Crash Deluxe Read Online Free PDF

loyal to me,’ he replied. ‘I honour that.’
    I honour that. Phew.
    How was it possible that I had any feeling left for this guy? He was so cunning. So deluded. And now so powerful.
    ‘The Cabal saw fit to give that dagger to me,’ I said.
    ‘I’ve told you. Things have changed. They made a mistake. Come to me with the wetware and I will help you.’
    I pretended to consider his proposal. ‘Leave me the dagger and I’ll come today,’ I said.
    Daac shook his head.
    I persisted. ‘I want this to look like some sort of trade otherwise the rumours will be wild. I don’t want anyone to know what’s happening. Give it to me and I will give you my pistol. You have my word that I will come to you tonight.’
    He stared at me so hard that I thought the glue on my hair extensions would melt.
    ‘Break your word this time, Parrish, and I will come after you.’
    I handed Daac my holster and pistol. In return I took the dagger and slipped it down into the front of my hip band. It set my skin tingling.
    Too late, baby. I’ll be gone.
    I stepped away and spoke loud enough for the eavesdroppers. ‘Nice of you to think of me - now get out.’
    I watched him leave Hein’s, my pulse racing for more than one reason. I didn’t lie very often but when I did it was usually a big one.
    I had to get out of Torley’s before Daac realised that I’d gone. But there were a few things I had to check out first.
    Like - Wombat help me - some sex toys.

Chapter Four
     
     
     
     
    T he babes on the strip were more than happy to impart their wistful knowledge about their rich sisters, the Amoratos . I got the feeling that if I came back from a stint in a Viva pleasure house my reputation among them would be golden.
    As it was I struggled back to my place laden with gear. Most of the clothes I discarded as cheap, nasty and used. Most of the stuff I kept because it was nasty. Some needed a talk-manual to operate it and some of it just looked like torture instruments. I appreciated their donations but didn’t plan on using any of it for pleasure.
    Merry 3# observed my unpacking with interest. ‘Stop gawking and find me anything you can on the Media’s Information Owners.’
    She bounced three names back at me in no time: James Monk, Sera Bau and an ex-muso, Esky Laud.
    ‘Transfer everything you found to screen.’
    I sat down and read through it.
    James Monk was homegrown from the marriage of some grave Australian media pedigree - the remnants of the Packer-Murdoch dynasty, mainly. Sera Bau boasted mottled but powerful religious connections. And Esky Laud, from what I could see, was short on talent, long on ambition. There was a lot of public-domain knowledge about these three media heavyweights but when I asked Merry 3# to find me a current whereabouts the connection threw up errors.
    ‘Useless pile of . . .’ I said.
    ‘Well, they’re not exactly going to advertise,’ Teece sniped over my shoulder. ‘What did you expect?’
    ‘Can’t you ever knock?’ I stood up and stalked past him to my bedroom.
    ‘You gave me the key code.’ He followed me in. ‘What’s crawling up your leg?’
    ‘You knew about Loyl taking over the Cabal and you didn’t tell me.’
    ‘It was just rumours.’
    ‘Rumours are more reliable than the truth round here,’ I countered, stuffing spare knickers into a borrowed case. I’d given up G-strings for something altogether more practical. Skinny-band hipsters with a flared leg. They didn’t interfere with you running or give you bite marks.
    While I remembered, I slipped Ike’s wetware into a pocket in my leather crop.
    ‘I’m trying to keep you alive,’ Teece said.
    ‘Then you’re doing it wrong. I need to know and hear everything. Everything . Keeping things from me will get me killed.’
    He grabbed my arms and spun me round. ‘No, you will get you killed.’
    Instead of thumping him, like I wanted to, I softened.
    Teece felt it. He wound his hands into the strands of my new red hair