She was a tall, remarkably striking girl with jet black hair and large, ripely rounded breasts whose nipples appeared clearly beneath her tight, flimsy blouse. Her young face had an arrogance to it that emphasized an aggressive sexuality, and it was suddenly quite obvious to Ellen why Billy had been attracted to the woman: she was the perfect alter ego to the gang chief, whose every gesture reflected a primitive grace and animal sexuality.

The tall brunette nodded, then her lips curled in a sneer and her face flushed. "She says you all gang-banged her. Ya mean to say ya couldn't wait until I got here to get a little?"

Cash broke out with a loud guffaw, a laugh that was quickly smothered when he saw the murderous look on Billy's face. "Why should I wait for a slut like you?" he said quietly. "Did you wait? Or have the stories I've been hearing about you and 'Paddy' O'Hare been all lies?"

"Billy… honestly… I… I…" she began, and it was obvious from her expression that she was going to lie.

"Oh, shut up," he said contemptuously. "Just shut up."

The gang leader went back toward the doorway and rapidly flicked the light switch off and on three times. "Pop's out there at the turn-off," he said to Cash. "Anyone seen Vito?"

"I believe I almost ran over him," the well-dressed man said, not changing expression.

"It's too bad you didn't," Billy said. "It would have saved me the trouble of killing the son of a bitch."

A moment later, the sound of the pickup truck came from beneath the windows. This was followed by Pop's heavy foot-tred on the stairs. He, like all the others, looked relieved when he saw Ellen had been recaptured. "It's starting to rain," he said, as casual as if he were entering a barber shop for a haircut.

"You see Vito?" Billy asked.

Pop hesitated a second, then shrugged. "Yeh. I saw him cutting through the dunes coming in this direction." He looked back and forth between Ellen and Billy, then shrugged again as if he had decided to keep his thoughts to himself. His weathered face broke into a slight grin when he saw Sylvia, apparently for the first time. "Why… lookie who's come to visit! Hello, there… honey," he growled playfully.