recommending him for higher-level operations status for years. Glad to see he's one of us, now. He deserves everything that's coming to him, the son of a bitch." Lee cackled. "He don't know what he's in for, do he? Fucker should waive his fee for the privilege of having Nowhere House vibe to soak into his walls. You know his usual customers. They'll come running once word gets out. It'll be even better than when you do your personal business in one of his places so he can get all that bad spirit and ghost vibe to sell. You never actually met him, right?"
"We never had the pleasure."
"I bet. He does know how to stay out of the line of fire. Until now. But what are friends for, right, Max? Gotta love the guy." Lee turned to the woman. "That's an unusual name you have there, Ms. Kalliyan. You Cambodian?"
"More than you can imagine."
Max pulled out, followed Crescent as it led him away from the highway but closer to its entrance. "What are you?"
"The past trapped in the present to buy the future.”
“Whatever," Lee said, giving Max a warning glance and shaking his head.
Max thought he would have to be as vigilant against her as he had to be against her enemies, and his nature.
They rode in silence until the turnoff for the Cross Bronx loomed. The Beast's hunger, sharpened by the stimulation of odd occurrences and provocations, dug into Max with manic pawing. Every shift in the seat from Lee, each glance from Mani, inspired a fresh shiver of suspicion, a new source of threat. Cars coming too close made his hand twitch for a gun. Max meditated, breathing deep, relaxing muscles and thoughts. He fought for a grip on reality, sifting through the Beast's paranoia and his own demanding appetites to discover the real danger lurking on the borders of his awareness.
As if inspired by the dance of headlights and the beat of tires on the road, Lee suddenly broke into a sour bluesy drawl: "I ain't eighteen, but I'm still on a bullet; got my finger on the trigger and I'm gonna pull it." His laughter pitched higher, and he rocked back and forth in his seat. "Oh man," he said at last, sobering, "I need a fucking vacation. Right after this trip to Europe. They're giving me a choice between Angola and Iraqi weapons inspection after this next assignment, but hell no; I need to get away from crazy motherfuckers like you. All this huggermugger, macho intimidating shit is wearing me out. I'm gonna make myself a promise not to kill anything for a week.
‘See how long I last. Last time it was two weeks in the Yucatan. I think the tequila helped. But I think you two are going to click. Yeah, he hasn't popped you yet, Mani, so I'm thinking you're going to last the night."
"I think so, too," she said.
"I think we're being followed." The words flew out of Max's mouth before he knew he had spoken, propelled by instincts feeding on his experience, Mani's presence and powers, and his memories of being inside her. He let out a long breath as the tension drained from him. Knowing the situation meant he could control it. The Beast relaxed, anticipating prey.
"Bullshit." Lee checked his side-view mirror. "How can you tell one headlight from another?"
"He's right." She looked out the back window at the steel-cradled roadways sweeping around and above them, at the Alexander Hamilton Bridge connecting the Bronx to Manhattan. "Coming in from the West Side. I feel them, too. They know I'm moving, which direction I'm going in. They've picked up my trail."
Lee twisted around to face Mani. "What the hell are you talking about? Who knows you're out in the open?”
“My enemy."
"Come on, lady, cut the crap."
"My captor and former lover—now my enemy because I escaped him."
"Great. Always good to get the full briefing, right, Max? And how is this mook tracking you? You were supposed to be clean at the pick up."
"He's `ap thm`op, a sorcerer with roots still in my spirit. He knows I'm in this city because he feels my anticipation of freedom. But it was
"We never had the pleasure."
"I bet. He does know how to stay out of the line of fire. Until now. But what are friends for, right, Max? Gotta love the guy." Lee turned to the woman. "That's an unusual name you have there, Ms. Kalliyan. You Cambodian?"
"More than you can imagine."
Max pulled out, followed Crescent as it led him away from the highway but closer to its entrance. "What are you?"
"The past trapped in the present to buy the future.”
“Whatever," Lee said, giving Max a warning glance and shaking his head.
Max thought he would have to be as vigilant against her as he had to be against her enemies, and his nature.
They rode in silence until the turnoff for the Cross Bronx loomed. The Beast's hunger, sharpened by the stimulation of odd occurrences and provocations, dug into Max with manic pawing. Every shift in the seat from Lee, each glance from Mani, inspired a fresh shiver of suspicion, a new source of threat. Cars coming too close made his hand twitch for a gun. Max meditated, breathing deep, relaxing muscles and thoughts. He fought for a grip on reality, sifting through the Beast's paranoia and his own demanding appetites to discover the real danger lurking on the borders of his awareness.
As if inspired by the dance of headlights and the beat of tires on the road, Lee suddenly broke into a sour bluesy drawl: "I ain't eighteen, but I'm still on a bullet; got my finger on the trigger and I'm gonna pull it." His laughter pitched higher, and he rocked back and forth in his seat. "Oh man," he said at last, sobering, "I need a fucking vacation. Right after this trip to Europe. They're giving me a choice between Angola and Iraqi weapons inspection after this next assignment, but hell no; I need to get away from crazy motherfuckers like you. All this huggermugger, macho intimidating shit is wearing me out. I'm gonna make myself a promise not to kill anything for a week.
‘See how long I last. Last time it was two weeks in the Yucatan. I think the tequila helped. But I think you two are going to click. Yeah, he hasn't popped you yet, Mani, so I'm thinking you're going to last the night."
"I think so, too," she said.
"I think we're being followed." The words flew out of Max's mouth before he knew he had spoken, propelled by instincts feeding on his experience, Mani's presence and powers, and his memories of being inside her. He let out a long breath as the tension drained from him. Knowing the situation meant he could control it. The Beast relaxed, anticipating prey.
"Bullshit." Lee checked his side-view mirror. "How can you tell one headlight from another?"
"He's right." She looked out the back window at the steel-cradled roadways sweeping around and above them, at the Alexander Hamilton Bridge connecting the Bronx to Manhattan. "Coming in from the West Side. I feel them, too. They know I'm moving, which direction I'm going in. They've picked up my trail."
Lee twisted around to face Mani. "What the hell are you talking about? Who knows you're out in the open?”
“My enemy."
"Come on, lady, cut the crap."
"My captor and former lover—now my enemy because I escaped him."
"Great. Always good to get the full briefing, right, Max? And how is this mook tracking you? You were supposed to be clean at the pick up."
"He's `ap thm`op, a sorcerer with roots still in my spirit. He knows I'm in this city because he feels my anticipation of freedom. But it was
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