he hadn’t noticed anything.
“Who’s the robot?” he asked.
“His name’s Setzen,” growled the grizzled man. “He works for that Bast woman.”
“Bast woman?”
“Carolyn Bast,” said the woman to his left, turning back to the game and picking up her cards. “She runs that company. Deth. Practically runs the city. Don’t know how she gets away with it.”
“Death?” said Sam, grinning. “You’re joking. She actually has a company called Death ?”
“Devastation Engineering and Tactical Havoc,” explained a small skinny man on the opposite side of the table.
“Inc.,” added the grizzled man.
“Apparently,” the woman leaned forward, her voice suddenly conspiratorial, “Someone got into their offices today—”
“Offices!” snorted a one-armed man on Sam’s right. “More like a fortress!”
“—and stole something.”
“Must’ve had a death wish,” said the skinny man.
“That’s the thing, though,” continued the woman. “They killed him. Over by the old town. Killed him dead. But he didn’t have it any more.”
“Have what?” asked Sam, all wide eyed innocence.
“The thing. Whatever it was he stole. And I gotta tell you, whatever it is she wants it back real bad. She’s got troops tearing through the whole city, even right by City Hall. Like the mayor was nobody.”
“The mayor is nobody,” said the one-armed man.
“Yeah, well, if they don’t find it today, they’ll find it tomorrow,” said the grizzled man. “This town’s too small for secrets. And when they do, whoever’s got it ain’t going to be long for this world at all. I was talking to Anton earlier. He works for her too, and he said she’s got herself some stone cold killer. Some kind of assassin. Arrived today.”
“An assassin?” said the woman. “What for?”
“Killing people, of course! Don’t ask such fool questions.”
“It ain’t a fool question. Seems to me she’s got nothing but stone cold killers on the payroll.”
“Yeah, well. Seems this one’s different. Doesn’t do no soldiering. Just killing.”
Sam looked from one to the other, then at the men at the bar. This all sounded really bad.
“Are we playing cards, or what?” he asked, hoping that his voice didn’t betray the fact that he just wanted to win his money, hide until morning, and then get out of town as fast as the old car would go.
The grizzled man nodded, knocked back his drink and threw some money into the pot. This time Sam didn’t hold anything back. The knowledge that the grizzled man was a cheat was a gift—it meant he expected to win, so he’d let the pot go as high as he could, confident that it would all be his.
But, of course, it wasn’t. As Sam showed his hand, the grizzled man’s face revealed disbelief, then anger, followed by the realization that he couldn’t do anything, immediately followed by anger again. Sam smiled nicely and gathered up the money.
“Well, I’d like to thank you people for a really nice evening.”
“You’re leaving?” spluttered the grizzled man. “You can’t take all our money and not give us a chance to win it back! That ain’t how it’s done, kid.”
“Sorry. Way past my bed time.”
He shoved the notes into his pockets and hurried over to the bar where Nathan was having an absolutely marvelous time.
“Come on,” he said. “Time to go.”
“Just one more…”
“Nope.” He scooped up the box.
“Who is this?” asked the real Jeb Belloq, his too-loud voice betraying his alcohol intake.
“This is my friend, Sam,” slurred Nathan. “He has a very pretty car.”
“A car? What kind of a car?”
“A red one.”
“Can we go for a ride?”
“Can we go for a ride, Sam? Jeb would like to go for a—”
Sam just rolled his eyes, gripped Nathan’s arm and hauled him out of the bar.
“What did you do that for? Ohhhh…”
Nathan turned a weird shade of green as soon as the cold night air hit him.
“I thought you
“Who’s the robot?” he asked.
“His name’s Setzen,” growled the grizzled man. “He works for that Bast woman.”
“Bast woman?”
“Carolyn Bast,” said the woman to his left, turning back to the game and picking up her cards. “She runs that company. Deth. Practically runs the city. Don’t know how she gets away with it.”
“Death?” said Sam, grinning. “You’re joking. She actually has a company called Death ?”
“Devastation Engineering and Tactical Havoc,” explained a small skinny man on the opposite side of the table.
“Inc.,” added the grizzled man.
“Apparently,” the woman leaned forward, her voice suddenly conspiratorial, “Someone got into their offices today—”
“Offices!” snorted a one-armed man on Sam’s right. “More like a fortress!”
“—and stole something.”
“Must’ve had a death wish,” said the skinny man.
“That’s the thing, though,” continued the woman. “They killed him. Over by the old town. Killed him dead. But he didn’t have it any more.”
“Have what?” asked Sam, all wide eyed innocence.
“The thing. Whatever it was he stole. And I gotta tell you, whatever it is she wants it back real bad. She’s got troops tearing through the whole city, even right by City Hall. Like the mayor was nobody.”
“The mayor is nobody,” said the one-armed man.
“Yeah, well, if they don’t find it today, they’ll find it tomorrow,” said the grizzled man. “This town’s too small for secrets. And when they do, whoever’s got it ain’t going to be long for this world at all. I was talking to Anton earlier. He works for her too, and he said she’s got herself some stone cold killer. Some kind of assassin. Arrived today.”
“An assassin?” said the woman. “What for?”
“Killing people, of course! Don’t ask such fool questions.”
“It ain’t a fool question. Seems to me she’s got nothing but stone cold killers on the payroll.”
“Yeah, well. Seems this one’s different. Doesn’t do no soldiering. Just killing.”
Sam looked from one to the other, then at the men at the bar. This all sounded really bad.
“Are we playing cards, or what?” he asked, hoping that his voice didn’t betray the fact that he just wanted to win his money, hide until morning, and then get out of town as fast as the old car would go.
The grizzled man nodded, knocked back his drink and threw some money into the pot. This time Sam didn’t hold anything back. The knowledge that the grizzled man was a cheat was a gift—it meant he expected to win, so he’d let the pot go as high as he could, confident that it would all be his.
But, of course, it wasn’t. As Sam showed his hand, the grizzled man’s face revealed disbelief, then anger, followed by the realization that he couldn’t do anything, immediately followed by anger again. Sam smiled nicely and gathered up the money.
“Well, I’d like to thank you people for a really nice evening.”
“You’re leaving?” spluttered the grizzled man. “You can’t take all our money and not give us a chance to win it back! That ain’t how it’s done, kid.”
“Sorry. Way past my bed time.”
He shoved the notes into his pockets and hurried over to the bar where Nathan was having an absolutely marvelous time.
“Come on,” he said. “Time to go.”
“Just one more…”
“Nope.” He scooped up the box.
“Who is this?” asked the real Jeb Belloq, his too-loud voice betraying his alcohol intake.
“This is my friend, Sam,” slurred Nathan. “He has a very pretty car.”
“A car? What kind of a car?”
“A red one.”
“Can we go for a ride?”
“Can we go for a ride, Sam? Jeb would like to go for a—”
Sam just rolled his eyes, gripped Nathan’s arm and hauled him out of the bar.
“What did you do that for? Ohhhh…”
Nathan turned a weird shade of green as soon as the cold night air hit him.
“I thought you
Similar Books
