“Fine, Cutter. Negotiate your contract.”
“I need a line to the Shady, and Abby needs to be present. Wanderer?”
“I am here, Cutter. Abby will be joining you, shortly, and the link to the Shady Marie will be available in three, two…”
“Shady Marie here. How can we help you Wanderer?”
“Case, it’s Cutter. We have a contract to negotiate.”
“And it’s nice to hear from you, too,” Case said. “Fine. I take it you have as much time as usual and a ton to get done. Let’s get started.”
Hammering out the details with Beckett didn’t take as long as I feared, and, as uncomfortable as I was with Delight looking on, I managed to ignore her until it was done. Beckett and I even managed the traditional close-of-deal handshake at the end.
“We done?” Case asked, and I looked at Delight.
No surprise that she shook her head.
“Sorry, Case. You mind sticking around a bit longer?”
“I’m guessing Delight’s on stand-by?”
“Yup. I’ll put you and Abs on speaker.”
“Good to know she’s okay, too,” Case said, sounding unimpressed. “After this, I want a sitrep.”
My first reaction was to wonder what the hell gave her the right, and then I remembered Mack putting her in charge. Delight’s expression said she hadn’t realized we were that deeply in the shit. I met it with a look that said I didn’t have time for her baloney, and she needed to get the hell over herself.
I’m not sure what would have happened if she hadn’t taken a glance around the negotiating table and reminded herself we were supposed to be doing business. Whatever. Pretty sure I could have done with the workout just as much as she could.
“So,” Abby said, using Wanderer’s speakers. “Delight, I take it you have an agenda you need to work through.”
Delight refocused, and nodded.
“Thank you, Abby. First order of business: the retrieval contract for me and Pritchard is off the table.”
I rolled my eyes.
Like we hadn’t worked that out already.
Abby gave me a mental poke, and I got my mind back to the task at hand.
“Understood,” Case said.
“The other half of the offer still stands,” Delight said. “Odyssey requires your assistance in finding the connection between the Star Shadow wolf clan and Sharovan, Mishamblin, or any of the other companies that fall under the direction or ownership of the entity known as Terrence Costoganzi.”
Entity?
“We have yet to verify his species,” Pritchard told me, sliding a cup of kaff across in front of me, and setting down a plate.
Right. Well, I guess the dude could be arach, I glanced down at the plate, just as Cascade tilted his head, and scooped what was on it into his mouth. Holy Hell! Hadn’t anybody fed the beast?
“Exactly.” Pritchard picked up the plate, and absent-mindedly patted Cascade. “I’ll get you another.”
I lifted the cup of coffee to my lips, turning my mind back to the negotiations, but the negotiations were moving along without us.
“… and I’ll be keeping the Shady Marie out of the line of fire,” Case was saying. “Details of which I’ll work out with the Koprakades.”
“Confirmed. In addition, Odyssey requires assistance in the retrieval of alliance assets.”
I sat up straighter, and Delight winked at me.
“Thought you’d like that, Cutter.”
She had, had she? I remembered Abby trumping Odyssey in its offer of assistance and had to wonder.
“Ouch,” said Pritchard, returning with another plate.
He set it on the table in front of me, at the same time as he waved a bowl in front of Cascade’s nose. The dog lifted his head off the table and followed the offering down to the floor, standing so he could eat. I listened to him chomping down the contents, and lifted a small pie off the plate in front of me. Delight kept talking, as I started chewing.
“We need your assistance in retrieving Mackenzie Star, Tenser Tennyson, and Rohan Garitch from the Star Shadow clan.”
Oh, they did, did they? And I’d thought Mack and the Shady weren’t that import—
I choked on my pie as Pritchard nudged me hard enough to rock me sideways. Delight smirked, but continued hammering out the finer points with Case and Abs. I took another gulp from my coffee as Cascade raised his head above the table.
“You need to mind your manners,” Pritchard’s growl rattled through my head, and I rolled my eyes.
“So Mack keeps telling me.”
Cascade made a lunge for my plate, and I swept it out of his reach before he could clear it.
“Pack?” he asked, and I snarled at him, before I’d realized what I was doing.
He ducked his head, and lay down by my feet, huffing out a huge sigh of resignation. Pure silence greeted me. I looked up, and found I was the centre of attention from everyone around the table.
“Sorry,” I said, indicating the dog. “I was just… It… He…”
From the looks on their faces, it didn’t matter what I said. They weren’t going to get it. I glanced down at the dog.
“Troublemaker,” I muttered, and then waved at Delight. “Carry on.”
After another embarrassing moment’s silence, she did.
“Case? Abby? Are you satisfied with the conditions?”
Two firm affirmatives followed, and then Delight turned to me.
“And how about you, Cutter?”
I waved my hand, and picked up another pie.
“Sure. Case is happy, I’m happy.”
Case made a sound of disgust.
“You didn’t get a word of that, did you, Cutter?”
“You’re the boss, Case—and you know this stuff better than I ever will. It’s your call, and I’ll back it.”
“I’ll hold you to that, Cutter. Now, go get my crew back.”
I swallowed the last hasty bite, and nodded.
“Sure thing, Case. I’ll get right on it.”
She said nothing else, signing off with a ‘pleasure doing business with you’ for Delight, and ending the connection. Abby gave me the computer equivalent of a clip upside the head, and then left me alone under Delight’s watchful eye.
Pritchard sat down beside me, and Cascade stirred restlessly at my feet.
“So,” he said, as Delight came and sat beside him. “How are we going to do this?”
18—Locating Costoganzi
