Page 18 (1/2)

"Perhaps we could return to theconfidence in the newfound clarity in her o easy on Pascal Good pilots are hard to find"

"That’s entirely up to hier, then wheeled and went back to his truck The entourage he’d brought followed suit Pascal did not look at her as they stuffed him into the back of one of the vehicles Within athe runway as they ar after dinner, slipping down a ladder at the back The rendezvous was still hours away, but she had a lot to do Forcing herself to look casual, she waved at the guards posted outside and strolled down the runway looking for an aircraft recently returned froed scow, dubbed Radar Malfunction, and walked straight up the cargo ra The captain, a brute of a man with all the character of the run-down ship itself, wasthe deck, his back to her His sweat-soaked undershirt clung to a disturbingly hairy torso thick with muscle and rounded by a healthy appetite for cider

"Cervantes," she said

He stiffened, but didn’t turn "Jesus What now? We just got back for fuck’s sake"

Sam looked past him The forward crew compartment appeared to be empty The door to the head was open a crack, so she doubted anyone was in there

Cervantes put the mop into a scarred white bucket, oblivious to the dirty water that sloshed back onto the barecasually over his shoulder as he turned to face her "If you want to borrow Nguyen, she’s down at Woon’s with everyone else, trying to drink away the stench"

"Stench?"

He glared at her "You can’t sht a faint cheuess the worst of it aired out, but they were stuck back here with the load for two hours Even through our suits we could smell it I don’t knohat the hell Grillo needs all these chemicals for, but it’s nasty work, Sam It’s a miracle no one yacked"

Satisfied they were alone, Sam punched a button on the wall and waited for the hydraulic door to close and seal

"The hell is this?" the man in front of her said

"Toofor the sake of talking down to her audience "I need a favor"

"Shit Just o into the head, shut the door, and wait for five y beard and turned slowly toward the bathroom door, then back to her "The hell are you on about?"

"Trust me, the less you know the better"

"What’s in it for me?"

Sa to escape and steadied herself "The choicest missions for an entire week"

"A month"

"Done"

His eyebrows crept upward Then he turned, walked into the small bathroom, and slid the door closed

"Turn the fan on," Sah to ensure he heard When the whir of the ventilation fan came on, she knelt and took her backpack off Fro, spread it out, and opened it Then she went to the lockers on the sidewalls of the cargo bay and threw the steel doors open wide

Sa her choices Cervantes and his creere known for their crude approach to things, a reputation reflected in the equipment they stocked None of his people were ex- people about their life before SUBS, Sah of the crew to know there were criuyen, in particular, had apparently uise of a private executive flyer A sour woh that Sam had sequestered her on a few of Grillo’s more arade gear, they packed plenty of firepower Four minutes later, Sah to pull off what Skadz and Prumble had planned

Finished, she went to the bathrooh for the occupant to hear "I’ to o, and you’ll respond ‘no probleain, best if you don’t know Suffice to say, I can’t useto be pissed"

"They won’t be for the month that follows, believe uyen’s stuff She’ll flay me alive"

Sam turned and went to the door

At the botto of borrowed gear down She inhaled deeply, and a sudden wellspring of memories came sharply to hts spent on a stool at Woon’s trading stories of the Clear hoever would listen Stories of success and failure and death Death dealt, , prepping, sleeping, and fucking away the tierous forays out into the wastes beyond Darwin And all the camaraderie that cae Generally hated Grillo’s handpicked girl, dishing out orders to for under the Jacobite’s rule that

"Goodbye," Samantha whispered, unsure if she was about to ruin their lives utterly, or ht

"Oy," Skadz said He hefted a s and turned it about in his hand Tiny skull-and-crossbones symbols were etched into the side of the pistol-sized device The er than the gun itself "What gang did you roll to get this kit?"

Salared at him "Cervantes"

"Ah," Skadz said, the matter settled "He always did have a flare for this kind of shit"

"I couldn’t exactly unload the weapons locker at the hangar"

"Easy, Saoes well none of it will get used"

Prumble eyed the selection "You’re sure about this, Sam? Maybe Pascal won’t talk You could be back in bed before dawn if you returned now"

She shook her head "You weren’t there Grillo knows soht if he hasn’t already No, it was ti …"