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Kabacra took a threateningstep towards him. ‘But consider how much
more
unfortunate if the boy here found his good eye speared on the end of a rapier.’
    â€˜Yeah, that’d be well clumsy of me,’ Patch squeaked.
    â€˜Or if charming Connie here needed stitches in those pretty cheeks of hers.’
    â€˜My name is
Con
,’ she told him quietly, looking into his blazing eyes. ‘Call me Connie again and
you
will be the one needing stitches, yes?’
    Kabacra’s eyes narrowed, but then Coldhardt calmly stepped between the two of them. ‘Since you’re so fond of threats, Kabacra, perhaps I should mention that I have also recovered the other swords stolen from your collection – the cavalry sabre, the Civil War cutlass –’
    â€˜I want them back, Coldhardt.’
    â€˜Should my associates and I suffer so much as a scratch in your company, they will be melted down for scrap and dropped on your head from a great height.’
    Kabacra leaned up close to Coldhardt and spoke in a low, dangerous voice. ‘You test my patience.’
    â€˜I’d sooner test a dry Martini while we talk business,’ said Coldhardt. ‘I’m willing to pay, and pay well, for information that will get me the sword of Cortes.’
    Kabacra held himself still for a few seconds. Then he straightened and gave his grisly smile. ‘You know, I deal with so few people who truly live up to their reputation. Just be careful you don’t die because of yours.’
    â€˜Oh, I’ll be careful,’ Coldhardt agreed. ‘For a start,I’ll fix my own drink.’
    â€˜Your associates will remain here, under guard.’ Kabacra ushered Coldhardt through the door and into a large living room done out in purples and crimson, like the whole space was bruised and bleeding. One of the guards followed them inside and closed the door behind.
    Patch looked nervously at Con. ‘Well, that went well, then.’
    â€˜Let’s just hope Coldhardt keeps him occupied for long enough.’
    â€˜Shut up,’ said their guard.
    â€˜Sorry, was that too loud?’ Con smiled, lowered her voice, fixing him with those incredible pale blue eyes of hers. ‘How about I speak softly. I don’t want to be any trouble to you.’
    â€˜
No hablo inglés
,’ he said grouchily – Con imagined that ‘shut up’ was as cosmopolitan as he got.
    At once she switched to Spanish. ‘You must be tired, no? You are tired. So sleepy …’ She smiled as he nodded, staring back at her, unblinking. ‘And you would like to help me, I think. Yes, of course you would …’
    Patch looked on as Con did her hypnotism trick. He had no idea what she was saying, but her accent sounded so mindblowingly sexy it actually distracted him from wanting to hurl again for a few minutes. And he felt better still when the guard lowered his gun, a glazed, restful look in his eyes.
    â€˜OK, he’s under,’ Con announced. ‘The stupid ones take no time.’
    Patch nodded. ‘But does he know where Kabacra keeps his client list?’
    She asked the guard in Spanish and he answered dreamily, pointing to a flight of stairs. Then, when Con prompted him with another question, he spoke in halting English: ‘We tie you up.’
    â€˜What’s he on about?’ said Patch warily.
    Con set off for the stairs. ‘Up here and second door on the right. The room is locked but not guarded.’
    â€˜OK, but what does he mean, “We tie you up”?’ Patch bounded lightly after her up the stairs and on to a long landing. ‘Is he into bondage or something?’
    â€˜He thinks it’s the password for Kabacra’s computer. Seems the other guard has hacked in before now, looking for scraps of information to sell.’
    â€˜Why use an English password if you’re Spanish?’
    â€˜To make it harder for others to crack?’ She