“I don’t know about that,” Tiger sensed something odd in the man’s sudden interest in his love life. He was trying too hard to sound happy about it. Yet, there was something else there. Concern? Apprehension? He couldn’t put his finger on it.
“I’m sure you didn’t take a break from your busy schedule to call and talk about my romantic concerns.” Something about Cutter seemed amiss, and it had started to annoy him. It was a sixth sense spacers had. The one where they would get a feeling something terrible was about to happen. An engine would flame out. The water recycler would go on the fritz. The NavCom system would crash. Tiger had that feeling now, and Cutter was giving it to him. He was more than ready to be rid of him, at least for the moment.
“Whaddaya want, Odell?” he asked, indeed rather brusquely, considering who he was talking to.
“Sheettt! Gettin’ right down to bid’ness!” Cutter feigned a street-level hood’s demeanor. “Tiger Thomas, there is hope for your do-gooder ass yet!” He paused as the slick, shady smile of a man who convinced people to do things they shouldn’t lit up his face. “I called because I got what some might call the proposition of a lifetime for you … that is if you’re interested.”
“Well, I reckon I’d be a fool not to listen to something like that.” Tiger couldn’t help but be skeptical. He’d learned a long time ago that the old adage ‘If it’s too good to be true, it probably is’ usually applied 99.9 percent of the time.
“Now, just hear me out on this and keep an open mind before you go all morally apeshit on me.”
“Well, that’s not a good way to start your pitch.”
“Tiger … I swear … if we can pull this off, you can retire, Blue Ball here and you and Lulah could settle down. I know you always wanted to live down on the Coast. Dude, you could do it. Everything paid for. Hell, you could buy your own island paradise!”
“And all I gotta do is …” Yeah, this was sounding too good to be true. But if … just if …
“That’s the beautiful part, bro!” Cutter smiled that dazzling smile again. He was getting a sweet cut off this too. He was pushing way too hard not to. “That fine little piece of fur-covered ass you been safeguarding … well, you ain’t gotta worry about it any longer. I got an interested party that wants to give her a good home … a safe home … where nobody’s going to hurt her ever again.”
“Is that so?” Tiger felt his entire body tense up. He should’ve known.
“Hey! I know what you’re thinking,” Cutter raised his hands in a gesture of innocence. “But I assure you, there’s no ulterior motives.”
“Of course not. Why would there be?” Tiger rolled his eyes. “Everyone wants to take in a poor homeless vixen who has an aversion to clothing and the body of a centerfold simply because they’re genuinely concerned about her well-being!”
“What does it matter?” Cutter looked genuinely puzzled “What you gonna do with her? Adopt her? I bet Lulah ain’t too fond of her.” He caught the look in Tiger’s eyes instantly. “Ahhhh! See! I knew it! I’m doing you a favor, son. You and Lulah should be together. You were always meant to be together. Don’t let some wet-nosed split-tail mess up a second chance. You’ll regret it ‘til the day you die, and you know it!”
“I’m touched you’re so concerned about me and Lulah,” Tiger responded. “I never realized you cared so much about us, Cutter.” Still, the man’s words were gnawing at him. He knew there was more truth to them than even Cutter realized.
“These are good people!” Cutter was pressing on. “They’re not going to hurt her, and she’ll live like a queen!”
“So … they’re rich.” Tiger cut his eyes sideways. “Don’t tell me Cutter Hawkins has cut a deal with some Silver Spooners.”
“It’s one and a half mill, Tiger. One … and a half … million.” Cutter mouthed the words slowly, for full effect. The amount froze Tiger in his tracks. “That’s your cut.”
For a second, he was speechless, stunned by the ghastly sum. His mind raced through all he could buy. All he’d ever wanted to buy, but never could. Was it truly possible? After all these years, would he finally be able to settle down? His head spun dizzily.
“Bullshit!” was all he could finally utter. “That’s crazy!”
“I swear to God! It’s no lie, man! Your ship has finally come in! All you gotta do is give your little friend a permanent home. Set her up for life, and you set yourself up for life. It’s a win-win all the way around.”
“Why would someone, even someone with more money than sense, pay those kinds of points for her?”
“It’s quite simple. The law of supply and demand. On the supply side, they’re not making any more of ‘em and the ones they did make they’re killing off.” Cutter grinned wickedly. “But luckily for us, there’s no shortage of demand. And every one they kill raises the going rate on the surviving ones.” He cocked his head. “But you know all this already, don’t ya? I heard Jocko was snooping around last night and got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.”
“I see word travels fast in your circles.”
“I make it a point to know what’s going on in my town, Tiger.”
“Yeah, well, you’d been proud of Jock. He grew a pair with hair before they took him down.”
“Yeah, and he’s hanging by a thread. Don’t make his sacrifice all in vain, Tiger.”
“Jesus, Cutter. We’re talking about selling a person, a human being like she was one of those classic hot rod automobiles or something.” Even though the money
