Page 20 (1/2)
20
ATTACK OF THE CROCODILE GUY
It was a brutally hot night in the City, and everyone had their s open Froirl happily splashing away in a tub full of suds, the two giant hounds sitting just outside the tub licking sha bubbles as she screeched with glee
"Sophie, don’t feed the puppies soap, okay?" The shopkeeper’s voice from another room
"Okay, Dad I won’t I’it out for one of the dogs to lick A cloud of fragrant bubbles burped out of the beast, through the bars of the , and out into the still air over the alley
The hounds were the probleht, he’d be able to take care of theet to the child without interference
In the past he’d been an assassin, a bodyguard, a kickboxer, and lass-insulation installer - skills that could serve him well in his current ht spiked teeth and eyes that glealass beads His hands were the claws of a raptor, the wicked black nails encrusted with dried blood He wore a black silk tuxedo, but no shoes - his feet ebbed like those of a waterbird, with claws for digging prey froe of the roof and waited; then, just as he had planned, he heard, "Sweetie, I’ht back"
"Okay, Dad"
Funny how the illusion of security canchild alone in the bath unattended, but the couards wouldn’t make her unattended, would it?
He waited, and the shopkeeper es He seemed momentarily thrown off by the fact that the Duht outside the door, had been ed, kicked the door wide, and while it hissed slowly shut on its pneumatic cylinder, he dashed for the Du off the roof The rug unrolled as it fell the four stories Unfurled, it hit the shopkeeper with a substantial thud and drove his perked up One let out a woof of caution
The spy already had the first bolt in his crossbo he let it fly - nylon line hissed out and the bolt hit the rug with a thu and probably the shopkeeper’s calf, effectively pinning hiround The shopkeeper screareat hounds dashed out of the bathroom
The spy loaded another bolt, attached it to the free end of the nylon line attached to the first bolt, then fired it through another section of the rug below The shopkeeper continued to shout, but with the heavy rug pinned over him, he couldn’t h the doorway into the alley
The third bolt wasn’t attached to a line, but had a wicked titanium-spiked tip The spy aimed at the pneumatic cylinder on the door, hit it, and the door sla the hounds in the alley He’d practiced this a dozen ti exactly as planned The front doors to the shop and the apart had been Super Glued shut before he’d co that done without being seen
His fourth shot put a bolt in theframe over the hallThe bars on the bathroom were too narrow, but he knew that the shopkeeper would have left the door to the apartment open He attached a carabiner to the nylon line and slid silently down the line to theledge He unclipped, then squeezed through the bars and dropped to the floor in the hallway
He kept close to the hall walls, taking careful, exaggerated steps to keep his toenails fro in a nearby apart from the door down the hall, which he could see was open, if only a crack
"Dad, I’et out!"
He paused at the doorway, peeked into the apartment He knew the child would screaed teeth, the claws, his cold black eyes He would see to it that her screams were short-lived, but nobody could remain calm in the face of his fearsomeness Of course, the fearsome effect was somewhat reduced by the fact that he was only fourteen inches tall
He pushed the door open, but as he stepped into the apart hi and stealth skills, he screa wood duck
Someone had Super Glued the key slot in the back door and Charlie had snapped his key off trying to get it open There was so and it hurt like hell - blood was filling up his shoe He didn’t knohat had happened, but he kneasn’t good that the hellhounds were bouncing around hi
He pounded the door with both fists "Open the goddamn door, Ray!"
Ray opened the door "What?"
The hellhounds knocked theh the door Charlie jumped to his feet and limped after the"
"I know"
"Wait, you’re dragging soo - "
Before Charlie could finish his sentence, Ray had pulled a knife from his back pocket, flicked it open, and cut the nylon line "Used to carry this on the job to cut seat belts and stuff"
Charlie nodded and headed up the steps Sophie was standing in the kitchen, wrapped in afrom her head - she looked like a small, soapy version of the Statue of Liberty "Dad, where were you? I wanted to get out"
"Are you okay, honey?" He knelt in front of her and smoothed down her towel
"I needed help on the rinse That’s your responsibility, Dad"
"I know, honey I’m a horrible father"
"Okay - " Sophie said "Hi, Ray"
Ray was topping the steps, holding a bloody arrow on the end of a string "Charlie, this went through your leg"
Charlie turned and looked at his calf for the first ti to pass out
"Can I have it?" Sophie said, picking up the arrow
Ray grabbed a dish towel from the counter and pressed it on Charlie’s wound "Hold this on it I’ll call 911"
"No, I’ to throw up
"What happened out there?" Ray said
"I don’t knoas - "
So deep-fried Ray’s eyes ide
"Help h the apart from the stairwell
"Can you make it?" Ray said
"Go Go I’ainst Ray’s shoulder and hopped up the stairs behind hi’s apartlish, peppered with swearing in Mandarin "No! Shiksas! Help! Back! Help!"
Charlie and Ray found the diainst her stove by Alvin and Moha a cleaver at them to keep them at bay while they barked salvos of strawberry-kiwi-flavored bubbles at her
"Help! Shiksas try to take supper," said Mrs Ling
Charlie saw the stockpot stea out of it "Mrs Ling, is that duck wearing trousers?"
She looked quickly, then turned and took a swipe at the hellhounds with the cleaver "Could be," she said
"Down, Alvin Down, Mohanored coet Sophie?"
The ex-cop, who felt himself the master of all situations chaotic, said, "Huh?"
"They won’t back off unless she tells the "Sophie will call the had been considering her dinner She tried to shove the duck feet under the broth with her cleaver, but to little effect "Is ancient Chinese recipe We don’t tell White Devils about it so you don’t ruin it You hear of paper-wrap chicken? This duck in pants"
The hellhounds growled
"Well, I’ainst her fridge so he didn’t fall over
"You bleeding, Mr Asher"
"Yes, I a the torapped Sophie He set her down
"Hi, Mrs Ling," Sophie said, then she stepped out of her toent to the hellhounds, and grabbed theuys didn’t rinse," she said Then, buck naked, her hair still in sha’s apartment
"Uh, someone shot you, boss," Ray said
"Yes, they did," said Charlie
"You should get medical attention"
"Yes, I should," Charlie said His eyes rolled back in his head and he slid down the front of Mrs Ling’s refrigerator
Charlie spent the entire night in the e for treatment Ray Macy stayed with hi and whi for treatan to wear on hireen, Ray tried to use his ex-cop status to gain favor with the head ER nurse, whom he had known in that old life
"He’s hurt bad Can’t you sneak hirinned (which was the expression she used in lieu of telling people to fuck off) and scanned the waiting room to make sure that no one seeet him to the ?"
"Sure," Ray said He helped Charlie out of his chair and got him to the little bulletproof"This is Charlie Asher," Ray said "My friend"
Charlie looked at Ray
"Ito die on ht want to ask sorinned
"He’s been shot," Ray said, ever the advocate
"I didn’t see who shot me," Charlie said "It’s a mystery"
Nurse Betsy leaned into the"You knoe have to report all gunshot wounds to the authorities Are you sure you don’t want to take a veterinarian hostage and have him sew you up?"
"I don’t think my insurance will cover that," Charlie said
"Besides, it wasn’t a gunshot," Ray added "It was an arrow"
Nurse Betsy nodded "Letand lift his leg up on the little counter Nurse Betsy reached through the littleand knocked his foot off the shelf "For Christ’s sakes, don’t let the others see I’?"
"No, I don’t think so"
"Hurt?"
"Like a bitch"
"Big bitch or little bitch?"