Tales Of The Sazi 02 - Moon's Web by C.t. Adams . Cathy Clamp Page A
Authors: C.t. Adams . Cathy Clamp
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a human.
I reached out and snatched it from the air. I probably failed miserably at hiding the stinging in my shoulders. He looked at me for a long moment and nodded.
He sat down next to Linda and patted her knee gently. "I hear you had a little run-in with your pack leader. You ever gonna learn how to shut up and do what you're told, Tony?"
I winced as I set the shotgun back on the table. "I'm working on it. Your enforcers didn't have teeth and claws."
Linda got a pained look when I said that. She'd seen Babs after Bobby knocked her around on the island. But she'd also seen Babs heal wounds that would have laid up a human in ICU for a month. Carmine just pursed his lips and nodded. "So, Tony. Bobby tells me you want to go hunt down this person by yourself?"
I nodded. That's what Bobby and I had agreed to tell him. "You know me, Carmine. Other people are just cannon fodder. I work alone."
He kept nodding. I couldn't quite tell from his scent what he was thinking. The overwhelming wet mist of Linda's sorrow masked everything else in the room. But as I watched, her eyes became an icy blue storm. Linda's like that. She can push through pain with anger and keep moving. She gets dangerous when she's sad: the perfect gun moll. We'd been together for a time but it didn't work out. I don't like to share. Linda prefers frequent threesomes. Babs had been the latest in a string.
"You a cop now? Bobby's a cop. I don't want the law in this. They'd want to catch the person— put him on trial."
"And you want him brought back here to you." It wasn't a question. Carmine has his own version of justice. Not too different from what the Sazi use, really.
Carmine shocked me by shaking his head no. "All I want is the head. Nice, neat and recognizable." He didn't smell like black pepper. He wasn't kidding. "You don't want to watch?"
"No, Tony. I've watched Babs train. She's tough. A real artist. Anyone who took her is out of our league. I won't risk the boys for trash like that. Swear to me that you'll bring me the head and I'll shut down the operation. You'll get your normal fee."
I stared at him for a long moment. I'd been listening to his voice, watching his movements. Carmine's tells were vibrating through the room. I settled my stance and crossed my arms over my chest. My voice was flat and non-negotiable. I needed to toss another chip on the table. "Not good enough." His eyes narrowed and fury grew in his scent. Linda's sudden surprise widened her eyes, and her fingernails dug into her thighs. I could feel Bobby tense behind me. His voice was a little strangled when he spoke.
"Could I talk to you for a minute, Tony?"
I turned and cut him with a stony glare. "No, you can't." Then I turned back to look at Carmine. The only scent that Bobby would be able to get from me was calm and determination.
Carmine stared at me with that cold light in his brown eyes. His big hands were clenched into fists. "My money isn't good enough for you suddenly?"
"It's good— just not enough. This is a big job. You said so yourself. It'll cost extra." Bobby's hand was reaching for me. I saw it in my peripheral vision. I sidestepped his grip, and kept my eyes on Carmine.
"What do you want?" Carmine's voice was carefully neutral. He was realizing that he might not have the better hand, after all. Bobby stopped moving when Carmine spoke. He went back to leaning against the wall, but he was so not happy— just a trigger pull away from being all over me.
I crossed my arms over my chest once more. There was fire in my voice and jalapeños in my scent. "You've got strings at City Hall. I want them pulled— hard. I want everyone off Jocko's back. You find a way to keep that damn Sommers the hell away from Nick's. Jocko guarded my things, helped me escape, and drove his car straight into the junkyard crusher for me. You gave him my ride. That's fine. But it's not enough. If he doesn't want to wash his windows, he shouldn't have to. And get rid of that
I reached out and snatched it from the air. I probably failed miserably at hiding the stinging in my shoulders. He looked at me for a long moment and nodded.
He sat down next to Linda and patted her knee gently. "I hear you had a little run-in with your pack leader. You ever gonna learn how to shut up and do what you're told, Tony?"
I winced as I set the shotgun back on the table. "I'm working on it. Your enforcers didn't have teeth and claws."
Linda got a pained look when I said that. She'd seen Babs after Bobby knocked her around on the island. But she'd also seen Babs heal wounds that would have laid up a human in ICU for a month. Carmine just pursed his lips and nodded. "So, Tony. Bobby tells me you want to go hunt down this person by yourself?"
I nodded. That's what Bobby and I had agreed to tell him. "You know me, Carmine. Other people are just cannon fodder. I work alone."
He kept nodding. I couldn't quite tell from his scent what he was thinking. The overwhelming wet mist of Linda's sorrow masked everything else in the room. But as I watched, her eyes became an icy blue storm. Linda's like that. She can push through pain with anger and keep moving. She gets dangerous when she's sad: the perfect gun moll. We'd been together for a time but it didn't work out. I don't like to share. Linda prefers frequent threesomes. Babs had been the latest in a string.
"You a cop now? Bobby's a cop. I don't want the law in this. They'd want to catch the person— put him on trial."
"And you want him brought back here to you." It wasn't a question. Carmine has his own version of justice. Not too different from what the Sazi use, really.
Carmine shocked me by shaking his head no. "All I want is the head. Nice, neat and recognizable." He didn't smell like black pepper. He wasn't kidding. "You don't want to watch?"
"No, Tony. I've watched Babs train. She's tough. A real artist. Anyone who took her is out of our league. I won't risk the boys for trash like that. Swear to me that you'll bring me the head and I'll shut down the operation. You'll get your normal fee."
I stared at him for a long moment. I'd been listening to his voice, watching his movements. Carmine's tells were vibrating through the room. I settled my stance and crossed my arms over my chest. My voice was flat and non-negotiable. I needed to toss another chip on the table. "Not good enough." His eyes narrowed and fury grew in his scent. Linda's sudden surprise widened her eyes, and her fingernails dug into her thighs. I could feel Bobby tense behind me. His voice was a little strangled when he spoke.
"Could I talk to you for a minute, Tony?"
I turned and cut him with a stony glare. "No, you can't." Then I turned back to look at Carmine. The only scent that Bobby would be able to get from me was calm and determination.
Carmine stared at me with that cold light in his brown eyes. His big hands were clenched into fists. "My money isn't good enough for you suddenly?"
"It's good— just not enough. This is a big job. You said so yourself. It'll cost extra." Bobby's hand was reaching for me. I saw it in my peripheral vision. I sidestepped his grip, and kept my eyes on Carmine.
"What do you want?" Carmine's voice was carefully neutral. He was realizing that he might not have the better hand, after all. Bobby stopped moving when Carmine spoke. He went back to leaning against the wall, but he was so not happy— just a trigger pull away from being all over me.
I crossed my arms over my chest once more. There was fire in my voice and jalapeños in my scent. "You've got strings at City Hall. I want them pulled— hard. I want everyone off Jocko's back. You find a way to keep that damn Sommers the hell away from Nick's. Jocko guarded my things, helped me escape, and drove his car straight into the junkyard crusher for me. You gave him my ride. That's fine. But it's not enough. If he doesn't want to wash his windows, he shouldn't have to. And get rid of that
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