her gaze was locked on me . he considered her too dumb to be one of them . he gave her a long , level look . as i stepped back , i released her but kept the pistol against her cheek . i 'm still trying to figure out how you got yourself into this mess . '' my mouth is full of the sour taste that rises up with those old , deep words , and i can feel the muscles in my throat flexing , trying to press them back and down . 