---
The man saw her shoes first, then the shadow over him, then her face when she crouched and lifted the board one-handed off his chest. For one hopeful instant he looked relieved to see a woman who seemed human again.
Then he saw the expression in her eyes.
His hope died beautifully.
"I can pay," he blurted. "I can tell you things."
Mira tilted her head slightly. "You already had your chance to be worth questioning."
That line was so cold Bat Bat visibly admired it.
The man tried to scramble away anyway. Mira simply stepped on his wrist, waited until pain reminded him what kind of night he was having, then bound him with a split cord and shoved him toward the others.
Auri collected the last one from the back lane.
