Laura Jo Phillips by The Lobos' Heart Song Page B

scented the Xanti, he did not understand how it was possible and that worried him.
    He abruptly decided that it was time to quit gambling.  If he did that, he had more than enough money to live in comfort.  This would be his last trip.  When he got back to Earth, he’d put in for retirement and find some nice, quiet planet to live out his days on.  And it for damn sure wouldn’t be Jasan.
    But first, he had to make that bloody call.  He didn’t want to do it, but he knew that if he didn’t, he wouldn’t have to worry about either his retirement or his bank balance.  A fool might believe that there was no way for the Xanti to learn about the call the Lobos had made from his vid terminal.  But Certus was no fool.  He only acted like one when it suited him.  Somehow, someway, the Xanti always found out everything.  If he delayed making the call even by a few minutes after it was safe to do so, there would be hell to pay. 
    He checked his watch again and realized with a start that at last the time had come.  He sat down at his desk and took a deep, calming breath.  Then he reached out with trembling fingers and typed in the code he’d memorized two years earlier, but hoped he’d never have to use.  The sight of Za-Queg’s image filling his vid screen made cold sweat break out on his forehead.  But this time he did not reach for his handkerchief to mop it off.  Instead, he opened his mouth and repeated every word of the conversation he had listened to between the Lobos and the Bearens.
     
    “Willy, you awake?” Frank whispered as softly as he could.
    “Yes,” Willy replied just as softly.  “Where are we?”
    “We’re in the trunk of a damn ground-car on our way to hell,” Frank replied morosely.
    “What does that mean?” Willy demanded, his voice not quite as soft as it had been before.
    “It means that Lucky is dead and we are on our way to see the High Prince of Jasan.”
    Willy absorbed that for a few moments.  “Any ideas on how to get out of here?” he asked hopefully.
    Frank rolled his eyes.  He was not an idea man, and Willy damn well knew it.  He didn’t even bother to respond.
    There was a long silence broken only by the occasional sound of a ground-car whooshing by.  “I wonder if there’s a catch inside this trunk,” Willy whispered.  Frank thought about that.  Not a bad idea, he thought, but Willy was the one nearest the end so he’d have to check.  He quietly told him so.
    “Oh, yeah,” Willy said.  Frank rolled his eyes again.  And everyone thought he was dumb.
    Willy fumbled around for a while but evidently didn’t find anything as the trunk did not suddenly fly open.  That was a thought that Frank spent a few moments on.  What if the trunk did fly open?  What were they going to do? Leap out of a speeding ground-car?  He shook his head. 
    “I think there’s bugs in this trunk,” Willy whispered.  Frank heard the man shifting around and grunting. 
    “Why do you say that?” he asked as he felt a small burning sensation in his shoulder. 
    “Feels like something bit me on the shoulder,” Willy replied, his voice no longer a whisper.  “Burns like hell,” he added.
    The burning sensation on Frank’s shoulder grew worse.  “I guess I got bit too,” he said as he tried to rub his shoulder against the floor of the trunk in an effort to ease the burning.  “What the hell kind of bug burns when it bites?” he asked.
    “Why ask me?” Willy snapped.  “Do I look like a bug expert or something?” 
    Frank heard Willy shift around some more. 
    “Damn it hurts,” he said, not even bothering to keep his voice low now.  Frank’s shoulder had begun to burn enough that he was no longer listening to Willy anyway.  The burn seemed to be spreading, getting larger and larger until he felt as though his entire back was on fire.
    “What the hell?” he thought as he tried to rub his back against the floor again.  Is there some sort of poison bug on