Part 21 (2/2)
Khan's eyes narrowed. That was fast, he had already figured that Maxwell had talked.
”Strange kid, first time I used him. Don't know him.”
”And the other?”
”That's Jayce. Just Jayce, no other name that I know.”
Behind Josh, Kolchek's men were fanning out.
”Where does he hang out, Khan? Give me something, quick.”
”s.h.i.+t, these kids are on the street, you know? He could be anywhere.”
”Uh-huh. You know, I am kind of outnumbered here.”
”There's a shelter at Zenith Place.”
”Where you found him, is it?”
Khan shook his head.
”So where else?” Josh went on. ”Other haunts? People he hangs around with?”
”Had friends. The Spidermen threw him out. Kid was a s.h.i.+t. Loner.”
”You call him a s.h.i.+t? You're something, Khan. Gimme something more.”
”That's it.” Khan shrugged his shoulders. ”What do you expect? Just a punk. Now get me out of here.”
”Giving orders? Your world changed today, and you still haven't realised.”
”Hey, we had a deal.”
Josh holstered his Browning. Then he reached inside, hauled Khan out of the boot, and dropped him like a sack. He slammed the boot lid down.
”Too bad I'm a liar.”
He nodded once to Vinnie Kolchek, climbed into his car, and put it in drive. There was no need to use his rear-view mirror as he left the dealers.h.i.+p. Then he was out on the road, driving steadily, careful not to give in to adrenaline and boost the acceleration; because safety was everything. After all, he was a law-abiding citizen.
[ FIFTEEN ].
The pub was called the Golden Switchblade; Richard tried not to think about blades, the slitting of skin, the revealing of slick intestines. In the small yard out back the sign read Beer Garden Opal sat down at a wooden table, while he took a seat opposite. Brian was inside, fetching drinks.
”What did you do today?” Richard asked.
He imagined hours of gekrunning practice, or poring over educationware on screen, though she didn't appear to attend school.
Zajac, with a blade in hand ”What's up, Richie?”
”Nothing.” He should not have thought of school. ”Sorry.”
”Huh. Well I was helping Ciara in the market, unloading boxes of fruit, stuff like that.”
Across the garden, movement made them both look up. Not Brian, but a wide-shouldered man with shaven head and rolled-up sleeves, carrying three pints of beer by their handles. A smaller man had just taken a backward step into his path, at the cost of his own beer slos.h.i.+ng.
”Hoy.” He glared at the bigger man, not seeming to notice the guy's size. ”What you think you're bleeding doing?”
”I'm really sorry, mate. I hope I didn't spill any of your drink.”
”Well, you bleeding did, as it happens.”
”Here, have this full one. Pint of best, was it?”
”Er... Yeah.”
”There ya go then. Take it easy.”
”Well. OK.”
The bigger man walked on, deposited his remaining two pints at a table where his friends were waiting. The two looked at him and he shrugged.
”Looks like I lost my own,” he told them. ”Back in a mo.”
”Be careful how you go, delicate bloke like you.”
”Yeah, pay attention to where you're walking.”
”Do my best.”
Opal watched him go back inside, then looked at the smaller man, now laughing with his cronies as he finished off his old drink before commencing on the new one. She shook her head.
”I don't get it,” she said. ”How can anyone be such a t.w.a.t? Can't he see?”
Brian arrived, carrying three c.o.kes, and put them down. Condensation glistened on the gla.s.ses.
”See what?”
”That little bloke b.u.mped into Eddie McMullen. Gave Eddie an earful, too.”
”Holy Christ.”
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