asked, "Would you care to explain
that?"
"You want us to lie in wait
while you approach Assistance Unlimited with only that… thing… at
your side? You could be cut down long before we could respond. Take
us with you."
"I’m not looking for a
fight. Not right now. I need those papers." Goodwill glanced over
at Sazar, who was watching them with all the disinterest of a bored
cat. She was toying with her nakedness, raking her fingernails over
her flat belly and across her nipples, making them stand up in
sharp little points. She was successfully distracting many of the
ninja, but not their leader, nor Goodwill.
"But surely you don’t
expect them to hand them over. That is not the way of Lazarus Gray
or his men."
"Yes. That’s why I’ll have
Sazar with me. She’ll be invisible and ready to strike at a
moment’s notice. Assistance Unlimited may be capable of handling
normal men like yours but they won’t be able to handle
her."
The ninja’s eyes were the
only part of his face left visible but they flashed with anger.
"They nearly killed her the last time, didn’t they?"
Sazar hissed and moved
forward but Goodwill held up a hand and she stepped back, though
she looked like she might ignore him at a moment’s notice. "I
appreciate the fact that you believe in your men so much," Goodwill
said. "That confidence makes you one of my best assets. But the
discussion is over. Do you understand?"
The man nodded and bowed.
"As you say."
Goodwill waited until all
the ninja had left the room, heading toward the vehicles that would
transport them to the old coal factory. There they’d take up
positions all around the property, hidden out of sight.
"Why didn’t you tell them
about Walther Lunt?" Sazar asked.
Goodwill turned toward her,
keeping his eyes on her breasts. They were so much nicer to look at
than her face. He had called Walther Lunt and asked him to meet him
at the coal factory immediately after getting off the phone with
Gray. Sazar had been with him when he’d made the call but he’d
deliberately made sure that none of the Black Heart knew about it.
"Because I think the time’s come for me to abandon Sovereign City
and I’m going to need a lot of cover to make that happen. When Lunt
arrives, I’m expecting all hell to break loose. That’s when you and
I take off. We’ll leave my ninja to fight both Assistance Unlimited
and Lunt’s men."
"After you’ve gotten the
papers back," she whispered.
"Yes."
Sazar slid around in front
of him, undulating her hips like a serpent. "You don’t remember the
spells, do you? That’s why you’re so desperate to get the
papers."
Goodwill tried to retain
his bravado but some of his willpower began to wilt. She knew he
was helpless now. "I remember enough to bind you," he
bluffed.
Sazar laughed throatily.
"You amuse me, Malcolm. For that reason – and because I’ve fed
recently – I won’t kill you. But don’t think that you’re my master
any longer. I can come and go as I please."
Goodwill cleared his throat
and moved around her. "Let’s get going, shall we?"
***
Lazarus Gray and his people
were the first to arrive. He had chosen this site for several
reasons: first and foremost, it had been abandoned for years,
meaning it was unlikely that any innocents would be hurt. Second,
Gray owned it, meaning any collateral damage that occurred would
only cost him and not anyone else. Finally, he had set up the old
factory as an emergency base for Assistance Unlimited, meaning that
it had a stash of weapons and equipment hidden around the
property.
Gray had Samantha stand
with him in the large parking area, which had a gravel surface. It
was here that he planned to make the proposed exchange. Morgan was
perched on the second floor of the nearby factory building, where
he was waiting with a high-powered rifle. Eun was hiding behind
some old mining equipment, ready to explode onto the scene if
required.
Five minutes before the
agreed-upon meeting time,
that?"
"You want us to lie in wait
while you approach Assistance Unlimited with only that… thing… at
your side? You could be cut down long before we could respond. Take
us with you."
"I’m not looking for a
fight. Not right now. I need those papers." Goodwill glanced over
at Sazar, who was watching them with all the disinterest of a bored
cat. She was toying with her nakedness, raking her fingernails over
her flat belly and across her nipples, making them stand up in
sharp little points. She was successfully distracting many of the
ninja, but not their leader, nor Goodwill.
"But surely you don’t
expect them to hand them over. That is not the way of Lazarus Gray
or his men."
"Yes. That’s why I’ll have
Sazar with me. She’ll be invisible and ready to strike at a
moment’s notice. Assistance Unlimited may be capable of handling
normal men like yours but they won’t be able to handle
her."
The ninja’s eyes were the
only part of his face left visible but they flashed with anger.
"They nearly killed her the last time, didn’t they?"
Sazar hissed and moved
forward but Goodwill held up a hand and she stepped back, though
she looked like she might ignore him at a moment’s notice. "I
appreciate the fact that you believe in your men so much," Goodwill
said. "That confidence makes you one of my best assets. But the
discussion is over. Do you understand?"
The man nodded and bowed.
"As you say."
Goodwill waited until all
the ninja had left the room, heading toward the vehicles that would
transport them to the old coal factory. There they’d take up
positions all around the property, hidden out of sight.
"Why didn’t you tell them
about Walther Lunt?" Sazar asked.
Goodwill turned toward her,
keeping his eyes on her breasts. They were so much nicer to look at
than her face. He had called Walther Lunt and asked him to meet him
at the coal factory immediately after getting off the phone with
Gray. Sazar had been with him when he’d made the call but he’d
deliberately made sure that none of the Black Heart knew about it.
"Because I think the time’s come for me to abandon Sovereign City
and I’m going to need a lot of cover to make that happen. When Lunt
arrives, I’m expecting all hell to break loose. That’s when you and
I take off. We’ll leave my ninja to fight both Assistance Unlimited
and Lunt’s men."
"After you’ve gotten the
papers back," she whispered.
"Yes."
Sazar slid around in front
of him, undulating her hips like a serpent. "You don’t remember the
spells, do you? That’s why you’re so desperate to get the
papers."
Goodwill tried to retain
his bravado but some of his willpower began to wilt. She knew he
was helpless now. "I remember enough to bind you," he
bluffed.
Sazar laughed throatily.
"You amuse me, Malcolm. For that reason – and because I’ve fed
recently – I won’t kill you. But don’t think that you’re my master
any longer. I can come and go as I please."
Goodwill cleared his throat
and moved around her. "Let’s get going, shall we?"
***
Lazarus Gray and his people
were the first to arrive. He had chosen this site for several
reasons: first and foremost, it had been abandoned for years,
meaning it was unlikely that any innocents would be hurt. Second,
Gray owned it, meaning any collateral damage that occurred would
only cost him and not anyone else. Finally, he had set up the old
factory as an emergency base for Assistance Unlimited, meaning that
it had a stash of weapons and equipment hidden around the
property.
Gray had Samantha stand
with him in the large parking area, which had a gravel surface. It
was here that he planned to make the proposed exchange. Morgan was
perched on the second floor of the nearby factory building, where
he was waiting with a high-powered rifle. Eun was hiding behind
some old mining equipment, ready to explode onto the scene if
required.
Five minutes before the
agreed-upon meeting time,
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