Jack said.
“Do you have anything to trade?” Natalie asked.
The man did a giggle and slid his hand between the blond's thighs. “Only our good looks.”
The blond ignored everyone and went slack, as though her bones had gone soft. She tilted her head back and let her mouth fall open.
“She your girlfriend?” the man asked Jack, nodding at Natalie.
“Yes. Is she your girlfriend?”
“I found her back a ways. You can use her if you want. I trained her. Your woman idden near as bony as mine.”
“I eat well,” Natalie said. Jack saw that her eyelids hooded her eyes.
“I bet you do. She eat good?” he asked Jack. “Yuk yuk.”
“You have a brother named Hewitt?”
“What the fuck kinda question is that?”
“Just trying to be pleasant. Someone I met on the road.”
“Well, you just make me tired. We want to turn in. Where do we sleep?”
“You can't sleep here,” Natalie said.
“Say what?”
The blond's eyes snapped open; she seemed to have bones again, but now no one moved.
“I'm sorry,” Natalie said. “I thought you were asking where you could sleep in my house. You're not sleeping in my house. Did I misunderstand?”
The blond looked at the man with big eyes. “We could sleep here?” She was incredulous.
“Shut up,” he said to her. He looked up at Natalie, his face a rigid sneer. “Lemme get this. We been travelin' for months, sleepin' in dirt, and now, you with this house, you tell us, 'Not in my house.' Put us out like dogs? Like trash?” He was standing up now, waving his arms. “You know what it's like out there — people kill you for a blanket, and you got all this and you tell us to go sleep in the dirt again?” He was outraged. To Jack he said, “You stand there and let the skinny bitch talk for you? She wear your balls around the house?”
“You should sleep warmer with the meal you just had,” Jack said pleasantly.
“Really? Really! You think I'm gonna sleep warm? You're right, nutless, I'm gonna sleep warm because I'm going to sleep in here, in your bed, in your woman.” He came nearer Jack. “And my filthy part's gonna sleep at her body temperature.”
The big person seized Natalie from behind, a thick arm around her neck and a pen knife poised next to Natalie's right eye.
“I can-not-be- lieve , how easy this is! Damn it! Are we that good?”
The blond woman on the sofa whipped her head back and forth, keening, “Can't you just stop shoving and stabbing people, why do we always—”
The man had taken a step back and gave her a swift kick in the calf. “Shut up or I'll sell you to the Leks for meat.” He went toward Natalie. In a surprisingly swift move, he had taken the other person's knife with one hand and swung Natalie around in a hammer lock. He pressed the point against her sternum. A small red spot seeped into her white shirt, yet Natalie showed no alarm.
At the same time, the blond woman began yammering again. “Look, see, you could do it to her and Jack could do me and Who's-it could do whoever, and we'd all get along, see? We could all get a—”
Their friend took three long steps across the room, grabbed the blond woman by the front of her ratty clothes and slammed her against the wall hard enough that they heard a picture fall in another room.
After a moment of silence, the blond slid to the floor.
“Well, now. It's partner assignment time. I get this one, and you, dude, you get that one.”
The big person grinned at Jack. The teeth were so gray they could have been painted. The person pulled on black gloves with metal-tipped knuckles. From a cargo pocket, one gloved hand pulled out a collapsible baton.
The red spot on Natalie's chest had started to elongate. The man said, “Even I don't know if that's a man or a woman, maybe you find out, but from what I do know, you'll look at tomorrow with a totally different point of view.”
“Can't we, can't we just be quiet for a change?” the blond whimpered from the floor.
“We
“Do you have anything to trade?” Natalie asked.
The man did a giggle and slid his hand between the blond's thighs. “Only our good looks.”
The blond ignored everyone and went slack, as though her bones had gone soft. She tilted her head back and let her mouth fall open.
“She your girlfriend?” the man asked Jack, nodding at Natalie.
“Yes. Is she your girlfriend?”
“I found her back a ways. You can use her if you want. I trained her. Your woman idden near as bony as mine.”
“I eat well,” Natalie said. Jack saw that her eyelids hooded her eyes.
“I bet you do. She eat good?” he asked Jack. “Yuk yuk.”
“You have a brother named Hewitt?”
“What the fuck kinda question is that?”
“Just trying to be pleasant. Someone I met on the road.”
“Well, you just make me tired. We want to turn in. Where do we sleep?”
“You can't sleep here,” Natalie said.
“Say what?”
The blond's eyes snapped open; she seemed to have bones again, but now no one moved.
“I'm sorry,” Natalie said. “I thought you were asking where you could sleep in my house. You're not sleeping in my house. Did I misunderstand?”
The blond looked at the man with big eyes. “We could sleep here?” She was incredulous.
“Shut up,” he said to her. He looked up at Natalie, his face a rigid sneer. “Lemme get this. We been travelin' for months, sleepin' in dirt, and now, you with this house, you tell us, 'Not in my house.' Put us out like dogs? Like trash?” He was standing up now, waving his arms. “You know what it's like out there — people kill you for a blanket, and you got all this and you tell us to go sleep in the dirt again?” He was outraged. To Jack he said, “You stand there and let the skinny bitch talk for you? She wear your balls around the house?”
“You should sleep warmer with the meal you just had,” Jack said pleasantly.
“Really? Really! You think I'm gonna sleep warm? You're right, nutless, I'm gonna sleep warm because I'm going to sleep in here, in your bed, in your woman.” He came nearer Jack. “And my filthy part's gonna sleep at her body temperature.”
The big person seized Natalie from behind, a thick arm around her neck and a pen knife poised next to Natalie's right eye.
“I can-not-be- lieve , how easy this is! Damn it! Are we that good?”
The blond woman on the sofa whipped her head back and forth, keening, “Can't you just stop shoving and stabbing people, why do we always—”
The man had taken a step back and gave her a swift kick in the calf. “Shut up or I'll sell you to the Leks for meat.” He went toward Natalie. In a surprisingly swift move, he had taken the other person's knife with one hand and swung Natalie around in a hammer lock. He pressed the point against her sternum. A small red spot seeped into her white shirt, yet Natalie showed no alarm.
At the same time, the blond woman began yammering again. “Look, see, you could do it to her and Jack could do me and Who's-it could do whoever, and we'd all get along, see? We could all get a—”
Their friend took three long steps across the room, grabbed the blond woman by the front of her ratty clothes and slammed her against the wall hard enough that they heard a picture fall in another room.
After a moment of silence, the blond slid to the floor.
“Well, now. It's partner assignment time. I get this one, and you, dude, you get that one.”
The big person grinned at Jack. The teeth were so gray they could have been painted. The person pulled on black gloves with metal-tipped knuckles. From a cargo pocket, one gloved hand pulled out a collapsible baton.
The red spot on Natalie's chest had started to elongate. The man said, “Even I don't know if that's a man or a woman, maybe you find out, but from what I do know, you'll look at tomorrow with a totally different point of view.”
“Can't we, can't we just be quiet for a change?” the blond whimpered from the floor.
“We
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