Torque Read Online Free PDF Page A

There’s always a wait when it’s
a contract job. Or is it just a con job?”
    Perched beside him, sitting tall, her
steel-grey eyes were almost level with his own. Straight dark hair
lay on her shoulders and down her back.
    “Now why would you think that?” Thin lips
under dark pink lipstick pursed slightly.
    “There’s a con where theater tickets are
mailed to folks with big homes,” he said. “The tickets are genuine
but made to look like a contest prize. While the lucky winners
enjoy their night at the opera, or whatever, a moving van pulls
into their driveway and they get cleaned out.”
    Svoljsak watched the corners of her mouth
rise to the hint of a smile, the barest imprint of crow’s feet at
her eyes. He figured early thirties. Technically, young enough to
be his daughter.
    “That would not be a good start, now would
it, Mr. Svoljsak?”
    Svoljsak chuckled. Anyone breaking into his
place was welcome to whatever they found. “No it wouldn’t. And call
me Stanislaw, Ms—?”
    She chose that moment to summon the
bartender.
    “I’ll have what he’s having, and add his tab
to mine.”
    No sooner had the barman delivered the drinks
and moved along when Svoljsak felt the woman put a hand on his
shoulder and lean into him.
    “Let me tell you a secret.” Her breath
brushed his ear while her other hand slipped inside his sport coat.
“If we're going to get along, you’ll need to avoid any initiatives
of your own for the next little while.” Her slender fingers
caressed his chest then rode the buttons of his shirt down to the
belt line where they made a quick tour of his love handles. With
the whiskey kicking in, Stanislaw found the sensation pleasurable
to the point of arousal.
    “Finding anything you like?”
    “Yes. No wire.”
    She detached herself and raised her glass.
“Salut.”
    A grin creased its way into Svoljsak’s broad
features. He moved a hand, palm up, toward her breast. “And when do
I get to frisk you?”
    Her smile was all business.
    “When I’m confident that you're qualified.
The people I represent need a tradesperson with your skills to
retrieve an item, with minimum impact on the surrounding
environment.”
    “So, no dynamite or trucks through warehouse
walls.”
    “Not even a broken window or jimmied lock.
Ideally, the operation will remain undetected.”
    “For how long? Hours? Days? Weeks?”
    “Indefinitely, if you do it right. There are
risks, naturally, but with your attributes they shouldn’t be a
great concern.”
    “Well, now, that brings up a good point. Just
how do you know what my attributes are, and what I might find a
concern?”
    “Hopefully my information was accurate,
Stanislaw. I did ask for a stand-up guy with balls, and they did
give me your name.”
    Svoljsak recognized the prod for what it was
and didn’t react.
    “May I make a suggestion?” she said. “Let’s
grab a bite to eat, and get to know each other better.” She slipped
off the stool, exposing the last bit of thigh still hidden under
the grey flannel of her short skirt, and headed toward the booths.
Svoljsak followed and slid onto the bench across from her as a
waitress replaced stained coasters and empty glasses with fresh
placemats and menus.
    For the next hour, over more double scotches
and passable bar food, Svoljsak embellished at will the roles he
had played in various heists and drug deals. In return he’d got the
full attention of those sparkling eyes, laughter for his jokes, and
most importantly the indication that somewhere down the line there
would be a generous payoff.
    As enjoyable as it all was, though, Svoljsak
knew when to stop talking. This was still her meeting. He was just
here to present a face.
    “Well, Stan,” she said, taking his silence as
her cue. “I think we can do some business.” The shine in her eyes
wasn’t all from tales of car thieves and hookers. Neither was the
flush of her skin.
    “Good to know,” he said. “But I’m going to
need more