MA05 Myth-ing Persons Read Online Free PDF

having to argue with Nunzio, I would rather dig in my heels against half a dozen Mob-type bodyguards than have to explain to Tananda and Chumley why they weren’t included in this rescue mission.
    “We could leave a note.”
    “No.”
    “We could ...”
    “NO! I want you here. Is that plain enough?”
    The bodyguard heaved a heavy sigh. “Okay, Boss. I’ll hang in here until they show up. Then the three of us will ...”
    “No!” I said again. “Then Tananda and Chumley will come in after us. You’re going to stay here.”
    “But Boss ...
    “Because if Hay-ner and his crew show up again, someone has to be here to let them know we’re on the job and that we haven’t just taken off for the tall timber. Assuming for the moment that we’re going to make it back, we need our exit route, and you’re going to be here making sure it stays open. All we need is for our hosts to move in a new tenant while we’re gone ... say, someone who decides to brick up this door while we’re on the other side.”
    Nunzio thought this through in silence.
    “What if you don’t come back?” he asked finally.
    “We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it,” I sighed.
    “But remember, we aren’t that easy to kill. At least one of us will probably make it back.”
    Fortunately, my mind was wrenched away from that unpleasant train of thought by the arrival of Guido. “Ready to go, Boss.”
    Despite the desperateness of the situation and the haunting time pressures, I found myself gaping at him. “What’s that?” I managed at last.
    Guido was decked out in a long dark coat and wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
    “These? These are my work clothes,” he said proudly. “They’re functional as well as decorative.”
    “They’re what?”
    “What I mean is, not only do people find ‘em intimidating, the trench coat has all these little pockets inside, see? That’s where I carry my hardware.”
    “But ...”
    “Hi, Hot Stuff. Nice outfit, Guido.”
    “Thanks! I was just telling the Boss here about it.”
    Massha was dressed ... or should I say undressed in her work clothes. A brief vest struggled to cover even part of her massive torso, while an even briefer bottom was on the verge of surrendering its battle completely.
    “Ummm ... Massha?” I said carefully. “I’ve always meant to ask. Why don’t you ... ummm ... wear more?”
    “I like to dress cool when we’re going into a hot situation,” she winked. “You see, when things speed up, I get a little nervous ... and the only thing worse than havin’ a fat broad around is havin’ a sweaty fat broad around.”
    “I think it’s a sexy outfit,” Guido chimed in. “Reminds me of the stuff my old man’s moll used to wear.”
    “Well thanks, Dark and Deadly. I’d say your old man had good taste ... but I never tasted him.”
    I studied them thoughtfully as they shared a laugh over Massha’s joke. Any hope of a quiet infiltration of this unknown dimension was rapidly disintegrating. Either Guido or Massha alone was eye-catching, but together they were about as inconspicuous as a circus parade and an army maneuver sharing the same road. Then it occurred to me that, not knowing what things were like where we were heading, they might fit in and I would stand out. It was a frightening thought. If everybody there looked like this ...
    I forced the thought from my mind. No use scaring myself any more than I had to before there was information to back it up. What was important was that my two assistants were scared. They were trying hard not to show it, but in doing so, each was dropping into old patterns, slipping behind old character masks. Guido was playing his “tough gangster” bit to the hilt, while Massha was once more assuming her favorite “vamp” character with a vengeance. The bottom line, though, was that, scared or not, they were willing to back my move or die trying. It would have been touching, if it weren’t for the fact that it meant