Part 6 (1/2)
”Quietly,” Bolan commanded.
”I know me business,” Parks muttered, and went but.
Bolan dropped into the chair across the table from Ann Franklin. Their legs collided. The girl hastily withdrew hers, threw Bolan an embarra.s.sed glance, and hastily lowered her eyes.
He told her, ”Thanks for warming my bed.”
Softly she replied, ”You're quite welcome.”
”Thanks for a lot of things,” he added solemnly.
The gravity of the situation overcame the girl's embarra.s.sment. Her hand shot out to rest on his and she hissed, ”You must get away from here. You are in very great peril.”
Bolan said, ”h.e.l.l, I know it. But you set this up. Now what's it all about?”
”Major Stone requested the meeting. He should have been along before now, and” I'm quite worried that he isn't.”
Bolan, also, was ”quite worried.” He asked her, ”Why meet here? Why not at the museum?”
”For many reasons,” she replied. ”None of which are worth discussing now. Just please go.”
”Uh-uh. Not until I get the story.”
”What story?”
”I find myself in the middle of some very messy intrigue. I don't like it, Ann. So you tell me now, quick and straight, what's it all about?”
”I'm sorry,” she said quietly. Obviously it was all she intended to say.
”Okay and bye bye,” he said, just as quietly.
He was up and moving when the girl cried, ”Wait!” and ran after him, catching him at the door.
Bolan took her in his arms and folded her into a bruising kiss. The movement took her by surprise and for an instant she resisted, then she melted into the embrace and gave herself entirely to the moment of pa.s.sionate delirium. When he released her, she moaned and held onto him, pressing in for more.
Gruffly he demanded, ”Tell me about the Sades. Why all the interest in Mack Bolan?”
She was breathing raggedly, still in the grip of the tensions engendered in that tight clutch. ”I don't know it all,” she gasped.
”Then give me what you do know.”
She disentangled herself and leaned against the door, struggling to regain her composure. ”Mack, I-I'm sorry for acting like a... a...”
”Forget that,” he growled. ”Come on, you owe me some answers, and my time is running out.”
The girl took a deep breath and said, ”The American Mafia has moved into London. I suppose you're aware of that. They are trying to take over everything here, as I hear it. It's a big power play, involving politics and industry and just very nearly everything. And they were not being too successful.”
”Until what?”
Her eyes skittered away. ”Until somehow they got onto Major Stone's club. Somehow they came into possession of... of some highly damaging and politically explosive, uh, items of evidence.”
Bolan sighed. ”Okay, I could have guessed,” he commented quietly. ”I take it that some of the members of your club are Very Important People.”
She nodded. ”And they are now in a terrible squeeze.”
”That bad, eh?”
”Yes. You've heard of the Profumo scandals, back in the sixties?”
Bolan said, ”Who hasn't?”
”Yes, well-this could be ten times worse. These gangsters have information that could rock the government-perhaps topple it.”
”Is the Major directly involved in this?” Bolan inquired.
”Not directly, no. But he feels responsible. It was his his security that was breeched.” security that was breeched.”
Bolan said, ”Tell him I'll be thinking about it.”
She murmured, ”It's like a terrible nightmare, all of it.”
He glared at her for a brief moment, then smiled suddenly and said, ”Don't take it so hard, well figure something out.” His hand found the doork.n.o.b. ”Where will I find the Major?”
She shook her head. ”I can't imagine, nor can I imagine what has delayed him. If you can get out of here, return straightaway to Queen's House. We'll try to contact you there.”
Bolan's smile broadened. ”Come to think of it, we do have some unfinished business there, you and I.”
She managed to keep her gaze steady, and whispered, ”Yes, so we have.”
He patted her arm, cracked the door for a quick look, then slipped outside and pulled the door shut behind him.
Harry Parks moved up quickly from the stairway and hissed, ”You were right, mate. It's getting to be a beehive down there.”
Bolan pointed to another stairwell at the far end of the mezzanine. ”Where does that go?” he inquired.
”Rooms, next floor up,” Parks replied, then added, ”Bed rooms, for them that can't wait.” rooms, for them that can't wait.”
”And above that?”
The man shrugged. ”I never felt a need to know. Do you mean to go out that way?”
Bolan said, ”I mean to try.”
”Then I guess I'd best be going the other way, and raisin' a fuss.”
”I'd appreciate that,” Bolan told him.