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"Would you like to watch the instant replay, Guzman?"

"I'll catch it later on sports highlights if you don't mind, sir," the scarfaced man replied

Halcon waved at a hidden sensor, and the screen went blank

"Don't tell ame"

"I'm not ready for cricketa sip froames are far too short and lack skill and finesse"

Halcon plucked a cigar froold-embossed humidor of fine leather, lit up, and surveyed Guzh a curtain of smoke, unsurprised at the bluntness of the answer He had known Guzman from the day he was born, when Halcon's s father appointed his trusted henchman as his son's official protector The uile, which is why he was so refreshing to a Machiavellian scheht," he said with disgust A brawl like that dea them a pride in their cultural past"

His hand went to his phone console "Have the winning ball team line up for their awards where I can see thelass cabinet that held several rifles and handguns He pulled a rifle with a telescopic scope off its rack and said, "Come, Guzman"

Halcon led the way through a door onto a darkened balcony that overlooked the coht green of the ball court Halcon brought the rifle butt to his shoulder and squinted through the telescopic sight The rifle cracked three ti the bolt When the echoes of gunfire faded three still figures lay on the grass

"I know you prefer the Austrian rifle for your assign the deadly result of his handiith satisfaction, "but I've always had good luck with this English L42A1"

Guzazed out at the ball court and curled his lips in a sardonic smile "I suppose you've just terminated their contracts"

Halcon laughed, and they went back inside He carefully replaced the rifle in its case and turned to the scarfaced man

"My apologies, Guzest that the le-handedly sank thehis taste for blood sport Iyou in the dark aboutI didn't ask you to ht simply to watch that pitiful performance on the ball court You will be the first to hear the details of rand vision for the future"

"I aht bow of his head

Halcon lifted his brandy snifter to a huge gilt-frauished ancestor, the founder of the Brotherhood, I dedicate my fondest dream"

The oil was done in the El Greco style, except in this painting the subject's long face and pointed ears were not exaggerated The saturnine tonsured man in the simple dark brown monk's cassock had pale, almost translucent skin in stark contrast to the red voluptuary's lips Dia flalow in one corner, where a struggling figure 'was being burned at the stake Guz initiate into the Brotherhood Halcon's father had explained with an ironic grin that Perez had the artist put to death as a heretic because he wanted his portrait to be the man's last