nodded, he shrieked theatrically and threw his hands in the air. “Too soon!” he yelled, then spun around and dashed off.
“Who the hell was that?” I asked, bemused.
Sonja smiled. “He’ll introduce himself when the time’s right. I’d hate to steal his thunder.”
“That guy works for The Cardinal?”
“He used to,” she said. “He was a highflier once, but then he quit and now he’s a nobody. He’s left alone on The Cardinal’s orders, comes and goes as he pleases. A lot of people would like to see him dead. Ford Tasso’s one. There’s nothing Ford hates more than a quitter. Personally I like him. I think you will too. Did you sleep well?”
“Not really. I nodded off in a chair, waiting for dawn to break.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to massage out the stiffness. “How about you?”
“Same as usual. Popped a pill and slept like a baby. Do you want anything special for breakfast or do you trust me to order?”
“I place myself at your mercy.”
She ordered toast and cornflakes, low-fat butter and skimmed milk on the side. “This is it?” I asked, disappointed. I was expecting something more exotic.
“I believe in simple starts,” she said.
I buttered my toast, milked my cornflakes and ate. “Tell me,” I mumbled, “and please interrupt if I’m being rude, but what you said last night—was it true?”
“About being a prostitute?”
“Yeah.”
“True.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t approve?” she smiled.
“I thought it was something people fell into when all else failed,” I said. “You made it sound like a career move.”
“It was,” she said. “I’d never go back, and I wouldn’t have started if I’d thought I couldn’t move on to something better, but I’m not ashamed of my life. I did what I had to.”
“But surely it affected your love life. What did your boyfriend think?”
“I didn’t have one,” she said. “My current girlfriend wouldn’t have approved, but I didn’t meet her until later, so that wasn’t an issue.”
“You’re a… ?” I coughed uncomfortably.
“Yes,” she laughed as I blushed. “And in case you were going to ask, I didn’t turn to women because of my traumatic experiences with men while on the streets.”
“The question never entered my mind.”
“I bet.” She poured some milk into a crystal glass, took a sip, wiped around her mouth with her satin napkin. “This is Adrian,” she said.
I turned and looked back. A young man was standing directly behind me, a baseball cap held between his joined hands in a stance of mock respect.
“Hi, Sis,” he said, drawing up a chair. “What’s hanging?”
“This is Capac Raimi. You’re going to be assisting him.”
“Nice to meetja,” he said, nodding.
“Likewise. You’re Sonja’s brother?”
“Yeah. Can’t you see the similarity?”
“No.” The two were as different as mud and gold. While Sonja was cool and sophisticated, this guy was dressed in jeans and a creased shirt. She was dark, he was pale. Different hair and faces. Plus she was a couple of decades his senior—he couldn’t have been much more than twenty.
He chuckled. “You’re thinking of the age gap, right? She looks old enough to be my mother.” Sonja punched his arm. “I was a late arrival,” he said. “A gift from the gods. Surprised the shit out of Mom and Dad, eh, Sis?”
“To put it mildly.”
“So, what’s the brief?” he asked.
“Capac’s our latest recruit. He’ll be under my direct supervision. I want you to take care of him, show him around, introduce him to the fun people and places. See to his needs. Educate him. Be his friend.”
“See?” he whined. “She even tells me who my friends should be!” He pretended to cry, then shrugged indifferently. “I don’t care. It’ll be nice to have someone my own age around.”
She wiped her mouth, placed her utensils neatly on one of the side plates and got up. “You can start by driving us back to the
“Who the hell was that?” I asked, bemused.
Sonja smiled. “He’ll introduce himself when the time’s right. I’d hate to steal his thunder.”
“That guy works for The Cardinal?”
“He used to,” she said. “He was a highflier once, but then he quit and now he’s a nobody. He’s left alone on The Cardinal’s orders, comes and goes as he pleases. A lot of people would like to see him dead. Ford Tasso’s one. There’s nothing Ford hates more than a quitter. Personally I like him. I think you will too. Did you sleep well?”
“Not really. I nodded off in a chair, waiting for dawn to break.” I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to massage out the stiffness. “How about you?”
“Same as usual. Popped a pill and slept like a baby. Do you want anything special for breakfast or do you trust me to order?”
“I place myself at your mercy.”
She ordered toast and cornflakes, low-fat butter and skimmed milk on the side. “This is it?” I asked, disappointed. I was expecting something more exotic.
“I believe in simple starts,” she said.
I buttered my toast, milked my cornflakes and ate. “Tell me,” I mumbled, “and please interrupt if I’m being rude, but what you said last night—was it true?”
“About being a prostitute?”
“Yeah.”
“True.”
“Oh.”
“You don’t approve?” she smiled.
“I thought it was something people fell into when all else failed,” I said. “You made it sound like a career move.”
“It was,” she said. “I’d never go back, and I wouldn’t have started if I’d thought I couldn’t move on to something better, but I’m not ashamed of my life. I did what I had to.”
“But surely it affected your love life. What did your boyfriend think?”
“I didn’t have one,” she said. “My current girlfriend wouldn’t have approved, but I didn’t meet her until later, so that wasn’t an issue.”
“You’re a… ?” I coughed uncomfortably.
“Yes,” she laughed as I blushed. “And in case you were going to ask, I didn’t turn to women because of my traumatic experiences with men while on the streets.”
“The question never entered my mind.”
“I bet.” She poured some milk into a crystal glass, took a sip, wiped around her mouth with her satin napkin. “This is Adrian,” she said.
I turned and looked back. A young man was standing directly behind me, a baseball cap held between his joined hands in a stance of mock respect.
“Hi, Sis,” he said, drawing up a chair. “What’s hanging?”
“This is Capac Raimi. You’re going to be assisting him.”
“Nice to meetja,” he said, nodding.
“Likewise. You’re Sonja’s brother?”
“Yeah. Can’t you see the similarity?”
“No.” The two were as different as mud and gold. While Sonja was cool and sophisticated, this guy was dressed in jeans and a creased shirt. She was dark, he was pale. Different hair and faces. Plus she was a couple of decades his senior—he couldn’t have been much more than twenty.
He chuckled. “You’re thinking of the age gap, right? She looks old enough to be my mother.” Sonja punched his arm. “I was a late arrival,” he said. “A gift from the gods. Surprised the shit out of Mom and Dad, eh, Sis?”
“To put it mildly.”
“So, what’s the brief?” he asked.
“Capac’s our latest recruit. He’ll be under my direct supervision. I want you to take care of him, show him around, introduce him to the fun people and places. See to his needs. Educate him. Be his friend.”
“See?” he whined. “She even tells me who my friends should be!” He pretended to cry, then shrugged indifferently. “I don’t care. It’ll be nice to have someone my own age around.”
She wiped her mouth, placed her utensils neatly on one of the side plates and got up. “You can start by driving us back to the
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