“I’ve seen a few things about this town, good and bad. Why, you thinking about running for mayor or something?” I eyeballed his suit. “Nice rags. Who’s your tailor — Death?”
This is what I refer to as the Dance of Dangerous Men. Tommy and I had never actually met until then, but men of our sort have reputations that precede us. Some true, and a lot distorted. The exchanges of slick talk and wisecracks gave us a chance to chin each other out and see if the word on the streets was on point. You know, important bunk.
Tommy was whip slender with the complexion of aged mahogany. His eyes smoldered in a face made of sharp planes and angles. It was a face designed for glowers and intimidating scowls. Which made the smile on his lips an almost frightening mockery.
“Just wondering if you know exactly what you’re getting into. You may be able to scrape up a living in the Flats, but this is a high stakes caper. The kind of gamble where the player can get clipped before he can even crab, see? You’ve jumped in the middle of a chess game, Mick.” He took another drag and exhaled fumes. “And I don’t even think you’ve figured out checkers yet.”
Charming fellow, that Tommy.
I slid the Broad back into her holster and motioned for Poddar to lower the scattergun. Tommy jerked his thumb at the droppers, who scattered out the back. That just left Poddar and me with the chopper squad and Tommy. The tension seemed to ease a bit, which made me wonder what kind of gab the locals were spreading about me. I decided to run with it.
“I’ll tell you what, Tommy. Why don’t you tell me exactly what this con is about, and I might breeze without any more damage to your cozy little dive here.”
The scorn in his eyes showed that he knew exactly how impotent my threat was. “I hear you’re quite a gambler, Mick. An exceptionally poor one. So. Let’s play a quick game of high card. If you win then I’ll happily answer any questions you have to ask. If I win, you’ll drop whatever deal you’ve been ribbed up into and perform a task for me at the same rate. Agreed?”
I offered my most infuriating smile. “I'll see your bet and raise that you double my rate and toss in free drinks for life at this ritzy little joint ‘cause I like it here. That, and the Prince here shuffles the deck. Not that I don’t trust you or nothing.”
He chuckled then, or tried to. The result was a dry rasp without the slightest hint of humor. “You are a unique individual, I must admit. Very well. I accept your terms. Dick.”
I realized he didn’t just call me a dick, but spoke to one of the trouble boys still pointing heaters at us. Dick motioned, and the chopper squad finally lowered them. As Tommy and I took a seat at a nearby table, Dick pulled out a deck of cards from his coat pocket and tossed it to Poddar, who expertly shuffled the deck. As the cards flipped between his palms, Tommy and I engaged in a staring contest. His expression rippled behind the smokescreen from his overpriced gasper.
“Tell me something, Mick. What exactly were you trying to accomplish by barging into my joint making noise and waving that cannon of yours around? I had heard that you were suicidal, but I must say it’s impressive to actually witness someone with such an apathetic outlook of his own survival.”
I shrugged. “You think I could have flushed you out by asking nice? A wise man once told me that if you wanna wake the dead, you start by making a lot of noise.”
He smiled darkly as Poddar finished and held the deck out to me. Without looking, I pulled a card. Tommy did the same, never taking his eyes from mine.
I turned my card over. Queen of hearts.
Tommy didn’t even bother to look as he flipped over the king of hearts. How he rigged that up I couldn’t figure, but he had me from the start.
His face grew even harder, if that was possible. “Now that I have your attention, let me say this as clearly as possible. I’m a man with a certain reputation, as you may know. A rep that may be damaged by some desperate lunatic coming into my own joint and making fools out of my boys.”
He glared at the droppers still out cold on the floor. “Granted they are fools, but that’s beside the point. Etiquette demands that I make an example of you, most likely by devising the most tortuous death I can imagine and having your Indian friend take the pieces that’s left back to his precious Ms. Kilby to deliver to her sponsor.”
He leaned in closer so I could see the flecks of menace that danced in his eyes. “You obviously suffer from an exaggerated sense of self-importance, so listen carefully. The shit I flushed down the toilet this morning has more value to me than what passes for your existence. You’re going to do exactly what I tell you, because if you don’t, you’ll be decorated with more cavities than the moon. Catch my drift?”
I didn’t say anything. It was kind of hard with the clammy fingers of fear clamped around my throat.
Tommy’s face was lost in a cloud of smoke, but his voice burned right through. “So this is what you’re going to do for me, shamus. Don’t bother returning to Ms. Kilby empty-handed. She’s going to be… occupied for a while.”
I saw Poddar tense. The trouble boys saw it too and took a few steps forward. Tommy went on as if he didn’t notice.
“Your job now is to locate the individual holding her leash, and yours by connection. You will then use your limited skills to keep that individual occupied for the remainder of the night. That’s all it will take for me to do what I need to do, after which I will return the object in question. You get to claim responsibility and collect whatever payment is owed to you.”
A leather-gloved finger jabbed through the smoke. “But if you botch this up, I swear I will unleash the hounds. Nimrods who make the ones currently after you look like easy street. There will be no safe zone; nowhere you can go where I can’t reach and snatch the life out of you. Understand?”
I shrugged with a lot more nonchalance than I felt. “Yeah, sure. I got no kick with that. Thing is, the Prince here works for Ms. Kilby. Which may cause a conflict of interest in this particular gig, if you take my meaning.”
“I know all about Poddar’s relationship with Ms. Kilby. Which is why I’m taking him out of the picture right now. Dick.”
Dick and his boys raised their heaters again. Poddar went for his scattergun. He didn’t have a chance.
I did.
I have this particular talent. It’s saved my hide more times than I can remember. It’s a photographic memory. If I see something once then I can rewind to that point with perfect clarity. So I clearly recalled the scene from the open door of the kitchen when Tommy and his goons first walked in. Every detail stood out plainly — including the gas line that led to the main oven. Fortunately, the energy crisis that New Haven basically invented to jack prices also forced a lot of joints to install gas units. The Gaiden was one of those joints, if memory served me correct.
Which it always does.
Before the chopper squad could clap, I pulled the Mean Ol’ Broad out in one smooth motion and rolled to the side. I’m a pretty good shot even on a bad day, and it wasn’t a bad day.
Yet.
The Broad roared, but the answer from the explosion was louder. Heat and flame washed over us as the wall blew apart and lucky bastards ducked for cover. The unlucky ones were smoked like last night’s chicken dinner. While I slid backward, I caught a flash of movement and threw lead again. I scored a direct hit on Tommy’s burning flogger. The man had doffed it so quickly that it was still in the air when I plugged it.