."He probably thinks we're having an orgy," Demitri said as he set down the tray."An orgy with coffee?" Andreas asked."He has a vivid imagination.”

“The voyage from San Francisco to Hawaii had been the most terrifying experience Greer and Cameron had ever gone through, even more terrible than the time they shot a deputy sheriff in Idaho ten times and he wouldn't die and Greer finallyhad to say to the deputy sheriff,"Please die because we don't want toshoot you again". And the deputy sheriff had said, "Ok, I'll die, but don't shoot me again"."We won't shoot you again", Cameron had said."Ok, I'm dead", and he was.”

“Sheriff Root: "Ask Me, I reckon it was niggers"Deputy: "How you reckon that, Sheriff Root?"Sheriff Root: "Kinda thing they do"Deputy: "What, burn two hundred people to death, right down to the bone? They do that?"Sheriff Root: "MARTIAN niggers”