Broken People Read Online Free PDF Page A

…”
    “ And to show our gratitude to the
people of Bratislava, I am entitled to offer them twenty percent of
the profit for allowing us to do the fine-tuning of our show in
such a beautiful, antique theater.”
    “That’s bribery,” said the mayor.
    “No. Bribery is what I’m going to say next.”
Nicholas propped his elbows on his knees and leaned forward,
looking Ternchiev in the eyes. “I am not entitled to offer
you five percent, but I’ll do it anyway. You know it will be a full
house.”
    That caught the mayor’s attention, but it
still wasn’t enough. He couldn’t pull back after he’d openly called
it a bribe.
    Here comes the final blow.
    “Besides—” Nicholas lazily sat back in his
chair, “—Miss Aurore is endorsing the show. So if the municipality
has something against it, she’ll buy the damn theater, and I’d like
to see the person who dares get in her way.”
    “Aurore supports the idea of the show? Why
didn’t you say so?” Ternchiev clapped his hands. “Aurore has a good
eye for arts, and a great head for business. Everything she touches
turns into gold. The show will be a huge success!”
    In his excited state, Ternchiev seemed to
miss the irony in his words, and Nicholas refrained from pointing
it out. “I’m glad we understand each other.” He put his gloves back
on. “So, when can we start practicing?”
    “You can start today if you want.” The mayor
left his chair to accompany Nicholas to the door. “I’ll talk to the
chief of police to have more agents stationed around the theater
for your own protection … You understand.”
    “Of course.”
    “And I’ll have buses drive your crew back
and forth. Since the schools are on fall vacation, that won’t be a
problem.”
    “That is very generous of you. Thank
you.”
    Ternchiev held the door open for him.
“Twenty-five percent you say?”
    “Twenty-five,” Nicholas repeated with a
suave grin, and walked out.
     

7

    Seated in a massive armchair on a platform
in front of the car that contained the workshop, Cole slipped in
and out of consciousness. The strong painkillers they had given him
kept him numb and hazy. He was glad to have only blurry memories of
the beating, but flashes of the torture kept entering his mind.
    Plastic-covered boxes, which were part of
his seat’s armrests, encased his arms, so he couldn’t see how bad
it was. He remembered waking up screaming in the middle of the
night, only to discover his jaw was also broken. The two scarred
guys with knives had taken care of that, but the bone would take a
while to heal. So for now, he couldn’t speak, he couldn’t write,
and he couldn’t think.
    The universe must hate him. Dale definitely
did, and Cole couldn’t blame him. Troubles from the previous job
had caught up with him when he was rushing over to the next one.
Lucky for them, small-time thieves were put to rest with a bullet
in the head. Big-time thieves had everything important taken away
from them—their skills. Cole moaned pitifully, grateful for the
drugs that prevented him from exploring the entire bleakness of his
future.
    “It’s only soup,” a soft, child-like voice
said.
    Cole opened his eyes to discover a girl, mug
in hand, standing next to him. Blonde wisps of hair escaped from
the ponytail and brushed against her rosy cheeks. The light green
dress, matching her eyes, did nothing to disguise her young body or
hide the way one of her hips was lower than the other.
    “I’m Cielo.” She moved, and a hint of sea
salt tickled his senses. “I’ll be your waitress this fine day,” she
added with a small grin. “Unfortunately, you can’t give orders. I
know it’s a cliché, but chicken soup is the best we could do. Now
…” Green eyes peered at him. “One blink for yes and two for no,
okay?”
    His brain refused to process the question
right away, and the reaction was delayed. Blink .
    Cielo smiled and, moving the mug in front of
him, she pressed a straw against his lips.