I downed a shot of Jack. “Well, maybe I should fly solo until this thing sorts itself out. Wouldn’t be the first time. And with the exception of Flask, I kinda like you folks. Wouldn’t want anyone catching a stray slug with my name written on it. Well, unless it’s Flask, anyhow.”
Flask poured a shot and swigged it. “Yeah, yeah — I get it, Mick. Not to worry. Captain Kennedy is on my ass about this case. I’m in until it’s over.”
I knocked back another shot. “Your funeral, Ace.”
Benny folded his arms. “I’m not going nowhere either, Mick. Sophia was blood. Don’t matter if it’s the SS or not. Somebody’s gonna pay for what they did to her.”
Poddar looked at Ms. Kilby, who gave the slightest nod. He shrugged. “I never said we wouldn’t help, Mick. It would not be fair to let you go at this without backup. We’re partners, right?”
“Yeah, but that’s not gonna fly this time, Ace. I can’t guarantee any of us will make it outta this soup sandwich alive so best make sure it’s what you wanna do, right?”
Poddar didn’t bat an eye. “If I say I’m in, I’m in.”
I nodded. “Appreciate it, partner.”
Angel drummed her manicured nails on the table. “Hope you don’t expect me to shuffle paperwork while you’re all out on some dangerous mission. I can handle myself in a tight spot, you know. I want in, too.”
I knew Angel could handle herself in a tight spot, all right. Both in between the sheets and out. After all, she had conned me with the whole ‘naughty good girl’ act, all the while playing both sides with Tommy Tsunami and the Gutter Girls, pretty deadly company either way. Her whole secretary act was suspect as well, but I let that slide so I could keep an eye on her. Her looks had nothing to do with it. Or so I kept telling myself.
Flask chuckled, leaning over to rub Angel’s shoulders in a downright chauvinistic manner. “Now Angela, I know you work in the Flats and all, but this is the big leagues. I wouldn’t want you to… ” His voice trailed off on seeing her murderous glare.
“A smart man knows how to shut up before getting slapped,” I said. “So kudos to you, Ace. And don’t worry, Angel. I don’t think any of us should be working alone in view of the situation. So you’ve just been deputized. You watch Flask’s back. I want the two of you at Customs. If we’re lucky you might catch a break and sniff out a clue on how our SS agents are getting in the Haven.”
“I’m on it.” Flask hesitated, taking another look at Angel. “I mean, we’re on it.” He loosened his tie with a quivery smile.
“Great. Poddar, you’re with Kilby, naturally. She’ll be checking with the Gutter Girls, and then I want you both to get with the handler that got you in the Haven. He might be able to tell you something Customs can’t.”
“Wait a minute.” Flask stared at Poddar and Ms. Kilby. “You two are illegal residents? That’s a serious crime. I can’t just—”
“Can it, Flask. Consider their pardon the price for me working the case.”
He folded his arms. “I don’t like it, Mick. And I don’t like your new partner, either. Don’t think I don’t know exactly who he is and who he’s related to.”
Benny gave him a murderous glare. “Like I enjoy even being in the same room as you, flatfoot.”
I waved my shot glass. “No point in everyone getting outta sorts. Think about what we’re here for, got it? Good. Now, I’m taking Benny along for a ride. Got canaries that are gonna sing real soon.”
“I noticed you haven’t said anything about me.” Natasha shot me a warning glance. “I hope that doesn’t mean you plan on stashing me in some hideaway, Mick. I told you — I’m finished running.”
“Not on your life, sweetheart.” I mentally nixed my plans to stash her in some hideaway. “You’re with me and Benny. Between the two of us tough lugs, it’s the safest place for you to be. That all right with you?”
Natasha picked up her shot and downed it. We watched with silent amusement as she barely managed not to explode in a coughing fit. She shakily placed it back on the table and looked at me with watery eyes. “Fine with me, Mick.”
“Atta girl. Ok, everybody: time to move out. Keep in touch, got it? Everyone check in at least every two hours.”
Flask took a hard look at me. “You sure you’re up to this, Mick? You look like you can barely stand.”
I forced a grin. “Been worse, Flask. Trust me.”
He stuck out his hand. “If you say so. Good luck, Mick.”
I shook it. “Yeah. Got a feeling I’m gonna need it.”
Chapter 12: Death and Desiree
“Wow. That’s one beautiful ride, Mick.”
The garage was a graffiti-ridden, dilapidated wreak of peeling paint and rusted shingles. The wheeler inside of it was not. Maxine was newly rinsed and waxed thanks to the garage’s built-in auto wash system, her beetle-black curves on full glossy display.
“You hear that, Maxine? Natasha here thinks you’re a real beauty.”
Maxine’s headlights blinked. “Thank you, Ms. Luzzatti.”
“Aw, no need to be formal, Max. You can call her Natasha.”
“As you wish.” The doors slid open, revealing the cushy leather interior. An expertly concealed seam became visible as the cab extended itself and the rear seats flipped forward.
Natasha smiled. “This is a dream ride, Mick. How can you afford something like this?”
“Uh, it’s a long story.” I definitely didn’t want to get into the specifics of extorting the ride from Pike, the mobster that marked her parents for death.
“I’ll take the back seat if you want, Mick,” Benny said. “That way you and your lady can talk and stuff.”
“Chivalrous but impractical, Benny. You’ll never fit back there. Natasha, if you don’t mind…?”
“No problem.” She slid into the rear seat. “Wow, this is a bit cramped. Cushy, but cramped.”
“You should have been there when I had a cowboy and a mutt named Stinker inside. Not exactly the best of memories. Right, Maxine?”
“I seem to remember ending up in a swimming pool.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The seats automatically adjusted to our height and weight as Maxine’s fusion motors awakened with a pleasant purring sound.
Natasha’s hair brushed my cheek as she leaned forward and examined the control console with excited curiosity. As I inhaled in her clean, soapy scent I was distracted by the random notion to kick Benny out, stomp on the gas, and put serious distance between us and New Haven. Just me and Natasha on the unknown road…
“So why do you call her Maxine?” Natasha’s teasingly coy voice shattered my daydreams. “Let me guess: after some foxy dame? Some heartbreaker in your past you couldn’t get out of your system?”
I paused in tapping a mapping coordinate on the heads up display. “I really don’t know. It was the first name that sprang to mind when I acquired her. Just felt proper, I guess.”
Natasha rolled her eyes. “Sure Mick. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”
Maxine screeched out into the rainy streets. Water puddles became glimmering pools of gold as the city brightened in wake of the rising sun. The downpour had trickled to a light drizzle and sunlight streamed through breaks in the clouds, shimmering off the glistening buildings and endless air traffic of the Uppers. It was still murky in the city depths, where the asphalt steamed in the shadows of the colossal structures. The billowing fog created the illusion of driving through clouds. A few streamlined skimmers hummed quietly on the road, repulsors winking as they kept the vehicles hovering above the blacktop. Maxine rumbled past, her Telsa fusion engine more than a match for the less powerful electric skimmers.