she demanded through her teeth as he began to snap off the cords by her feet, gently lowering her to the ground a bit at a time. “That’s funny, I seem to recall doing exactly that. But I won’t hold it against you for not believing in me. You really don’t know me that well yet.” He helped her put both feet on the floor, moving her slowly upright. “This is going to make your head pound like a bitch.” “You’re standing … so where’s Ram?” she asked as she watched him disentangle her from the ropes around her waist with the sharp, succinct movement of a man with a knife. Only there was no knife in his hand that she could see. It was as though he were slicing them with an invisible weapon. “Miss the old guy, do you?” he teased her. “Absolutely n— Well, maybe a little. But,” she said quickly, “only inasmuch as he’s a lot more polite than you are!” “Well, do you want me to have manners, or do you want me to get you out of here? Your choice. I could just sit down over here and wait for Ram to show up.”
