BACKTRACKER by Milo Fowler (books to read in your 30s TXT) 📗

shook his head. "I don't thinkso. Your boy here took out both of my associates. They don't come cheap."He nodded, clenching his jaw, gripping the revolver tightly. "So you'regoing to pay for them. One way or another."

"You're threatening us." She cocked her head withinterest.

That much should have been obvious. To prove his point, he fired around into the bricks at her feet. The bullet blasted into the surface, sendingchips of clay and mortar into the air. There weren't pulse rounds in thesechambers.

The albino strode forward, straight for Lennox, his eyes kindledwith sudden anger. He brought the blade up and gripped it with both hands.

He did have a death wish.

"Go to hell, freak." Lennox fired the five remainingrounds.

First one, then two. Both knocked away by the white man's blade,whipped side to side with superhuman speed, pinging, zinging from the steelwith sparks of light. He advanced, unimpeded. Lennox fired the last threerounds in quick succession before the revolver clicked empty, and each was metwith the same fate: beaten away by the albino's blade. Still he advanced.

Lennox had no other choice. He reached into his pocket and grabbedthe lighter, pulled it out and fumbled with the cap as he retreated toward thedumpster.

"Need a light?"He stared into the flame. It held him in the momentas the foggy night rippled before him like a vertical pool. Without a glanceback, he stepped through the cold breach between worlds.

The intensity of the rain shocked him back to reality. His own.

He ducked his head and sprinted across the alley, heaved open theside door of The Pearl and let it slam shut on his heels. He shook his head,smoothed back his unruly wet hair, wiped the beads of water from his face.Pocketed the silver lighter.

Time for a wardrobe change. Time to be himself again. Put thatbizarre experience behind him, sort it out later. He had a mayor to meet with.

The Dukellington number performed by the band of syntheticsbrought part of a smile to his lips. He closed his eyes and stood there for amoment in the dark hallway, inhaling, exhaling deeply. This was where hebelonged. The Pearl.

"Forget your umbrella, Mr. Lennox?"

His eyes jolted open. But it was only Sally. Perhaps the same onewho'd met him there earlier.

"Yes..." He looked down at his soggy attire. What would shethink, seeing him like this? It was a wonder she recognized him at all in thisretro-goth medieval muddle.

"I could've brought it to you." She carried a pile ofwhite hand towels for the bartender. But she was in no hurry to leave him."I didn't know you'd stepped out."

"Is the mayor still here?"

She nodded. Then she leaned in, lowering her voice. "He'sbeen real anxious to see you."

I shouldn't have kept him waiting.

"Tell him I'm on my way."

Sally nodded with enthusiasm, watching Mr. Lennoxpalm the sensor grate to his private stairs. She watched him disappear behind thedoor as it slid shut. She stared at the door for a moment, then headed down thehall to the hectic bar and dropped off the fresh towels.

"Thanks, Sally," said the George model between twodrinks he mixed simultaneously. He gave her a friendly wink.

She moved on without responding, around the perimeter of thejam-packed dance floor wild with tuxedos and sparkly evening dresses, up thestairs past the second tier, on to the third. The VIP section.

Mayor Joseph Reeves, a rotund hairless man of fifty-six years, satwith two other hairless men at one of the round tables draped in white linen.But unlike the mayor, dressed in a tuxedo tailored for his short torso and longlimbs, these other two men wore simple robes, stark white against their darkskin. Holy men of the Way.

"What is it, my dear?" asked the mayor as Sallyapproached and stood by silently, smiling at him.

"Mr. Lennox is on his way. He was...detained."

The mayor laughed good-naturedly. "Finally!" He leanedtoward the bald monk on his right. "At last you'll get to meet the geniusbehind The Pearl. Believe me when I tell you this, he is the man of the hour!If we manage to clean up this city, it'll be just a ripple effect from the workalready done here by Mr. Gavin Lennox himself!"

Sally watched the mayor. He was a modest man. And veryloud.

The monk nodded and smiled congenially, his large teeth a brightcontrast to the smooth skin of his face. "Yes. I have heard much about Mr.Lennox. It will be a great honor to meet him now in the flesh." A slightfrown wrinkled his brow as he lowered his voice. "But tell me, does Mr.Lennox wear the Link interface?"

The mayor opened his mouth to speak, reaching up and scratching self-consciouslyat his own subdermal plug. He seemed unable to come up with averbal response of any kind. Sally found that interesting.

But even more interesting was the expression on the face of Mr. Lennoxwhen he mounted the stairs two at a time in a fresh black tuxedo, with his haircombed immaculately, and approached their table. When the mayor and his twoguests rose to greet him. When Mr. Lennox saw the two bald men in their whiterobes.

FOUR

 

She wouldn't make this mistake again.

"What now?" Cade turned to face her as he slipped his kodachiinto the generous sleeve of his robe.

She shook her head. She was at a loss. Lennox had vanished rightbefore their eyes, and now they were alone in this dark alley. No, not quitealone. The two decapitated mandroids stood like inadequate statues where Cadehad struck the heads from their shoulders.

"This man is looking for him too." She dropped back theveiled hood to reveal her pale features and long black hair gathered at thenape of her neck in a short braid.

"He does not know where he is. Or who he is," Cade said.

He'd lied, this Lennox. The message he'd posted on one of theLink's BackTracker sites said he would be here tonight at The Pit. She shouldhave known better.

"No one does. He's only an urban legend, after all."

Cade frowned, his white, hairless brow creasing. "He is veryreal."

She swallowed. Her eyes glistened. "I hope so," shesaid softly.

"We should leave this place." He strode toward