Part 11 (2/2)

And for what?

It was all looking so d.a.m.n hopeless. Not the battle, but the war.

The interrogation of Frank the Kid was responsible for Bolan's dark mood. If it hadn't been wild ravings, not merely booze talk, then the American underworld was setting up a ma.s.sive transfusion of ”new blood” for itself.

According to Frank, a guy called Don Cafu-in the Sicilian province of Agrigento-was conscripting armies and offering them as a package deal on an open market, with a going rate of one thousand American dollars per day per gradigghia.

On an annual basis, that could tote up to quite a sum. Considering the fantastic profits from organized crime, however, a 365 thou' annual investment for ”security” would be peanuts to most bosses.

And just look at all the peace of mind those peanuts could buy!

Dammit! He had to stop that.

But how?

The answer seemed to lie at his finger tips, all about him. He had to stop, first, the Angeletti experiment in imported armies. If he lived beyond that, then . . . well, Bolan had learned to take it one fight at a time, day by day, heartbeat by heartbeat.

The war he had to win and keep winning was the war of right here and now.

But ... right here and now he was running quickly out of gas and he was preparing to lie down in the valley of the shadow of death, in the presence of his enemies.

Chapter 18/ The New Deck.

He was nude from the waist up, a sheet pulled up over his trousers and riding the hips, the Browning auto in his right fist and nuzzling the thigh beneath the sheet.

The eyes were half-closed and he appeared to be asleep, the respiration slow and even, body relaxed; actually he was in that light stage of consciousness which he referred to as ”combat sleep” -hovering in complete physical and mental relaxation, the intellect submerged, but some animal edge of mind alert and aware of the world about him.

He knew when the door opened and he sensed the presence beside the bed.

The eyes flicked full open and the Brownian's safety clicked free at the same instant; otherwise he had not moved.

Philippa reacted as though he had sat bolt upright and yelled at her, however. She rebounded a couple of backward steps and gasped something silly. ”I-I thought you were awake,” she said, as though she'd come in and found him sound asleep and oblivious to her presence.

Her eyes fled to the lighted lamp at the other side of the bed as she amended the statement. ”I mean, when I first came in.”

She was dressed for going, in a clingy knit pants suit with hugely flared legs. A floppy hat was perched atop her head and she was holding a cosmetic travel case.

Bolan had still not moved; he did so now, stowing the Browning in the leather which hung on the bedpost at his right shoulder and glancing at his watch. The time was nine-five. He remained on the bed and told her, ”You're leaving-good.”

Philippa the Woman was staring at the blue blotches across his torso and upper arms. She perched tensely on the edge of the bed and asked him, ”How many cattle were in the stampede?”

He growled, ”What stampede?”

”The one that stomped all over that lovely body.”

She would have never believed the truth even if he'd been inclined to give it to her. He grinned sourly and told her, ”Little accident. Looks worse than it feels.”

”The captain told me who you are. Guess I should have known.” She sighed. ”Funny. I ran across two truly impressive men today. One I shot at. The other I threw a vase at.” She smiled and wrinkled her nose. ”Story of my life.”

”Maybe things are looking up,” he murmured. ”Right outside these walls I'll bet you'll find piles of impressive men.”

”Well . . . I wanted to apologize.”

”For what?”

”For trying to conk you.”

He said, ”Apology noted and accepted.”

She moved a hand onto the bare chest and lightly explored the universe's bruises with careful finger tips. The exploration paused here and there at some little red lumps which seemed to stand apart from the other discolorations. An indefinable emotion momentarily clouded those bright eyes and she told him, ”Frank got mad at me once when I was a little girl-oh, lots of times-but once he grabbed up his air rifle and let me have it, three times right across my tummy. The B-B's made marks on me just like these.” She encircled one of the red lumps on Bolan's chest. ”Has someone been shooting at you with an air rifle?”

Bolan knew what was bothering her-and he knew, suddenly, that she was the one who'd unloaded the shotgun at him from that upstairs window at the Emperor's.

He told her, ”Shotgun pellets make the same mark if they don't penetrate. I know. I was a kid once, too.” He forced a laugh and managed to make it sound real. ”I've had a lot of buckshot picked out of my tail.”

”Yes, that's what it looks like,” she said, frowning.

He asked her, hoping to change the subject, ”Did you come in to say good-bye, or what?”

She wrinkled her nose at him, the wounds apparently forgotten, and replied, ”Or what. Captain tells me you'll have to okay my release. At the gate. No one comes or goes without your approval. My, how important you are!”

He said, ”Oh,” and slid out the back side of the bed to perch in the open window. He called down, ”Sammy!”

He heard the word being pa.s.sed across the grounds. Presently the yard boss was standing beneath the window, gazing up at him. He told the guy, ”Miss Angeletti is going out. It's okay.”

”Okay. Hey, I was just coming in to tell you. Three cars of boys are out there. Say they were sent. Do I let them in?”

Bolan replied, ”Not yet.” He turned to the woman and told her, ”You'd better truck. That h.e.l.l I mentioned just showed up.”

Then he instructed the yard boss, ”Get it on up here. Quick!”

Philippa was at the doorway and moving when he pulled his head back inside. He called after her, ”Stay gone awhile!”

Her voice, half-angered, floated back from the hallway, ”I'm never coming back.”

Bolan s.n.a.t.c.hed up his s.h.i.+rt, muttered, ”Good for you,” and hurriedly dressed. The brief rest had helped. The danger of the unknown which awaited at that gate helped much more, and the Executioner was now all systems go.

He was snugging into the gun-leather when Sammy, the yard boss, huffed into the room. Bolan pushed him back into the hall, telling him, ”Come on.”

The house captain was helping Philippa with some luggage. Bolan ordered him to ”See her clear to the gate and the h.e.l.l out of here!” Then he and Sammy barged into the Don's bedroom.

It looked like a hospital room and smelled like one. The bedside table was littered with medicines and illuminated by a reddish nightlight. The old man was propped up in a bed which could be elevated at either end. He was sleeping with shuddering snores.

The eyes flipped open at Bolan's touch, however, and the voice sounded alert and knowing as the Don asked, ”What's up?”

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