“If you weren’t such a useful mutt,” Mack was growling, “I’d have you spaced with your useless master.”
Rohan was sitting very still, and looking very worried. He looked at Tens, asking for help with his eyes.
Tens sighed. “What’s the damn dog done, this time?”
“He ate my pie,” Mack grumbled, and I watched as Tens pressed his lips together, in an attempt not to laugh. Rohan still looked anxious
“I ordered you another one,” he said, but Mack continued to glare at Cascade.
“And what’s to stop this monster from eating that, as well, when it gets here.”
“I ordered him one, too,” Rohan told him, and Mack rolled his eyes.
“Like that’s going to work.”
He sputtered as Cascade took the opportunity to stretch up and lick him on the mouth. I couldn’t help smiling, as Mack pushed the big creature away, and turned his attention to Rohan.
“And how many times have I told you that you need to keep him under control?”
Cascade stopped trying to wash Mack’s face and looked suddenly towards Rohan. He whined, and cocked his head to one side, before getting up and padding over to lie down on the floor beside Rohan’s chair. Mack frowned at the boy and his dog, and then turned his attention to Tens.
“What have you got?” he asked.
“I put the word out you wanted to do some military exercises,” Tens said, and held up a hand to still Mack’s protest. “It seemed the best way to establish why you wanted to be here, as well as hide the fact we needed work.”
Mack grunted, and waved for Tens to continue.
Which the man did, after he’d worked his way around the table to take a seat between Mack and his apprentice. I took the opposite way around, avoiding the young man and his dog, and taking my place at the seat on Mack’s right. Tens ignored me, continuing with his report.
“I put the word out that you’d really like to use Carafakt Gorge since it’s the only chasm of its type anywhere near civilization, and you’d be interested in putting the rest of the crew down for a bit of shore leave while the training went on. There was a bit of resistance from the local lords so I gave them the impression you’d consider trading services for a good word, permission and, or, access.”
Mack had leant forward, listening intently as Tens spun his tale, and I couldn’t help being impressed. Tens had made us a way in, and managed to hide the real reason we were here, which, given the reception I’d found in the Underweb, was all to the good.
“So, I’ve set up a meeting, and Lord Nikodemus Barangail wants to see you for an evening meal and private dinner meeting two days from now.” He glanced at me. “Companions optional, but there’s usually dancing, and you should probably take your own partner. No offense, Cutter.”
“None taken,” I managed, blushing red to the roots of my hair.
Dancing huh? I knew dancing. Abs had... I shut that thought down fast, and was glad when Mack ignored it.
“Two days from now? We’re that close?” Mack looked surprised.
Tens looked smug.
“I had Case plot in a new course,” he said. “Told her you wanted to be on Alpha Nine sooner rather than later. She said to ask you if she could chase down a contract she’d seen out this way. Very lucrative hit on a very bad man. She said she and Steppy needed to, and I quote: ‘keep our hands in’.”
Mack gave him a long and careful stare, and I watched the shadows of his thoughts move behind his eyes. Mack gave the two assassins a home, and they didn’t take any contracts that might give him grief—or come after him, for that matter—but, just occasionally he had to let them go do what they did best. And he didn’t like it.
“Dinner, I’m happy with,” he said. “Tell Case to get back to me with files on who, and just how bad, and I’ll think about it. I also expect her research to be impeccable, if she and Step don’t want to spend this trip locked down in stasis.”
Tens’s eyebrows rose, but the kitchen staff arrived with food, and he bit back whatever he’d been going to say. He also didn’t try to break the silence that followed, as we ate—including the dog, who’d been given his own bowl. I wondered why that hadn’t been done the first time, given we’d had him long enough to know.
The feel of Mack’s fingertips resting on my arm, brought me out of my head and back to the present.
“What?”
Tens was smirking. Rohan was looking embarrassed, and Mack? Mack was his usual frowny self.
“You need to do some research on Barangail,” he said, and I got the impression it wasn’t for first time he’d said it.
“Sure thing, Mack.”
I cleaned up what was left on my plate, and looked around the table.
“Are we done?”
It wasn’t the politest way to ask if I could leave, but it was all I felt like doing. I was sore as Hell from where Tens had slugged me, and I probably needed to sleep so those nanites could take effect, but I also needed to make sure we didn’t get sideswiped by the next clown we worked for...or, at least try to make sure we didn’t get sideswiped, and, if we did, that it wasn’t as bad as usual.
“Hey!”
That came from both Tens and Mack, but I didn’t respond straight away. I pushed back my chair and gathered up my plates, sticking my cutlery in the empty coffee cup on top of the pile.
“If the boot fits, boys,” I said, heading out into the café proper.
4—A Lady is...
Two days later, we were met by a small squad of armed guards, at the top of the beanstalk linking the small city above
