Stalker's Luck (Solitude Saga Book 1) (15 page)

Leone gave a few practice swings of the hammer. “What do you reckon will happen to your balls when this hammer lands? I always wondered that. Will they pop like balloons? What do you think, Mr Rodriguez?”

The third thug shrugged. His hands loosely gripped a submachine gun. “One way to find out.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Leone said. “Let’s try talking one last time, what do you think? Eddie, tell us about your partner. Tell us what she looks like and where we can find her. I can’t have a stalker running loose on my station. Not now. You know that. So tell me. Tell me and I’ll give you your pants back. What do you say?”

Eddie stared at the hammer, then at Leone. His shoulders slumped.

“All right. All right. Jesus.”

“Tell me, Eddie.”

“All right. Just, just don’t use the hammer, all right? I’ll tell you.” He licked his lips, stared at the concrete floor. “My partner….”

“Yes?”

“My partner.” Eddie swallowed. Met Leone’s eyes. And smiled. “My partner is your partner. My partner in all things is our Lord Jesus Christ the Luminary. Have you heard His gospel? He is come to save us from the endless night, from the threat of the void. He is come to reunite us with our brothers and sisters of the Solar Federation. Praise Him, for He is the light in the endless night who will show us the way back home!”

Leone just smiled. “Eddie, Eddie, Eddie. You’ve made a very poor choice.”

He grinned back through bloodstained teeth.

“It’s the only kind I know.”

Leone raised the hammer. Eddie closed his eyes and braced for the pain.

An intercom crackled overhead, static echoing off the concrete walls. Eddie opened his eyes to see Leone and his goons staring at the ceiling. They let go of his legs and stood. Rodriguez gripped his gun tight.

“Attention,” a woman’s voice boomed over the intercom. “This message is addressed to Feleti Leone and the three gentlemen with him on the fourteenth floor of the Crimson Curtain. Nobody move.”

“Who the fuck is that?” Leone hissed.

Eddie grinned. “That? That would be my partner.”

16

The intercom spoke.

“The first and most important thing I have to say is that if any one of you makes a move from this point on without my order, you will die. If you try to run, you will die. If you raise your weapons, you will die. If you try to harm the man tied to that pillar, you will die. You will die fast and without warning. I hope you gentlemen understand how serious I am about this point.”

Leone bared his teeth at the ceiling. “She’s got access to the broadcast system. Where the hell is she?”

“My name is Dominique Souza,” the intercom continued. “I am a stalker, charged with the apprehension of a fugitive from the Federation. Neither Mr Leone nor any of you on the fourteenth floor is that fugitive. I repeat, I do not intend to apprehend any individual in that room. However, you have detained and assaulted a fellow stalker. My partner. And if he is not released, I will kill each and every one of you.”

“Call security,” Leone said to the goon carrying Eddie’s gun. “Find that bitch and shut her up.”

“I’m going to need each of you gentlemen to put your guns down and take three steps away from my partner,” Dom said. “You have two seconds to comply.”

A second passed. Eddie grinned up at Leone. The syndicate leader glanced around, sneered, and took three steps away. Rodriguez dropped his submachine gun and backed up alongside Gap-tooth.

But the third goon hesitated. His hand wrapped around the grip of Eddie’s gun.

The left half of his head disappeared in a spray of blood and broken glass.

A moment later, the boom of a gunshot rang out. Eddie spotted the neat hole in the window. He traced the bullet’s path to the roof of the adjacent casino.

The bloodied goon took a step. Then he collapsed. Blood pooled rapidly around him.

Leone and the goons ducked and made to scramble for cover. But Dom’s voice roared across the intercom.

“Nobody move! The next person to move ends up like him.”

Leone and the two thugs grew still. The syndicate leader bared his teeth at Eddie.

“Let me be very clear,” Dom said. “I’m not fucking around, here, gentlemen. I’m in a very, very bad mood. I do not take kindly to people who harm my colleagues. Now, I have a few simple instructions for you to follow. If they are not followed, I’m sure you can guess what will happen.”

Gap-tooth was staring ashen-faced at the dead thug. He didn’t look so pleased with himself anymore.

“Mr Leone,” Dom said. “I want you to take out your tab and make a call. Another colleague of mine will be coming up to collect the man tied to that pillar. He will be allowed complete access to the necessary doors and elevators. Arrange it. You have twenty seconds to comply.”

Leone’s eyes slid to the dead thug. He took his tab out of his pocket and touched the screen.

Dom spoke again. “Note, sir, that any additional words you speak to your security teams will end in your death.”

Leone gave a curt nod and brought his tab to his ear. “Security. It’s me. Disable the elevator locks and stand by. Someone will be coming to level fourteen. Escort him in. Just do it.” He lowered his tab.

“My colleague will confirm you’ve followed my instructions in a moment,” Dom said. “In the meantime, I want the large gentleman to untie my partner. And give him his clothes back, for the love of Man.”

Rodriguez nudged Gap-tooth, who was having trouble keeping his eyes off the downed thug. He blinked and glanced nervously out through the bullet hole in the window.

“Yes, sir,” Dom said. “I’m talking to you. Untie him.”

Gap-tooth’s tongue darted out, licking his lips, and then he scurried behind Eddie.

“Stay in sight,” Dom said. “Unless you want to see if this rifle can put a hole right through that pillar.”

Gap-tooth took a few steps to the right. Eddie could feel his fumbling fingers tugging at the knots in the rope. A few moments later, the bonds came loose. Eddie let out a sigh that burned his bruised ribs. He massaged his stomach and pointed a thumbs-up out the window.

“The clothes,” Dom said, “then back over with your friends, sir.”

Gap-tooth shuffled away, grabbed Eddie’s trousers and underwear, and tossed them to him.

Aches throbbed through Eddie’s stomach as he bent over to pull his trousers on. He tried and failed to stifle a groan. A dazed cloud was coming over him. He needed a sleep and a drink. But he wasn’t getting either yet. He rolled over and fished his gun out from under the dead thug.

“All right, my colleague’s on his way,” Dom said. “Stand by, gentlemen. You’re so close to getting out of this alive. Don’t screw it up now.”

As he waited, Eddie ejected the magazine from his pistol and checked it. Still full. He slid it back into the gun and smiled up at Leone. “We should do this again sometime.”

He scowled. “If you weren’t here to apprehend me, then why did you come? Why were you skulking about?”

He thought for a moment. He’d never get a better chance than this to ask the syndicate leader why Cassandra was here. He could threaten the man, get her out. But the moment Dom took her sights off Leone, he’d want revenge for this. Cassandra was safe for now. If Leone knew that Eddie wanted her….

Eddie shook his head. “Never mind, Jack. Play ball and you’ll stay a free man. That’s all you should be worrying your little head about.”

A door opened at the back of the room. Light spilled across the bare concrete. A small shadow approached.

“Oh, Jesus,” Eddie said. “She sent the midget. That’s fantastic.”

“You should keep quiet if you want to get out of here alive,” Knox said as he carefully approached. He was eyeing Leone and the thugs. A thin sheen of sweat coated his forehead.

“What is this?” Leone said, staring at the augment with a sneer. “Who are you?”

“Delivery service,” Knox said. “Here to pick up a package.” He glanced at Eddie. “Come on, get up. We haven’t got all day.”

Eddie sighed. “Christ. Give me a hand, will you?”

The augment came over and put an arm around Eddie. He grunted as he pulled on him. “You look better this way,” the augment said, eyeing his bruises. “More colourful.”

“Shut it,” Eddie said through gritted teeth. He exhaled noisily and put his gun hand on his side to keep his guts in place as he slowly rose. “Bloody shit fucking tits that hurts.”

Leone growled. “You’ll hurt a lot worse by the time this is through.”

“Don’t give me any more reason to kill you than I already have, Jack.”

The intercom crackled once more. “Well done, gentlemen,” Dom said. “You’ve held your rage in check nicely. Now there’s just one more thing. My partner is going to escort my colleague to your central command console, Mr Leone. They’re going to access it. And then they’re going to leave. There will be no harm to you or your business. We just need some information. During that time, you and these other two gentlemen will remain in this room where I can keep an eye on you. If my friends are detained or attacked, you will be the first to die, Mr Leone. Nod if you understand.”

The syndicate leader gritted his teeth and nodded. His eyes were cold.

“Very good,” Dom said. “Make it so.”

Knox tugged on Eddie’s arm. “Let’s go. If you pass out, I’m leaving you.”

Eddie nodded and shuffled towards the door, trying to remain standing while using the augment as a completely inadequate crutch.

“Mr Gould,” Leone called as they reached the door. “I’ll see you again, friend.”

Eddie winked and made a gun with his fingers. “Bang bang.”

They pushed open the door and shuffled into the light of the corridor. Knox huffed with Eddie’s weight, one arm around Eddie’s waist while the other scanned a map displayed on his tab.

“Does my partner know what she’s doing?” Eddie asked as they moved towards the elevator at the end of the hall.

“Clearly not, otherwise she would’ve left you for dead.”

“You know, I thought you might’ve been a traitor. Did you sell me out to Leone?”

“I should’ve done. It would’ve paid better than this bullshit.” He gestured down a corridor. “This way. I’m guessing you’d prefer the elevator to the stairs.”

Eddie grunted his assent and they got into the elevator. Knox punched the button and the elevator rose.

“So,” Knox said. “How’s your day going?”

“Swimmingly.” He prodded the bruises on his face. It felt like his nose had grown three sizes. He’d kill for a Bluen right now.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing a corridor running left to right. The augment consulted his tab. “Down here.”

Eddie hobbled after the augment. There were doors on either side of the corridor, name plates attached below windows set in the doors. Shadows moved inside, wide eyes staring out. Eddie made sure they all got a good look at his gun. The eyes disappeared.

“We won’t have long,” Eddie said. “Leone’s people will be organising a counterattack.”

“That’s why you’re here. You’re my bodyguard.”

Eddie breathed out his pain and frustration as they reached a pair of double doors in the corridor. An old-tech security lock was built into the side of the door, but when Knox pushed, the door swung open. The augment paused, glancing around, then scurried inside. Eddie took up the rear.

“This is it?” he said. He sniffed and looked around. The room wasn’t much bigger than the
Solitude
’s common room. A small bank of old-tech computers were set in a circular array, paper-thin monitors rising out of them. Statistics and graphs and numbers filled every screen. “I was expecting something bigger.”

“You know what they say about small packages.” Knox licked his lips. He stood there, lusting eyes roaming over the command console.

Eddie shook his head. “You’re a weird little man, you know that?”

“And you’re as much a Luddite as your partner.” The augment clambered into a chair in front of the computers and started plugging cables from his arm into the machine. “Keep an eye out, will you?”

“Gladly.”

Eddie limped back to the door and glanced out. This place made him uneasy. Limited exits. If Leone sent security teams, their only choice would be to shoot their way out.

He leaned his head against the door. He’d been so close. He’d seen Cassandra. She’d been right there, right in front of him. He could feel her now, in this building. There had to be a way to get her out. He could ask Dom to demand she was released in exchange for Leone’s life. But they were already pushing their luck. And if it went wrong….

His tab chirped. He shook aside the queasy feeling in his stomach and answered.

“Eddie,” Dom said. “Are you alive?”

“If it isn’t my saviour. Jesus Christ with a sniper rifle.”

“Drop it. What’s happening?”

“The can opener’s giving the computer a handjob. Still got your sights on the big boss?”

“For now. What the hell happened?”

He smiled to himself. “Roy Williams. He tipped off Leone that I was there.”

She was quiet a moment. “He’s been following us. He talked to me.”

“You getting soft, Freckles? We don’t talk to our marks. We apprehend them.”

“He got the slip on me.” It sounded like it physically pained her to say that.

“Yeah, well, he got the slip on all of us.” Eddie glanced back at the augment. “Hey, can opener. Are we done?”

“Give me a few more minutes.”

On the computer screen, an image of Knox’s face flashed up, accompanied by screeds of text.

“What the hell are you doing?” Eddie said.

“Getting my ticket off this station.”

“Williams first. Then get your goddamn travel pass.”

Knox shot him a glare. “We’re doing this my way. It’s my neck, so it’s my way. Williams comes later. You want me to get on with it? Or should I sit here arguing with you?”

Eddie growled and gestured impatiently. “Get on with it.” He spoke into the tab again. “You hear that?”

“I did.”

“I don’t like him, Freckles.”

“Cry me a fucking river. Keep the line open and let me know when you’re on your way out.”

He slipped his tab back into his pocket and shot another glance at the augment. His face had disappeared from the screen, replaced by an image of a strong-jawed man with grey eyes and weathered skin. He stared out of the screen with a look of barely contained rage.