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. Nathan& Cammie said, a little bit of sympathyand reprimand in her voice. I can feel it, Cammie.It s killing me already,dragging me down, just like Mom. You shouldn t say things like that! It s not a goodattitude.You can get tested, you know.It would atleast give you peace of mind. I know what I need to do, he snapped, shootingup from the couch and breaking for the door. Where are you going? she called, but he didn tanswer.He grabbed his jacket from the rack and blewthrough the door.Cammie rushed to follow him. Nathan! she hollered.It was dusk by the time he made it to eighty-seventh street.The warm day was starting to cool off, and the streets were beginning to clear.This wasn tthe best neighborhood, but it wasn t the worst either,just block after block of dense apartment buildingsand back alleys winding around in a maze.It actuallywasn t all that far from where Nathan lived, and hewondered at the difference a few subway stopsmakes.Nathan parked his car in the closest availablespot, almost a block away, and he made up thedistance on foot.A few people passed him, but hejust kept his eyes to the worn, somewhat dirtysidewalk.Glancing at the shops and apartmentbuildings, most everything appeared to be rundown.Once they lost the house they d have to seek refuge insomeplace like this, crammed into an ant colony,everybody hanging their laundry on the patio from fivestories up.There weren t any lights on in the store that soldshower doors.The shop didn t even have a title.It justsaid shower doors. A few display models werepropped up inside.Reaching back into his memory,Nathan tried to remember if he d ever seen this storeopen, but he d just never known it existed.There weren t any people around, but Nathan stilllooked up and down the sidewalk before he slippedaround the side of the building.For some reason, he didn t want to be seen here, and the whole thing madehim uncomfortable.Shutting out any doubtful thoughts,he reminded himself how much better they d be if thisworked out for him.A few interconnecting alleys led deeper into theurban labyrinth, but Nathan took a quick right andfound himself directly behind the shop building.Therewere a few garbage cans, some stacks of papers onthe ground, and a narrow cement stairwell leading tothe basement.A solid black door waited at thebottom.Nathan stood at the top, taking a few deepbreaths.He knew he was making a mistake, but hecouldn t be sure like I could, and so he started downinto the dark.Wrapping his knuckles against the door,he waited until a small slider opened to reveal a pairof eyes. What do you want? the voice growled. I m here about some work, he answered, andthe slider closed.The sound of unlocking bolts caughthis ear and then the door creaked open.Red carpet,display cases, dim lights, some kind of storeoperated from down here.The large doorman gavehim room to enter, but Nathan barely stepped inside.A half dozen guys were spread about the smokyroom, some of them talking in pairs, others sifting through packages.The doorman eyed him warily.Most of the people turned to take a look at him,expecting him to do something, but Nathan didn tknow what to do. Hey, you here about a job? one guy screeched,his voice shrill and harsh.That s when Nathan wasable to glance into a display case in the center of theroom.It had guns and knives in it.He saw some flat-screen TV s against the far wall.One of the guys wassharpening a knife.The whole scene screamed ofdanger.Nathan had tried not to think about what hewould do if they asked him to steal, but it was verypossible they were killing people, or worse. No& Nathan stammered, trying to back up, butthe doorman was in his way. Who sent you? the same man shouted. No one, Nathan said, trying to squirm aroundthe doorman, who put his hand on Nathan s shoulder. You know we can t let you leave, right? somebody said.Nathan slammed his elbow into the doorman,knocking him over into the bottom of the stairwell.Theother men immediately jumped to their feet andpursued Nathan as he trampled the doorman and flewup the stairs.He raced back the way he came, andthe other guys erupted from the basement behind him. Nathan had only gotten to the end of the buildingwhen he realized he d never make it to his car withoutthem catching him first.He d have to lose them andgo back for it, or just find another way to get home.Rather than turning for the street, he swerved to theright down another alley.The sound of pounding footsteps echoed behindhim.There was no way they would just let him go afterhe d stumbled into their lair.Nathan took anotherquick turn, racing as fast as he could despite havingno idea where he was going.It was dark and therewas nobody else in the alleys, but he ran as fast as hecould, building after building whipping by him. Give it up, kid! one of them shouted.They wereclosing in, and Nathan didn t know how long he couldoutlast them.He burst from an alley into a sidestreet,causing one car to slam on the brakes.Gasping,Nathan put his hands out but kept running for anothersliver between the buildings on the other side
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