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The yards weren’t particularly crowded, but they were populated here and there with h most of them hite Once he spied an Asianimportant to do, but Hainey didn’t stop and ask hiht the other man’s eye, because he wanted the whole damn world to know that he wasn’t up to any trouble, no sir No trouble at all

The horses fussed and shifted from foot to foot and the coach rocked heavily when the captain cli the Rattler in its crate and letting it slide onto the ground He tugged at his jacket collar, and stretched his are of the sidewalk, he saw thecuriously--and perhaps by his employer’s strict instructions, if Hainey knew Barebones at all

"You over there," he called out, and pointed at the boy in case there was any doubt

He cringed and said, "Me?"

"You, that’s right Co up the half-block’s distance and all but cowering He said, "Yes sir?"

And Hainey told hiht No one’ll ever respect you if you hunker like that all the goddamned time"

"Yes sir," he said more firmly "But I’m only a kitchen boy"

"All the hter than that," he co You’ve been working for Barebones, how long?"

"Pretty much forever I don’t reht You trust him?"

"Of course, sir"

"Don’t lie toI used to be one, you understand"

The boy said, "No sir I don’t trust him But he’s not too bad"

Hainey nodded slowly "That’s fair enough I’d say about the sa--you got a horse, or anything like that?"

"Not even a mule, sir"

"Not even a ive you these two horses here--and they ain’t ive you these two horses, would Barebones take ’em from you, or let you keep ’em, do you think?"

The boy pondered this a moment, then said, "I think he’d probably keep the better one, and let ht" He picked up the Rattler’s crate, hoisting it up to hold it in front of hiuess they’re yours"

"Mine?"

"Yours, that’s right I don’t have any ht now--back to Barebones Tell him we thank him for his time and his hospitality, such as it was Tell him I said the horses are yours, but the coach is his if he wants to keep it Or he can push it off a cliff, I don’t care"

The boy brightened, though he was confused "Thank you, sir!" he said, not wanting to appear ungrateful or disinterested

"You’re welcoht Do it all the time Otherwise, you’ll be a boy all your life," he said, and he walked back towards the service yards, and the Valkyrie, without a backwards glance

He was halfway between the street’s edge and the Union warbird when he heard the first shot The second rang out close behind it, and a third and fourth cauesses