Tales of the Continuing Time and Other Stories
Page 34
Isabel blinked. She knew Sam had money, some at least, but – “You’d spend fifty grand on me?”
Sam shrugged. “I didn’t have to pay him. He died this morning. About an hour ago.”
It startled Isabel. “How?”
Two Knives just grinned. “Ooh, I like the sound of that.”
“Finish your toast. We have to navigate back a little.”
NICO CAME AWAKE with no premonition there was anything wrong. He was not even aware, at first, that there was another person in his darkened bedroom. Then he became aware of a shape at the foot of the bed – small, one of his girls, and he wondered muzzily how she’d gotten in. He didn’t hand out keys to the girls.
“Hey, honey.”
He knew the voice. Isabel. She’d been gone two days. “Where you been?” he asked, fully awake now but putting no threat in his voice.
She laughed a little. “Working. I guess you could call it that.”
“So how much did we make?”
“I haven’t been paid yet. I’m not sure I’m going to get paid.”
Now Nico let the threat into his voice, just a bit. “Giving it away? We’ll talk about that.” He wouldn’t leave any bruises where they’d show, at least until you got her clothes off, and no john in the history of the world had let a few bruises stop him at that point. “But you have the money from Friday night?”
“Yes,” Isabel said softly. “I have that.”
Nico sat up in the bed. “Give it to me.”
Isabel smiled at him. There was something weird about the way she was acting. “No,” she said in that same odd voice, “that’s really not what I’m here for.”
Isabel stood and Nico realized what was happening but it was too late, his feet were still tangled in the blankets, shit, the gun in her hand was just a five-shot .38, he might survive this after all –
Isabel brought the gun up and braced it, as though someone had taught her to shoot once, and Nico heard every shot, even the fifth, and not one of them missed, and his last clear sight was of Isabel’s huge, happy grin.
THERE ARE NO happy endings in this life….
... but sometimes there are happy moments.
END