Black Horn Read Online Free PDF Page B
Author: A. J. Quinnell
head dipped
in the merest nod of acknowledgement.
She
said, "You booked me into the Amigo Hotel with my nurse. Are you and
Michael staying there too?"
Creasy
shook his head.
"No.
Michael and I are staying in a whorehouse." He stood up, glanced down at
her shocked face and said, "I'll tell you about it when we get to
Brussels."
He walked
down the plane to the lounge area. From behind him, Mrs Manners voice called
out imperiously, "Ruby! I need you."
The
nurse sighed, tossed her cards into the middle of the table and stood up.
Creasy
sat down in her chair and watched as Michael stacked the cards.
In a low voice, the young man asked, "Why do we have to work for a bitch like
that? Why do we even have to spend more than thirty seconds in her presence? I
don't give a shit who killed her daughter. In fact, if we find out who did it,
maybe we'll point them at the old bitch herself."
Creasy
looked at his adopted son and said in a very reasonable voice, "There are
two reasons, Michael. One is that I was asked to do the job by Jim Grainger,
and he's been a good friend to both of us. Right now he's looking after your
sister in America. The other reason is that, although we're not broke by any
means, we need the money. That last operation cost a fortune."
Michael
was shuffling the cards. He looked up and said, "You once told me that we don't
work for anyone we don't like."
"That's
correct."
"I
don't like Gloria Manners."
Creasy's
voice lost its reasonable tone. "You make judgements after just a few
minutes' conversation with somebody?"
Michael
was obstinate. "It doesn't take more than a few seconds to know whether
you like somebody or not."
Creasy
leaned forward and his voice now became harsh. "That makes you stupid, and
I don't like to work with people who are stupid. It can be fatal. Personally, I
don't like Mrs Manners -- but I don't dislike her. I'm reserving my judgement.
I advise you to do the same. Otherwise, when we land in Brussels, you can fuck
your little girlfriend and then go back to Gozo, while I find someone
intelligent to work with me. Believe it when I tell you that there would be
many takers. The money is good and the target is a criminal. We stand on moral
ground."
There
was a long silence as Michael continued to shuffle the cards, then he said,
"It's just that I hate that bitch... Maybe it's my background. Maybe all
those years of being told what to do and not having any way out made me hate
people like Gloria Manners on sight."
Creasy
said bluntly, "You had better stop feeling sorry for yourself, and you had
better make up your mind before we land in Brussels in a couple of hours. I
don't take orders from Mrs Manners and neither do you. But you damn well take
orders from me. If you don't like that you can fuck off." He stood up and
began to move further down the aircraft.
Michael's
voice stopped him. "Creasy. Of course I'll follow your orders. Just keep
me away from her."
Creasy
turned, looked at him and said, "Understand something, Michael. If I tell
you to kiss her ass every morning you had better do it. Or I'll get Frank
Miller or Rene Callard to replace you."
Another silence, then Michael nodded and said, "Can we make it her hand instead of her ass?"
"I'll think about it."
Chapter 08
The shark's fin soup was the clear indicator. It is a dish which must be included
in every Chinese banquet and its quality is the benchmark for the whole meal.
If the shark's fin soup was of the top quality, it meant that the following
dishes would be of a similar excellence... and massively expensive. The very
top quality is pure top-grade fin and exorbitant. It is also somewhat slimy and
glutinous. Colin Chapman tasted it and looked across the table and bowed his
head slightly. Lucy Kwok smiled in acknowledgement and then, while he ate, she
talked.
"Since
you know so much about the Chinese and our culture, you can understand us
better than most gweilos. Perhaps you understand that in our nature, when
something
in the merest nod of acknowledgement.
She
said, "You booked me into the Amigo Hotel with my nurse. Are you and
Michael staying there too?"
Creasy
shook his head.
"No.
Michael and I are staying in a whorehouse." He stood up, glanced down at
her shocked face and said, "I'll tell you about it when we get to
Brussels."
He walked
down the plane to the lounge area. From behind him, Mrs Manners voice called
out imperiously, "Ruby! I need you."
The
nurse sighed, tossed her cards into the middle of the table and stood up.
Creasy
sat down in her chair and watched as Michael stacked the cards.
In a low voice, the young man asked, "Why do we have to work for a bitch like
that? Why do we even have to spend more than thirty seconds in her presence? I
don't give a shit who killed her daughter. In fact, if we find out who did it,
maybe we'll point them at the old bitch herself."
Creasy
looked at his adopted son and said in a very reasonable voice, "There are
two reasons, Michael. One is that I was asked to do the job by Jim Grainger,
and he's been a good friend to both of us. Right now he's looking after your
sister in America. The other reason is that, although we're not broke by any
means, we need the money. That last operation cost a fortune."
Michael
was shuffling the cards. He looked up and said, "You once told me that we don't
work for anyone we don't like."
"That's
correct."
"I
don't like Gloria Manners."
Creasy's
voice lost its reasonable tone. "You make judgements after just a few
minutes' conversation with somebody?"
Michael
was obstinate. "It doesn't take more than a few seconds to know whether
you like somebody or not."
Creasy
leaned forward and his voice now became harsh. "That makes you stupid, and
I don't like to work with people who are stupid. It can be fatal. Personally, I
don't like Mrs Manners -- but I don't dislike her. I'm reserving my judgement.
I advise you to do the same. Otherwise, when we land in Brussels, you can fuck
your little girlfriend and then go back to Gozo, while I find someone
intelligent to work with me. Believe it when I tell you that there would be
many takers. The money is good and the target is a criminal. We stand on moral
ground."
There
was a long silence as Michael continued to shuffle the cards, then he said,
"It's just that I hate that bitch... Maybe it's my background. Maybe all
those years of being told what to do and not having any way out made me hate
people like Gloria Manners on sight."
Creasy
said bluntly, "You had better stop feeling sorry for yourself, and you had
better make up your mind before we land in Brussels in a couple of hours. I
don't take orders from Mrs Manners and neither do you. But you damn well take
orders from me. If you don't like that you can fuck off." He stood up and
began to move further down the aircraft.
Michael's
voice stopped him. "Creasy. Of course I'll follow your orders. Just keep
me away from her."
Creasy
turned, looked at him and said, "Understand something, Michael. If I tell
you to kiss her ass every morning you had better do it. Or I'll get Frank
Miller or Rene Callard to replace you."
Another silence, then Michael nodded and said, "Can we make it her hand instead of her ass?"
"I'll think about it."
Chapter 08
The shark's fin soup was the clear indicator. It is a dish which must be included
in every Chinese banquet and its quality is the benchmark for the whole meal.
If the shark's fin soup was of the top quality, it meant that the following
dishes would be of a similar excellence... and massively expensive. The very
top quality is pure top-grade fin and exorbitant. It is also somewhat slimy and
glutinous. Colin Chapman tasted it and looked across the table and bowed his
head slightly. Lucy Kwok smiled in acknowledgement and then, while he ate, she
talked.
"Since
you know so much about the Chinese and our culture, you can understand us
better than most gweilos. Perhaps you understand that in our nature, when
something