Ryder actually put a hand over his face, laughing almost silently. "See," he said, looking at Nny again. "You know what I mean. You're not squeamish--most people I run across, even if they've got the capacity, go green at the thought of actually doing anything. Let me tell you something," he added, leaning forward. "There's a little game I have to play every few years, out in the desert in Texas and Arizona. I hitch around until I find someone who's willing--and able--to stop me. Last time I went through a dozen cars before I found a kid who even had a decent survival instinct, and I had to baby-sit the damn bastard halfway across the desert before he got up the nerve to actually kill me."

He smiled again, a smile that was somehow fond, twisted, and amused all at once. "Even then, I had to rip his--well, she wasn't his girlfriend, but his friend--in half before he finally got the balls to shoot me. Anyway, the point is, I'm betting you'd've stabbed me in the neck as soon as I said a damn thing."