I’m blown, big-time gonzo blown and no denying it this time. What Paco said—and, more important, what he didn’t say—told me that, loud and clear. When he put out feelers, somehow Blake or one of the other big boys figured he’d talked to me and would be doing it again soon. Paco wasn’t alone when I spoke with him this last time; other people were listening in to make sure he’d say the words that would get me fried and to make sure he didn’t warn me. But he did warn me, in ways that Blake and the others wouldn’t scan. And he’d done it even though everything must be pointing to me as a fragging Lone Star narc. Still he clued me. Still he saved my life. It had to come from loyalty; nothing else made sense.