When he finally found a space, he hit the sidewalk at a pace just under a run. Every other breath was a little prayer that he would find Van all right. Ahead, he could see several side streets converging into the main town circle.At the traffic circle, he looked down the street to his right. Their eyes met at the same instant: the bulky shape of Officer McCall pushing away from the car he had been leaning against.“Thomas,” the officer yelled. He was not in uniform, though nothing else about him was casual. Every step toward Ryan reeked of tough-guy attitude.“Fuck a duck! He’s all the trouble I need right now,” Ryan said to himself. McCall’s approach forced him to choose the middle street, and he whipped around and started across, freezing in his tracks as he recognized the approaching figure of Hector Young Jr.“Ryan!”“Make it two ducks,” Ryan said to himself. And he turned to the left side street only to recognize the figure of Van approaching in the distance. The sight of her, obviously alive and well, was a blessed relief, but she was so far down the street that Hector would reach him long before he got to her.
