“She said, "Look down at your chest." I held the cell phone to my ear as I bend my head. Two red dots, quivering slightly, danced right over my heart. "You are one second away from death," said the caller.”

“This one looks good,” said Chong over breakfast the next morning. Benny read out loud from the paper. “‘Pit Thrower.’ What’s that?” “I don’t know,” Chong said with a mouth full of toast. “I think it has something to do with barbecuing.” It didn’t.”

“Benny took a steadying breath and let it out slowly."Nix, I do understand what you're going through. I'm going through it too.""It's not the same thing," she said very quietly. An elk poked its head out from behind some sagebrush, studied them for a moment, then bent to eat berries from another bush."Then why won't you tell me what it is?"She glared at him. "Honestly, Benny, sometimes I think you don't even know who I am."With that she turned and stalked away, her spine as stiff as a board. Benny stood openmouthed until she was almost back to the tree where Chong sat with Eve."What the hell was that all about?" he asked the elk.The elk, being and elk, said nothing.”

“She gathered the cat up in her arms and held it to her chest as if it was the most precious thing in the world.”

“When Chong made to sit down next to her, Lilah drew her knife and stabbed the point into the earth between them."I can see that you need some quiet time," he said and scuttled quickly away.”

“So is that it? Will I have to live the rest of my life like this? Not doing the right thing? Not saying the right words?""That's your choice. You can't change the past. Ah, but the future. . .you own the future." The Greenman smiled. "So, you tell me. . .what choice do you want to make now?”

“When you have to kill the same terrorist twice in one week, then there's either something wrong with your skills or something wrong with your world. And there's nothing wrong with my skills.”