Robert Crais - The sentry

Thirty seconds of silence this time, edging to forty before a male voice came on the line.

"What's your deal, boy? How do you know my name?"

"A friend told me."

"I'll kill your fuckin' friend, you, your family, any motherfucker you've ever met. Your friend tell you that?"

"My friend told me you're the guy the Bolivians send to scare people. I know who you are. None of it matters."

"I have friends, too. You work Nicaragua or Honduras? You work Ecuador or Colombia? You think maybe we faced off before?"

The corner of Pike's mouth twitched. He had not told Dru where he worked, so she couldn't have told Vincent. His name, yes, and that he had been a military contractor, but no more than that. Vincent had checked him out, which meant he saw Pike as a threat.

"All right. We both have friends. Maybe our friends are the same people."

"What does that mean?"

"I have Rainey and the money. I'll sell him to you."

"Sell'm, my ass. You need to walk, and hope I don't come looking."

"If I walk, I'll sell him to Hugo. They've already offered a million. Maybe I can get more."

The silence felt different this time, and when Vincent spoke, his voice was both thoughtful and wary.

"Yet here you are, talking to me. I must have something you want."

"The girl."

"Ah."

"The girl, plus one half of the remaining money. You get Rainey and the other half."

"Walk away, boy. I'll cut this bitch in half."

"I'll still have Rainey."

Vincent shouted.

"I'll cut you in half, too, you motherfucker, then I'll have'm both."

Pike knew he was winning. The shouting was good, so Pike kept his own voice low and steady.

"Here's where we are. You're only going to get one of these people for Mr. Joaquin, so which one do you want? Which one does he want most? Rainey ripped him off. Rose was just along for the ride."

Pike let it sit. Outside in the world, Cole and Rainey were watching. The family returned to their SUV, carrying boxes overflowing with hot dogs and fries. The traffic moved like a sluggish pulse.

Vincent said, "You working for the Bolivians?"

Pike was surprised by the question. Vincent was concerned about his position with the Bolivians.

"I never discuss my employers."

Pike let it sit again, knowing that Vincent's insecurity would grow. By playing it vague, Vincent would think Pike's friend was a Bolivian. He also knew that Vincent would be trying to figure out how he could get both Rainey and Rose.

Vincent finally made his decision.

"Okay. How do you want to do this?"

"However you want. Let's meet somewhere. You give me the girl, I'll give you Rainey, all there is to it."

Vincent laughed, as Pike expected. Pike had talked it out with Cole while they were waiting for Rainey. Vincent would never expose himself. He would never walk the girl out to Pike and Rainey, two on two, because this would make him a target.

"No way, dude. C'mon, are you being serious?"

"Have the girl where I can see her. I have to see she's alive. She looks okay, I'll send Rainey with your half of the money. They meet at the halfway point, she comes to me, he goes to you. Sound better?"

"Waitaminute. What if the sonofabitch runs?"

"Shoot him."

It was a stupid scenario filled with holes, but that's what Pike wanted. Vincent would see the holes as opportunities. Pike's only concern was jamming Vincent into showing Dru Rayne. Vincent would not expose himself, but he would stay near the girl, watching from a hidden location with a clean escape route. Pike knew he would want this because this is what Pike would want. Vincent would watch from a hide and try to kill Pike. Pike could almost hear him thinking about it.

Vincent said, "Okay. We're getting somewhere."

"How about Rainey's house, on the canal? It's empty."

"Too tight in there."

Which is why Pike suggested it, pushing Vincent to think of escape routes and a wide field of view.

"Wherever you want, Vincent. You want to think about it, call me back?"

Vincent fell silent again, then mumbled something Pike couldn't quite hear. Pike thought he was talking to Dru, then realized Vincent was talking to himself.

Two minutes later, they had a time, a place, and had worked out the details.

Pike rolled down the Jeep's window and motioned to Cole.

"We're on. Let's roll."

Daniel .

Daniel lowered the phone and stared at the waitress. They were back in the van's bay, all four of them.

Daniel said, "You fuckin' that boy?"

Tobey snorted, "Yeah, she's fuckin' him."

Cleo giggled, "Fuckin'm real good."

Her eyes were narrow and smart, like some tough-ass Bogota hooker planning to grab a wallet. But she also looked scared. Damn well better.

"No, we're not like that."

"Why he wants you, he ain't fuckin' ya?"

She glanced away, then down and up.

"I don't know. I haven't known him very long."

Tobey snickered, "Slut's fuckin' him."

Cleo hissed, "Slut, slut."

Daniel hoped they were right. The arrow dude might be some kinda bad-ass mercenary, but if he had a hard-on for the waitress, he was way past the money stage. Men stayed sharp when it came to money. Men got stupid when it came to women.

Daniel ripped off a fresh piece of silver tape, and pressed it over her mouth.

"You know what you are?"

Tobey said, "Tramp."

Cleo said, "Cooze, cooze."

She shook her head, talking now being beyond her.

"You're a staked goat. These Swahilis in Africa, they stake a goat under a tree as bait for a lion. They cut it, make it bleed, then they wait up in the tree. That lion, all he can smell is the blood. That's a pretty good way to hunt a zombie, too."

Daniel left her in back, and climbed up in front behind the wheel. He reviewed what the Bolivian had told him about Pike, which was pretty impressive by anyone's standards, and thought he had a pretty good idea how Pike would come at him. Daniel had no doubt Pike would try to kill him, and he figured Pike knew Daniel would be trying to kill him, too. It went without saying. Daniel just had to stay ahead of him in the planning department.

Daniel pulled out into traffic, considering the variables for their upcoming meeting. He wanted to get up to the location as quickly as possible, but there were a couple of things he needed to pick up.

Daniel cruised through Hollywood, running different tactical scenarios until he found one he liked.

Three minutes later, he slipped under the overpass at Vine, and spotted an old dude taking it easy on a bus bench, skuzzy gray beard, fading gray hair, none of that talkin' to voices you get with the schizos. This one, a dedicated drunk on hard times. Even had a little sign: will work for food.

Tobey's voice rumbled, all hoarse and hungry.

"Looks good to me."

Cleo rasped, "He'll do."

Daniel pulled up by the bench and called out the passenger window.

"Yo. You mean it, that sign? I got two hours' work."

Dude eyeballed the Hero-Rooter van, then shook his head.

"I ain't no plumber."

"I'm not a plumber, yo. All I need you to do is hold a light for me. My regular guy took sick."

Lazy fuck didn't budge.

"What kinda light?"

"A fuckin' flashlight, yo. I need a helper to hold a flashlight. There's forty bucks in it for you. Two hours' work. You want it or not?"

"Forty dollars?"

"Job's up the hill here. C'mon, man, I'm running late. You want the forty?"

Tobey said, "What is it with this guy?"

Cleo said, "Sheesh, eesh."

Dude finally peeled himself off the bench.

"I want twenty up front."

"No way. Forty when the job's done or I'm moving on. Let's go."

Dude gave him a look like he was doing the world a favor, but finally climbed in, smelling like rotten cabbage. Slammed the door, checked out the van as he settled himself, and clocked the back bay, but by then it was too late.