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said. "You have a more important task ahead."
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Moonlight, Tiger, and Smoke
by Connie Bailey
"You want me to stay alive to tell your story to the world?"
Key guessed.
"Something along those lines." Smoke smiled and handed
Key a flash drive. "Take this to Interpol headquarters in Lyon
and make sure the right person gets it."
"Do you have a name?"
"Start with Noble Kaufmann in Organized Crime."
"France." Key sighed. "Are you sure I can't come with you
and be tortured and killed?"
"This isn't something to joke about," Tiger said.
Smoke squeezed Tiger's shoulder again. "Actually, a little
humor is welcome right now. It reminds me that there are
still things in this world that aren't tainted and corrupt." He
smiled at Key again. "And Key is one of them."
Key snorted. "What utter shit! If you knew some of the
things I've done...."
"You think we haven't done the same or worse?" Smoke
asked. "But everything you did, you did with a pure heart.
You believed it was for a greater purpose."
Key looked dubious, but he put the flash drive in the
pocket of his down vest and zipped it in. "If you want this
fancy gizmo to go to Interpol, I'll take it there." He sighed.
"It's a death sentence either way."
"I'm afraid so," Smoke said. "Whether you go with us or
take the information, you'll be hunted relentlessly."
"Good. I was afraid things were going to get boring again
without you two around."
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by Connie Bailey
Tiger laughed abruptly and leaned over to give Key a
mock-punch on the shoulder. Key raised his fist and bumped
it against Tiger's.
"Iron men," Smoke said with exaggerated exasperation.
* * * *
Tiger slid along the outside wall of the warehouse until he
reached the corner. He looked back and signaled to Smoke to
move up. Darting from shadow to shadow, the two men
reached the loading dock of the Kagehito-owned warehouse
next door. For several minutes, they watched the sentries
make their rounds on the same schedule they followed every
night.
With another hand signal to Smoke, Tiger climbed the
drainpipe of the neighboring warehouse and walked along the
edge of the roof in a crouch. Smoke followed in the alley
below, stopping behind an industrial rubbish bin. Taking out
his pistol, Smoke fired several shots into the Dumpster and
then ran to the other end of the warehouse. Under cover of
the noise, Tiger leaped across the gap to the Kagehito
warehouse and entered through a skylight. As the sentries
investigated the shots, Tiger dropped to the floor in the rear
of the building and opened a side door for Smoke. Hurrying to
the van parked near the roll-up cargo bay door, they got in
and searched for a key. Tiger slapped down the sunshade and
a set of keys fell into his lap. As he cranked the engine,
Smoke pushed a button on the garage door opener on the
dashboard.
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by Connie Bailey
"Go. Go. Go," Smoke said as the door began to roll up.
"But not too fast."
"Thanks for the advice. I'm not used to fucking up."
Smoke looked into the back of the panel van as Tiger
inched forward, willing the door to go faster. "Damn," Smoke
said. "That's a lot of blow."
"So it's coke." Tiger grimaced. "I made a bet with Key that
it was heroin."
"Look on the bright side. You're probably about to die, so
you'll never have to pay him."
"That's what I like about you Feathers. Always optimistic."
The second the top of the van cleared the doorway, Tiger
drove out onto the concrete loading ramp.
"Easy," Smoke said as Tiger gunned the engine.
"I'm just ringing the dinner bell." Tiger revved it again and
dropped the transmission into drive. Rubber barked and
squealed against concrete, leaving two black streaks as the
van bounced sideways at the end of the ramp and tore down
the side street. Tiger looked in the side mirror as he tapped
the brakes at the end of the road. He smiled as he saw a dark
sedan pull around the side of the warehouse and pick up
speed. "They're on us."
"Okay, don't lose them, but don't make it look too easy."
Tiger glanced over to make sure Smoke was buckled in
and turned the wheel abruptly to the left. The van heeled
over on two tires but made the turn, and Tiger drove straight
long enough for their pursuers to catch sight of them again.
Swerving and weaving, Tiger led their followers through the
maze of warehouses to the docks.
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by Connie Bailey
"Get ready," Tiger said as he drove onto a pier.
"I'm ready."
Tiger pumped the brakes, opening his door at the same
time. "Remember to tuck," he said. "Go!"
Smoke and Tiger rolled out of the van and tumbled
painfully across the pavement. The van continued forward.
Tiger and Smoke picked themselves up in time to watch it
drive off the end of the pier, and then spun around at the
sound of a car approaching fast. Pulling their weapons, they
dove for the cover of a shipping container. After shooting a
couple of the Kagehito soldiers so their capture wouldn't look
too easy, Tiger and Smoke admitted they were surrounded
and gave themselves up.
"Take it easy, brother," Tiger said when one of the men
punched him in the stomach.
"Who are you calling brother, scum?"
"I'll bet we have the same tattoo on our backs," Tiger said.
The soldier yanked at the neck of Tiger's shirt until it tore.
"I don't believe it," he said. "We're being ripped off by one of
our own clans."
"It's not like that," Smoke said. "Why don't you call your
superior, and we'll explain?"
"Good idea," said one of the other men. "Let the captain
figure this out."
As Smoke had predicted, the first call led to several more
that went steadily up the chain of command. The squad was
ordered to take Tiger and Smoke to a parking structure a few
blocks away. There the prisoners were transferred to a large
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by Connie Bailey
SUV, where their hands were bound behind them before the
vehicle started moving.
They were taken to a small airfield and held in a hangar for
several hours before a large helicopter arrived to pick them
up. At the coast, they landed again and waited a couple of
more hours. When a long black car arrived, they knew the
waiting was over.
"What have we here?" Iron Tribe's Chief of Enforcement
walked around the kneeling prisoners. "Smoke and Tiger.
Vanished into thin air, only to reappear in a drug-holding
facility. I'm very interested to hear what you were up to."
Neither Tiger nor Smoke answered him.
"Are you sure you don't want to talk to me?" Talon said.
"There are worse fates. For instance, I happen to know that
the onmyoji is anxious to get his hands on you, Tiger."
Tiger met Talon's eyes but remained silent.
"I don't know why the onmyoji wants you," Talon said.
"But I doubt it's anything you'd enjoy." He came to stand
over Tiger. "When I worked with you, you were Iron Tribe's
brightest young star. Now look at you. You're a traitor."
"And you're the onmyoji's tool," Tiger answered.
"I knew you'd snarl if I poked at you long enough," Talon
said. "I remember you well. So full of yourself and sure you
were going to change the world. You resented me for winning
Moonlight's attention. You coveted him. Admit it."
"Of course I wanted him."
"Of course he did," Smoke chimed in. "Moonlight is
Barazoku. Everyone wants him."
"But he wanted me," Tiger said.
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"Idiot!" Smoke exclaimed. "Why make him madder?"
Talon glared at Tiger, but his voice was calm when he
spoke. "As soon as the helicopter is refueled, I'm taking you
to the onmyoji. If my gift pleases him enough, I'll ask him for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]