Status Updates From The Wounded and the Slain

"Had a blackjack," Bevan said.
"The authorities don't know that." And then a slow smile drifted across Joyner's mouth.
"He had a blackjack and they'll find it," Cora said.
"They'll never find it," Joyner murmured.
Her eyes began to widen.

He didn't know that his eyes were narrowing. He didn't sense the approach of the invisible reptile sliding toward his mind. The reptile was an idea that touched him ever so slightly and whispered. You need it, you need it bad, and you can't get it here -- but maybe you can get it somewhere else.