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He spotted Doug by the corner of the house. |
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He shook his head, afraid of how it might feel if he tried to speak. But he smiled and the pain came, anyway. |
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If Doug was asking about his luck, it meant they hadn't found Maureen. |
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He ran to meet his friend. |
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'Shit, man. What happened to you?' |
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'I ran into a guy, 'he said, and realized that those particular words hand't required him to move his jaw or mouth. No extra pain. |
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'Hot damn.' Doug slapped his shoulder. 'We haven't turned up Maureen or anyone else. Buddy's kicking up a shit fit. Come on.' |
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Lou followed him alongside the house and through the gate. |
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In the driveway, Buddy was sitting on his Harley. 'Did you find her?' he asked. |
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'What the fuck happened to your mouth?' |
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'A guy got . . .' He closed his lips to form them of 'me' and felt as if burning oil had been dumped on his wound. |
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'Big deal. You dickbrains let Maureen get away.' |
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'She's gotta be somewhere,' Doug said. |
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'Yeah, well we can't waste the whole night looking for the bitch. Saddle up. We're gonna pay Lisa a visit.' |
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