Hooligans

overlooking the water, and a circular waterbed in the center of it; and a smaller room at the end of

the house. At first he thought that room was dark; then he saw a sliver of light streaming through the

drapes. That?s where they had to be. And they were here. He knew that because Nance was here.

He counted heads.

Three in the kitchen, including Bronicata.

Five in the living room, including Moreno and Pravano.

Chevos, Nance, and Costello in the bedroom.

Eleven, just as he had figured. He still had the touch.

Behind him, out over the bay somewhere, he heard a chopper whop-whop-whopping. He ignored it.

He tied down the tiller, slung the ammo bag over his shoulder, grabbed the 180 and M16, and

clambered over the cabin to the front of his boat, stretched out on the deck, and got the submachine

gun ready. The sailboat sliced through the water and sailed into the orb of light from the two big dock

lights.

The door opened and Costello was standing there.

He looked like Yankee Doodle Dandy: white slacks, a blue blazer, a red silk scarf flouncing around

his neck.

“Well, well,” I said, “it?s Captain America.”

By that time I was ready to take on the Russian army.

“You just never give up, do you, Kilmer?” he said, in that flat, no-nonsense lawyer?s voice of his.

“Offhand, I?d say your little bubble has blown sky high,” I said.

“You talk big for a man who could be sixty seconds from his own funeral,” he said. “Notice I said

could be. I?m all that?s standing between Nance and a bullet in your head.”

I ignored the threat. “You?re going across, Costello. First murder, now kidnapping. I?ve been wrong

about you. I thought you were smarter than the rest of these wahoos. You just wear cuter clothes.”

Doe was hanging on to my hand like a drowning woman.

“Why don?t you let her go?” I said. “This is between us boys.”

“I didn?t have anything to do with this,” he said. “I?ve been out on the water for the past four hours.

My cuffs are clean.”

“I can hardly wait to see the look n the jury?s face when you run that one by them.”

He pulled a chair over and sat down in front of us.