Выбрать главу

I grinned despite myself as I slid into Maxine’s comforting interior. If Angel just gave up her association with the Gutter Girls, then I’m the new mayor of New Haven. Her presence along with Ms. Kilby’s takeover sent a message from Selene which said she was going to be keeping a close eye on my activities. Which in association meant the Gestalt might know my every move.

Still, best to dance with the devil you know than one you don’t. At least I had an idea of what Selene’s angle was. I’d stack my charm and rugged good looks against those odds any day. I figured after spending enough time in my magnetic company, they’d all be seeing things my way in no time.

When I got to my pad, Natasha opened her door from across the hall. With her raven locks tumbled across her face, she looked about as lovely as a newborn sunrise.

“Mick Trubble! I thought that was you. I was so worried after all that thunder last night.”

I tipped my Bogart. “Sorry to stress you, doll. Things got a bit rough, but then again I’m a rough and tumble type of guy.”

“Well I’m glad you’re not full of holes and blood and all that. I’d be awful sad. Case closed?”

“That’s right, sweetheart. Case closed.”

“Well come on in and have a cup of coffee with me. I just made a fresh pot.”

“Sounds like a dream.”

So much for sleep, but I couldn’t pass up on the offer. Coffee with Natasha was about the best way to wrap up a case like that one. When it comes to mean cup of java, no one can whip up better. And then there’s her unique style of chatter which somehow feels like coming home. It was funny, though — as I sipped and listened, I didn’t really feel like things had ended.

More like had just got started.

Enjoy the Troubleshooter?

Thanks for checking out this installment of the Troubleshooter series. I truly hope you enjoyed your time in New Haven. I’d love to keep writing these novels, but I need just a little help from you. Reviews help a great deal in spreading the word, which in turn helps sell more books. Which in turn allows me to keep writing. It doesn’t have to a long process: a simple 3–4 sentence review works wonders. Thanks again for reading, hope you stick around for the next installment.

All the best,

— BC

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bard Constantine firmly believes he’s living in the wrong age, so he creates timelines he feels more comfortable in. With this novel he introduces Havenworld, a retro-futuristic dystopian age where humanity survived a terrifying Cataclysm by means of city-sized constructs called Havens. More info on this world and upcoming novels can be found on the official Troubleshooter website as well as his Facebook page. You can also follow him on Twitter. For preview of his other works, turn the page…

How to Speak New Haven

So you’re new in town. Yeah, I can tell. Well you’ve come by the right man for the wire on this place. Don’t wanna stick out like a nun at a cathouse, do ya? Thought not. So you might wanna get down on the lingo around here. You probably guessed folks in New Haven speak a little differently than the other Havens. While this isn’t required reading, here’s a quick rundown you can reference in case you get a bit mixed up. That way if a cat tells you to rotate your heels or else he’ll fit you for a New Haven trench coat, then you’ll know what he’s gabbing about, pipe that? Here goes:

Ace/chump/Killer /Mack: nicknames for a man

Bag or tag: Nimrod terms for live or dead capture

Bent: angry, upset, out of sorts

Berries/lettuce/cabbage/bread: money

Bing ward: segregation cells, solitary

Biogun: an expensive firearm that is powered by the user’s body via cables inserted in the forearm or into a holoband.

Bogart: a fedora

Boozehound: drunk person

Bracelets: handcuffs

Brass/feds/fuzz/button boys/boys in black: cops

Broad: a woman, usually an unattractive one

Bruno: bodyguard

Bum: Useless

Bunk: nonsense, foolishness

Butter and egg, fat cat: rich, loaded

Buy the farm/bite the big one: die

Canary/songbird: female singer

Cataclysm: a period of time when most life on Earth was destroyed by environmental and nuclear forces

Cathouse: brothel

Cement shoes: cement blocks poured around an unlucky rube’s feet. Once the cement cures, the rube is tossed in the river to drown.

Chew: eat

Chin music, skull music: the sounds made when someone is punched in the face or head

Chin up: check out, investigate

Chisel/flimflam/rib up: frame, set up

Choppers, pearls: teeth

Chopper squad/trouble boys: hired guns

Climb your thumb: go to hell

Clip/smoke/rub out/plug: kill

Clip joint: high-class nightclub

Coot/codger: old man

Crab: cash out

Crooner: male singer

Crop: everything, all there is

Daisy: effeminate man

Dame/moll/dish/looker: nicknames for a woman, usually an attractive one

Darb: good, excellent, high quality

Datacom: a tiny earpiece synched to the holoband and used to make phone calls

Down on the ups: when life sucks

Dormy/laying dormy: laying low, hiding out

Dibcard: a preloaded card for transferring dibs from one account to another

Dibs: currency

Dive/can house: low class restaurant or nightclub

Drop a dime/sing/squeal: Snitch to the cops

Duck soup/lead pipe cinch: easy

Egg/noodle: head

Evaporator: machine that instantly dries clothing, usually installed in doorways

Elbows checked: arrested \

Feed the fishes/swim with the fishes: drowned or tossed in the river after death

Floater: flying automobile

Flogger: trench coat

Floozy/hussy/skater: a dame who likes to spread it around.

Flophouse: hideout

Frail: old woman

Gasper/smoke: cigarette

Gems/peepers: eyes

Giggle juice, hard juice: alcohol

Glad rags: expensive clothing

Gonzo/jingle-brained: crazy

Goon/dropper/hardhead: hired thug

Grift: con

Grifter: con artist

Grill/tighten the screws: interrogate

Haven: city-sized constructs built to preserve life during the Cataclysm

Hophead: drug addict

Hosers/sky hosers: fire floaters deployed to extinguish flames

Heap/can: vehicle, usually a wheeler

Heat: pressure, usually from the brass.