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"See the pretty world, Mouser?" she murmured, close to his ear "See the pretty stars?"
It’sbeautiful
His neck broke with a snap, the body going limp in her arms Amy stayed that way for a fewhis head and face Goodbye, Mouser Godspeed to you The children love you; you will be with thearden shed to see about a shovel
Chapter 31
"Will you look what the wind blew in"
A grease-stained man had directed Peter to the coroup of a dozen rasped in filthy hands to shovel plates of beans into their mouths Michael leapt off the bench and clapped him on the shoulder
"Peter Jaxon, as I live and breathe"
"Flyers, Michael You’re enormous"
His friend’s chest see the fabric of his jurowth of blond stubble roughened his cheeks
"Tell you the truth, there’s not hts And word to the wise, nobody uses that word around here It’s all ’fk this’ and ’fk that’ " He gestured toward the table "This here’s my crew Say hello to Peter, hombres"
Introductions all around Peter did his best to record the nary?" Michael asked "The chow’s not bad if you breathe through your mouth"
"I should report to the head of DS first"
"He can keep Since it’s past twelve hundred, odds are good Stark is pie-eyed anyway It’s Karlovic you really need to see, but he’s gone up to the reserve Let et you a plate"
They shared their news over lunch, returned their trays to the kitchen, and stepped outside
"Does it always sood day When the wind switches around you’ll be crying Blows all the crap down frorand tour"
Their first stop was the barracks, a cinder-block box with a rusty tin roof Curtained sleeping berths lined the walls A huge, long-facedat the table in thea deck of cards
"This here is Juan Sweeting, my second," Michael said "Goes by Ceps"
They shook, the et the name Ceps?" Peter asked "I haven’t heard that before"
The rapefruits
"Ah," said Peter "I see"
"Not to worry," Michael said, "his manners aren’t the best and his lipsas you don’t forget to feed hi only her underclothes She yawned into her fist "Jesus, Michael, I was trying to get some rack" To Peter’s astonishment, she draped her arreedy sa" Michael gently freed hiot company Lore, Peter Peter, Lore"
Her body was lean and strong, her hair, bleached by the sun, cut short Attractive but in an unconventional, slightlya frank, even carnivorous sensuality
"You’re the guy?"
"That’s right"
She gave a knowing laugh "Well, good luck to you, friend"
"Lore’s fourth-generation oiler," Michael said "She practically drinks the stuff"
"It’s a living," Lore said Then, to Peter: "So you guys go way back, I guess Let a girl in on the secret What was he like?"
"Pretty uy around Everybody called him the Circuit It was sort of his nickname"
"And a stupid one, too Thanks a bunch, Peter"
"The Circuit," Lore repeated, see to taste the word in her mouth "You know, I think I kind of like that"
At the table, Ceps, who had said nothing, gave a feminine moan "Oh Circuit, oh Circuit, make me feel like a wo to a degree at odds with his newfound h Peter could also tell that part of him enjoyed the attention "What are you, thirteen? Co him toward the door, "let’s leave these children"
"See you later, Lieutenant," Lore called merrily as they made their exit "I’ll want to hear stories"
In the intensifying heat of the afternoon, Michael gave Peter the lay of the land, taking hi process
"It sounds pretty dangerous," Peter said
"Things happen, it’s true"
"Where’s the reserve?" The oil, Peter knew, caround
"About five miles to the north of here It’s actually a natural salt doic Petroleum Reserve Oil floats, so we pump in seawater and out it comes"
His friend had acquired a bit of Texas in his voice, Peter noted Not "oil" but "awhl"
"How much is left down there?"
"Well, a shitload, basically By our estih to fill the cookers for another fifty years"
"And once it’s gone?"
"We go looking forthe Houston ship channel It’s a real toxic swa with dopeys, but it could tide us over awhile The next closest dome is Port Arthur It wouldn’t be easy to h ti "Either way, I doubt I’ll be around to worry about it"