Magic."
"We're not going to start the mumbo jumbo again, are we?" Lee called out from the rear. "How about the real stuff. You wouldn't be holding out on us again, would you?" He stepped out, brought a flashlight beam to bear on her face. "Does this old boyfriend have any surprise backers? Professional reserves? Maybe someone inside our operations looking to make his bones on us?"
"No. He doesn't do things the way you people do. He only works with people he knows, or controls." Mani lowered her head, shivered. "He's catching up to us. Two, three, maybe four cars. There don't seem to be many people."
Her frown sent a warning ripple through Max. Things were happening even she could not predict, and she had been Rithisak's agent for years. "Lee," Max said, holding out a hand to cut the beam off. "Set the mines up, then pick your high ground. Make sure you have an escape route. Take a headset, channel three. I'll do the remote crossfire and take the grenades."
Lee turned the off flashlight, glanced over his shoulder as a truck rumbled by on the avenue, walked up to Max. "I feel like I'm putting up a coffee shop for Mormons in Utah. Now our tail is up to four cars and just a few guys. It doesn't add up. You really believe he's tracking her through this spirit mumbo jumbo?"
"If you don't trust my instincts, trust the things you've seen with me that you can't explain."
"Yeah, sure, we've been through weird shit." Lee pointed the flashlight at Mani's face. "But she's been yanking our chain all night. You don't think she's still setting us up? You trust her?"
"No, to both."
"Then are we doing the right thing, trying to ambush her old man? Maybe she'll tip him off."
Max leaned into Lee. "Would it matter if she did?"
Lee hesitated, then laughed. "Damn, you really don't give a shit."
"At worst, how much of a problem can the opposition be?" Max took the flashlight and swept it like a pointer at the open end of the street.
Lee backed away. "Right. A bunch of half-assed guerillas lost in the big city. Cheap mercs and street guns, at best. No special equipment. Like knocking off neighborhood wanna-be hoods."
Mani's manipulations and Lee's doubts had awakened the Beast's appetite. Keeping the Beast under control was wearing out his resolve. The unexpected mission changes only heightened his frustration. He did not want to admit to Lee how badly he needed the release of a fight, the familiar routine of killing. The Beast had to be fed again, tonight. And Max required death's reassurance to calm him in the face of so many lies, so much uncertainty, and the maddening potential of even more changes. If he did not get his ration of blood, he could not guarantee Mani surviving the shelter of his protection. He could not even promise to keep his patience with Lee.
Max turned away from Lee, who went back to the trunk. Mani brightened with Max's attention.
"Where do you want me?" Mani asked, looking at the garbage bins.
"In front of the trunk."
She snapped her head around to stare at him. "I thought you were supposed to protect me."
"Is Rithisak out to kill you?"
"No."
"Then you'll be perfectly safe out in the open. Is he the only one protected against your little mind trick?" She nodded.
"Then he'll come after you himself and use his people to protect him. This is a small space, so you should have line of sight on them. You distract as many as you can while Lee and I close the killing box. If you're lying, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."
She held her stare on him a moment longer, gave him a thin smile, shook her head, and looked at the ground. "This isn't what was promised to me. What would happen if I made a call to your superiors and told them what you were doing?"
"I'd cut your hand off." He waited for her reaction. She gave him none. "If you got through, I'd explain the complexity of our situation. I'd mention the fact that you and Rithisak possessed either the technology or ability to penetrate Nowhere House
"We're not going to start the mumbo jumbo again, are we?" Lee called out from the rear. "How about the real stuff. You wouldn't be holding out on us again, would you?" He stepped out, brought a flashlight beam to bear on her face. "Does this old boyfriend have any surprise backers? Professional reserves? Maybe someone inside our operations looking to make his bones on us?"
"No. He doesn't do things the way you people do. He only works with people he knows, or controls." Mani lowered her head, shivered. "He's catching up to us. Two, three, maybe four cars. There don't seem to be many people."
Her frown sent a warning ripple through Max. Things were happening even she could not predict, and she had been Rithisak's agent for years. "Lee," Max said, holding out a hand to cut the beam off. "Set the mines up, then pick your high ground. Make sure you have an escape route. Take a headset, channel three. I'll do the remote crossfire and take the grenades."
Lee turned the off flashlight, glanced over his shoulder as a truck rumbled by on the avenue, walked up to Max. "I feel like I'm putting up a coffee shop for Mormons in Utah. Now our tail is up to four cars and just a few guys. It doesn't add up. You really believe he's tracking her through this spirit mumbo jumbo?"
"If you don't trust my instincts, trust the things you've seen with me that you can't explain."
"Yeah, sure, we've been through weird shit." Lee pointed the flashlight at Mani's face. "But she's been yanking our chain all night. You don't think she's still setting us up? You trust her?"
"No, to both."
"Then are we doing the right thing, trying to ambush her old man? Maybe she'll tip him off."
Max leaned into Lee. "Would it matter if she did?"
Lee hesitated, then laughed. "Damn, you really don't give a shit."
"At worst, how much of a problem can the opposition be?" Max took the flashlight and swept it like a pointer at the open end of the street.
Lee backed away. "Right. A bunch of half-assed guerillas lost in the big city. Cheap mercs and street guns, at best. No special equipment. Like knocking off neighborhood wanna-be hoods."
Mani's manipulations and Lee's doubts had awakened the Beast's appetite. Keeping the Beast under control was wearing out his resolve. The unexpected mission changes only heightened his frustration. He did not want to admit to Lee how badly he needed the release of a fight, the familiar routine of killing. The Beast had to be fed again, tonight. And Max required death's reassurance to calm him in the face of so many lies, so much uncertainty, and the maddening potential of even more changes. If he did not get his ration of blood, he could not guarantee Mani surviving the shelter of his protection. He could not even promise to keep his patience with Lee.
Max turned away from Lee, who went back to the trunk. Mani brightened with Max's attention.
"Where do you want me?" Mani asked, looking at the garbage bins.
"In front of the trunk."
She snapped her head around to stare at him. "I thought you were supposed to protect me."
"Is Rithisak out to kill you?"
"No."
"Then you'll be perfectly safe out in the open. Is he the only one protected against your little mind trick?" She nodded.
"Then he'll come after you himself and use his people to protect him. This is a small space, so you should have line of sight on them. You distract as many as you can while Lee and I close the killing box. If you're lying, you'll have no one to blame but yourself."
She held her stare on him a moment longer, gave him a thin smile, shook her head, and looked at the ground. "This isn't what was promised to me. What would happen if I made a call to your superiors and told them what you were doing?"
"I'd cut your hand off." He waited for her reaction. She gave him none. "If you got through, I'd explain the complexity of our situation. I'd mention the fact that you and Rithisak possessed either the technology or ability to penetrate Nowhere House
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