Bolan fancied himself as a Sir Galahad or something when it came to the dames. He had even put his head on the block for a bunch of damn French whores if the guy had a weak point, that was it. He couldn't walk away from a dame in trouble.
The pregnant kid broad meant nothing at all to Tony Lavagni. He didn't let himself get involved with people that way. She wasn't a peopleat all, she was just a tool, and he'd use her any damn way he could. He's shove a hook up her ass and dangle her from the yardarm if he thought that would bring Bolan around.
Bolan knew that, too.
And Bolan was a sucker for people.
The guy had a real people problem.
And he was going to lose his goddamn head over that problem. His first mistake was in sending that dumb hick lad in to do a man's job. Lavagni couldn't understand Bolan pulling a stunt like that, unless the guy was really getting desperate. Or unless
Quick Tony began to fidget. Maybe the bastard was just setting him up. Maybe he never intended to actually use that boat. Maybe he'd sent the kid in as a diversion, nothing more. Maybe he was suckering Tony into concentrating everything at Puerta Vista while he slipped out some other way.
Lavagni tried to dismiss the idea. Hell, he had to play the hand that was there, didn't he? Bolan was no god, he was no superman. Everybody made dumb mistakes now and then, even cagey shits like Mack Bolan. Still, Quick Tony couldn't help wondering about
He looked around and caught the eye of Joe Fini, crew chief on the cruiser. "Any word yet from Charlie?" he asked him.
Fini shook his head and replied in a near-whisper. "We been trying to raise him ever since we got docked. Maybe something's gone wrong with the radio. You want me to go down and try the car radio?"
Lavagni emphatically shook his head no. "Not now, hell. What about Latigo?"
"We ain't heard nothing from him for two hours, since he went west."
"I told Charlie to send all those boys to Puerta Vista."
"Well they was covering a lot of territory," Fini whispered. "I guess it takes awhile to get 'em all back together. This radio stuff ain't all it's cracked up to be."
"What the hell are you whispering about?"
Fini laughed self-consciously. "I guess it's just the mood around here. I feel like tiptoeing when I walk."
Lavagni growled, "Well tiptoe in there and see how our little madonna is making out. I don't want her losing her mind yet, I might need it"
"For what, Tony?"
"Never mind for what. Just cheer her up, make her feel like it's all gonna turn out okay. It ain't, of course, but you've been lying to broads all your life so go tell some more lies."
"Hell, I don't parleyvoo her lingo," Fini replied.
"Then use sign language. But watch where you put your hands. I don't want her going into shock right now."
Fini grinned wickedly and said, "Party pooper."
Lavagni shook his head disgustedly. "You call that a party? A pregnant cow?"
"They make the best lay," Fini told his boss. "They got everything to gain and nothin' to lose." He laughed and moved softly toward the cabin.
Lavagni watched him disappear inside, then he returned his attention to the wharf.
Hurry up Dammit, hurry up.
Lavagni lit a cigar and brooded over the situation for several minutes. Fini came back on deck and whispered, "She's okay. A little bit uptight, but okay. I think she figures Prince Charming will come riding up any time now."
"I wish he would," Quick Tony complained.
Fini chuckled and moved back to his station.
Lavagni craned his head about, spotting the other boys. Everybody was ready. Every thingwas ready. Why didn't the bastard come on and get it over with? That kid told him eight o'clock, and here it was nearly eight thirty already.
It was almost as bad as the wait at Glass Bay. Lavagni shivered, remembering the awful scene they'd had there.
Well it wasn't going to happen here. It wasn't going to...
He stiffened and took a closer look along the wharf. Something was going on down there. The Manhattan doorman was moving around and people were taking off.
A chill trickled along Lavagni's spine. He turned around to whisper to Fini, "Get set, something's coming off."
Shops were closing, hastily, and the marketplace was being cleared. This was supposed to be the late-closing night. That guy had told Lavagni that those shops wouldn't close until nine o'clock. So what the hell was?..
The rube cop was walking along the line of fishing boats now, yelling something in Spanish. Guys were jumping off onto the wharf and beating it.
Fini hoarsely called over, "What the hell is it, Tony?"
"I dunno," Lavagni shot back. "But if that big rube comes this far, you know what to do with 'im."
The cop spun around, though, and went back toward the middle. Evidently his only interest had been in clearing the commercial area. While Lavagni was pondering this, the cargo lights came on all along the wharf, brightly illuminating the entire strip.
A growl began deep in Lavagni's throat and he told Fini, "Okay, give the signal. The guy's coming, and I think maybe with help."
"You think he's got the law on his side, Tony?"
"Shut up what I think. Just give the signal."
Fini went to the flying bridge and briefly illuminated the big spotlight, then he returned tensely to his station. "Okay," he whispered.
"Cool it, now," Lavagni warned, in a voice loud enough to be heard in the immediate dock area. "Follow my lead."
And then a lone figure could be seen moving quickly along the wharf from the marketplace. The toonerville cop fell in beside him and it was just the kid and the two of them moved unhesitatingly, along the line of fishing boats and into the public area.
Lavagni softly called out, "Watch it, now. It's going to be a razzle-dazzle, so look alive."
And then the kid and the toonerville comedian were standing there at the stern gangway. Lavagni was trying to look everywhere at once and wondering what the hell the guy was trying to pull when the kid's voice came across, taut but well under control.
"We have come for Rosalita."
"How do you want her?" Lavagni sneered back. "By the pound or by the pint?"
The toonerville cop got into it then. "It is illegal to hold a citizen of Puerto Rico against the will. If you are holding a woman in this manner, you will surrender her at this once."
Quick Tony wanted to laugh out loud.
That fuckin' comic cop didn't even carry a gun.
He said, "Well I'll tell you what. We'll look around and see if we got a stowaway on board after we leave here. If we find one, and we just might, then we'll send her back C.O.D., in a shark's belly."
The kid stiffened and thrust his chin forward. "I bring a message for a SenorQuick Tony."
Lavagni's pulse leaped. The bastard knew who he was going against! Okay, great. That made it personal, and that made it all the sweeter. He called back, "So deliver the message."
"SenorBolan accepts the challenge. He will fight you, in this place, at this time."
"So why ain't he here?" Lavagni sneered.
"He is here. He watches you at this very moment. But he will not fight while Rosalita is in the way of harm. You must release her first. Then he will fight."
Lavagni's eyes became busier. He shouted, "You gotta be kidding! I'm not falling for a routine like that!"
"My senorhas said to tell you this. It is a Mexican stand-off. You will understand this meaning, he thinks. He says that you will not release Rosalita even if he gives himself up. He says that you will kill us all, that it is your way. Therefore, he feels that he will not be aiding Rosalita in this manner. But he desires to fight with Quick Tony. He desires this very much. Release the girl, he says, and he will bring to you the thunder and lightning you so richly deserve."