Dumah asked Nick as Nick stepped into the elevator. “Of course I remember you,” Nick said, thinking how to choose his words so Kate would get a grip on this new development. “Congratulations, Dumah. It’s good to see you’ve found a job worthy of your skills.” Dumah caught him with a brutal sucker punch just below the rib cage and Nick folded, unable to breathe. Dumah grabbed him by the arm and propped him up. “You understand now that we need to have a serious discussion?” Trace asked Nick. Nick nodded, making an effort to relax, to give his lungs a chance to expand. “Good,” Trace said. “You’re going to allow Dumah to assist you across the floor to my office.” Nick nodded again. — Kate heard everything that was happening in the elevator through her earbud. So did Billy Dee and Boyd. They looked over at her with concern, and she smiled at them from behind the bar. “Go ahead and play without me, gentlemen,” she said. “I think I need some air. I’ll be right back.”
