Death's Apprentice: A Grimm City Novel by Gareth Jefferson Jones K. W. Jeter

condition, too.”
    The lawyer held up a mollifying palm. “If I’ve upset you, I’m sorry. Everyone needs secrets, and yours are safe with me.” Beneath his insincere words rose the sound of the limo’s wide tires rolling through the sodden streets. “The only reason I brought it up is because I wanted to make it clear to you why my client needs you on his side. All the details aren’t in yet, but there could be a bloodbath in this city before this day is through. And it’s vital that we have someone on our team who’ll stick with the job to the end, no matter how tough the going gets.”
    Hank leaned back, still regarding the lawyer suspiciously. “This guy you work for, who is he?”
    The dwarf’s scabby finger tapped the starlike symbol on his ring. “Let’s just say he’s a businessman, with a vested interest in maintaining the status quo.”
    Hank’s laugh was a quick, rumbling bark. “I’ve heard that before. And the targets?”
    “There are three of them in total. Three men, by all accounts.”
    “And you’re sure they’re bad, these guys?” he asked. “Because I don’t hurt innocents. Just people who are in a position to hurt me, too.”
    The dwarf acknowledged the comment with another nod. “Rest assured, these men are the worst kinds of scum you’ll ever find. In fact, considering what they’re planning to start today, you could even call them mass murderers.” He turned away and glanced at the rivulets of water sluicing over the side windows. “So … can I tell my client you’ll take the job?”
    Hank had to admit that his interest had been piqued. “Okay,” he said. “I’m in. What I need from you now are their IDs, and the address where I can find them.”
    “Ah…” The dwarf smiled apologetically. “I’m afraid it isn’t quite as simple as that. You see, their identities and whereabouts aren’t clear to us at the moment. All we know is that they must be here in the city somewhere. Either as a group, or on their own.”
    “But … if you don’t know where they are, how the hell am I supposed to kill them?”
    “I suppose by just … doing what you do best…” The dwarf folded his scabby hands to explain. “You see, my client has instructed me to inform you that despite your strength and skill, killing these three men will be far from easy. So, if that difficulty in killing them is the only way to recognize them, he suggests that you simply attack everyone in this accursed city who’s dangerous enough to hurt you, and let us know when you finally meet your match.”
    Hank glared at him in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
    “Completely.” The dwarf’s beady eyes didn’t even flinch. “As I said, my client has every faith in you. So rest assured, however many people you end up killing today, he is more than happy to pick up the tab.”
    Every bastard who can take a shot at me  … The danger of it called to Hank. Every scumbag who might be able to do me damage … Then, when I meet someone who can do the business, I just ring up this dwarf and tell him that I’ve found his guys.
    Hank gave a nod, sold on the brutal clarity of it. “Okay,” he said. “Sounds like a plan to me.”

 
    5.
    He had already lost so much blood, he was growing dizzy.
    The city’s streets seemed faint and without substance as Blake plodded forward. With one arm, he clutched his blood-soaked overcoat to the torn flesh over his ribs. The red strings of the broken stitches dangled from under the coat’s bottom hem. A trail of bloodspots, some as big as his hand, mingled with his muddy footprints on the pavement behind him.
    He kept to the city’s backstreets, trying to avoid anyone seeing him. But it was impossible. Even in this dump, a man staggering along, leaking blood, drew attention. And not the helpful kind. He knew that the sight of his begrimed, wounded form disgusted everyone who spotted him. Some people crossed the street to get away from this filthy specter; others