computers. A light from a flat monitor provided the path to Mr. Clean. I could see him already, a small-statured man with a bald head and a subtle green pigmentation to his thick skin.
"Daaé," he said when I reached him. He turned his head from the monitor, the screen filled with numbers. He stood and stuck out his hand. "My name is Sal, it's a pleasure."
It might have been a test, but unlike some, I didn't hesitate to shake. "Thanks for seeing me."
"No need to thank me, no need at all. I don't mean to be rude, but I'd like to get this business concluded so I can get back to more important matters. I would have made you wait, but my assistant Gloria took pity on you. Do you have the card?"
Pity? I held myself in check and found the card in my pocket. He pulled it from my grip.
"I'm sending it through about two dozen accounts, so it will take a couple of days for the funds to show up."
Great. I might be dead before I saw the statement. "How do you know where to deliver it?"
"Don't worry about that, pal." His fingers flew along the keys, and screens flashed one after another. Then he put the card in front of it and scanned it. "Done."
Two million sitting in our account in two days. All I had to do now was finish the job, and time wasn't on my side. "The kill team can track the card's path back to you. How do I know you won't snitch if they come for me?"
He turned his chair back to me. "Who said I wouldn't snitch? This protection is only good as long as you finish the job. I've got a business to run, and I run it by misdirecting the Houses, not misleading them. Now, if you don't mind." He waved his hand, shooing me away.
I stood there for a few more seconds, but Sal didn't notice. He'd already put his attention back on the monitor, and was flitting through screens faster than my eyes could follow.
"You still here?" he asked, without turning his head.
I thought I should say something, but what would be the point? I turned and left.
When I reached Miss Salazar, she looked at me with a sad expression. "It's just the way he is."
I nodded, but didn't say anything.
Pity?
CHAPTER SEVEN
No rest for the wicked.
"Boring night," Evan said, the minute I opened the door to the van and slid back in behind the wheel. I pulled the door shut and looked over at Danelle.
"That was pleasant."
She laughed. "Clean? It's just his personality, but can you blame him? Goblins don't have it easy, even among the other leathers."
"Next time you can watch Wendy Wheelchair, and I'll go take care of business." Evan opened the steamer trunk and tossed the Bushmaster back inside. "I'm going to get rusty, as little action as I've been seeing lately. Either use me or let me sleep, but this guard duty bullshit is getting old."
I wasn't in the mood for Evan's mouth. "Stand down, captain."
He groaned through his teeth while he climbed back into the cooler. It didn't matter how much he hated me, he wasn't in charge. "I hope you die before you need me again." He pulled the lid closed, and I cut the cord.
"The money's being transferred as we speak, minus four hundred thousand, but it won't show up for a couple of days." I started the van and pulled away from the curb, out onto the empty streets. Unlike Evan, I was grateful for the quiet.
"One less thing to worry about," Danelle said. "Now we just need to find a new place to live."
"You aren't making the trip to the coast with me?"
She gave me the 'stop being a dumb ass' look. "What use would I be to you? I can roll this thing pretty quick, but all it takes is a flight of stairs and I'm out of the action. Let's just find somewhere for me to hole up, and I'll see if I can dig up anything about what it is you're going to try to steal."
"Fair enough. There's plenty of lousy hotels outside of O'Hare. Just pick one that doesn't have valet. I don't think they'd like the surprises in the back."
She found my cell in the glove compartment and hit the internet. I navigated us out of
"Daaé," he said when I reached him. He turned his head from the monitor, the screen filled with numbers. He stood and stuck out his hand. "My name is Sal, it's a pleasure."
It might have been a test, but unlike some, I didn't hesitate to shake. "Thanks for seeing me."
"No need to thank me, no need at all. I don't mean to be rude, but I'd like to get this business concluded so I can get back to more important matters. I would have made you wait, but my assistant Gloria took pity on you. Do you have the card?"
Pity? I held myself in check and found the card in my pocket. He pulled it from my grip.
"I'm sending it through about two dozen accounts, so it will take a couple of days for the funds to show up."
Great. I might be dead before I saw the statement. "How do you know where to deliver it?"
"Don't worry about that, pal." His fingers flew along the keys, and screens flashed one after another. Then he put the card in front of it and scanned it. "Done."
Two million sitting in our account in two days. All I had to do now was finish the job, and time wasn't on my side. "The kill team can track the card's path back to you. How do I know you won't snitch if they come for me?"
He turned his chair back to me. "Who said I wouldn't snitch? This protection is only good as long as you finish the job. I've got a business to run, and I run it by misdirecting the Houses, not misleading them. Now, if you don't mind." He waved his hand, shooing me away.
I stood there for a few more seconds, but Sal didn't notice. He'd already put his attention back on the monitor, and was flitting through screens faster than my eyes could follow.
"You still here?" he asked, without turning his head.
I thought I should say something, but what would be the point? I turned and left.
When I reached Miss Salazar, she looked at me with a sad expression. "It's just the way he is."
I nodded, but didn't say anything.
Pity?
CHAPTER SEVEN
No rest for the wicked.
"Boring night," Evan said, the minute I opened the door to the van and slid back in behind the wheel. I pulled the door shut and looked over at Danelle.
"That was pleasant."
She laughed. "Clean? It's just his personality, but can you blame him? Goblins don't have it easy, even among the other leathers."
"Next time you can watch Wendy Wheelchair, and I'll go take care of business." Evan opened the steamer trunk and tossed the Bushmaster back inside. "I'm going to get rusty, as little action as I've been seeing lately. Either use me or let me sleep, but this guard duty bullshit is getting old."
I wasn't in the mood for Evan's mouth. "Stand down, captain."
He groaned through his teeth while he climbed back into the cooler. It didn't matter how much he hated me, he wasn't in charge. "I hope you die before you need me again." He pulled the lid closed, and I cut the cord.
"The money's being transferred as we speak, minus four hundred thousand, but it won't show up for a couple of days." I started the van and pulled away from the curb, out onto the empty streets. Unlike Evan, I was grateful for the quiet.
"One less thing to worry about," Danelle said. "Now we just need to find a new place to live."
"You aren't making the trip to the coast with me?"
She gave me the 'stop being a dumb ass' look. "What use would I be to you? I can roll this thing pretty quick, but all it takes is a flight of stairs and I'm out of the action. Let's just find somewhere for me to hole up, and I'll see if I can dig up anything about what it is you're going to try to steal."
"Fair enough. There's plenty of lousy hotels outside of O'Hare. Just pick one that doesn't have valet. I don't think they'd like the surprises in the back."
She found my cell in the glove compartment and hit the internet. I navigated us out of
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