So — I'm her problem. With six hundred crumpled in my pocket. Had worse. Cesara leaned back into the cushions, burning me with that look. If that's how they fry sinners, I'll pray for two rounds in Hell.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdklhJlIK5S
"Are you sure?" — I tried to push.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGxIyoMTVc5
She didn't answer. Just sat there, nodding slowly, studying me like a frog under a knife.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQfmaeehBnD
"I'm here to handle problems. Your problems." — My gut told her problems were going to be ours. "And by the way — when was the last time you saw Freud?"
Cesara gave me a smile:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmNLaBCizUZ
"Who? Oh, right — the one who recommended me? I'm surprised you even know who Freud is."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyAgvmTKtP
She dropped the "Doctor"! Only thing sexier was the deck of porn cards I swiped from my granddad when I was six:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oNHvLQ4pw
"I'm full of mysteries..."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYW2rjvW0a
"You're full of something alright. I'd say what, but my inborn refinement's getting in the way, goddammit!" — Cesara lit up.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFXijENw2Mo
...and I held out my empty glass.
"Pour yourself," — she nodded toward the bar in the corner.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfT1rk2FSFz
" I'd be a fool not to." — I'd only drunk whiskey like that once in my dream — and once saw it in a movie. Ticket there cost seven bucks.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡixwYcwyjw0
I poured generously and dropped in a cube. Love women with inborn refinement — they never skimp on good whiskey.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6e6Tc4MsKs
"What'd they beat you for?" — her voice pulled me out of my whiskey.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1wVWhGuTv
"And why?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3klIPEv16L
"Your eye," — Cesara gestured.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiGguztM3Fu
"What's wrong with it?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl9pFgm7gCh
"You didn't meet a fridge, did you? It was Pachèrito, wasn't it?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmCzZTX7Am
Small world. We already had friends in common.
"So — Pachèrito? Or was it the fridge?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLZk3GqM9L
I reckoned that lying to Cesara was like sitting bare-assed on a hamster. Or a hedgehog? Don't care — both are soulless shit.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yBp3WzRlH
"The fridge," — I wasn't ready to tip my hand yet. "But just out of curiosity — who's Pachèrito?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOuSO8auz2E
"Give me my money back," — she shook her head. "Wrong doctor..." — and went on the offensive. "So you gonna keep playing dumb, or are you really that dumb? Want me to tell you what happened?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJTRVF7gfRW
I didn't have much of a choice — stay and drink, or get out and keep the cash. Second option seemed crap — the client was opening up, and my gut was screaming: this is where money starts.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsBru0Phdr
"Go on..."
"You stepped into some nasty shit. Nasty — but interesting. You know what's the funniest part? Whether you'll walk out alive. Pachèrito leaned on you hard, but he didn't finish you. Any clue?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmKGV8QPhV
"I got lucky," — I started my sob story. "My ex walked in, and he had to split. He usually doesn't leave loose ends, but he doesn't waste people for nothing either."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB1RYPvBWQu
"You're gonna make me cry..."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf1o6lCm7KV
"I got a handkerchief. Pretty sure it's clean." — Always lie with a straight face. Lie and sober up. "Now — how the hell do you know about me and Pachèrito?"
Right on cue, Bathsheba strode in like a buffalo killer and perched on the arm of Cesara's chair. One pair of burning eyes became two.
" You weren't even a blip on our screen before," Bathsheba said. "And trust me, life had more flavor. But we know Pachèrito — and now he knows about the shipment from Europe. Ring any bells?
My gut clenched. I felt the hole the rat crawled out. They—104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvprwY2Ytiz
"Right, toots," Bathsheba nodded. "We fed him your soap-opera about Little Gino. He got really pissed. So next, we laid it out clean — timed to the minute. That's why he rolled up right after the call from Amsterdam. You're a good cop — notice details. Next time you see little fella 'n his gorillas, you better swallow your notes."
"And the license," Cesara added, "the one you lifted from your dead uncle. I doubt he's twisting right now."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10Z1D2iHDM
"He couldn't give a shit about the license. Got bigger fish." — I had to squirm out of the corner they'd backed me into. "Couldn't you just call Pachèrito and tip him off? Or do my busted kidneys turn you on?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLUkEnJKyU2
"We could have," Cesara drawled. "But then you'd be out of work — and out of cash."
104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhreK4Cp2Ex
Pieces were falling into place. They'd fed Pachèrito the info to make it look like he'd sniffed it out himself. The sisters were setting a trap... Whatever their game, I wasn't about to sell myself cheap. If I could score fifteen grand off this... Minus the two‑sixteen I owed Worm, and the change... But those bitches hadn't thought of one thing:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0qXIIZvSr
"What if he'd iced me?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgw6dWZcyuw
They laughed:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBokdA3LZAW
" Guys like you — a dime a dozen."
I smelled a bluff, but let it slide — maybe it was true. Bottom line: I was sitting across from them, and they were about to make their move.
"What da Vinci?" I asked, as casual as I could. "And what's the job?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYfufvzy54B
Bathsheba was about to answer when her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, nodded at Cesara, and stepped out, pulling the door shut behind her.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpMiRLyEdIN
"What da Vinci?" I repeated.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd7fN5dkFcB
Cesara stubbed out her cigarette and gave me a look of cool superiority:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRNfY4F9SyM
"Susanna. Mean anything to you?"
I had no idea what she was talking about:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsFVXVNDJet
"And you're gonna use this daub to trap Pachèrito?!"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyHzfseNjI9
" Ever heard of a painting?" — she raised an eyebrow.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsfM1lcJ7MX
I'd seen it on postcards. But I'm better at lying than at art:
"Heard he painted it naked, with a hooker present. Or two..."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiKwbiJpZP8
"You know what Karl Marx's chair went for? The one he used to write Capital."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnQ6fKWg4u
Who the hell is Marx? But I kept my cool:104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3J8vt9wiov
"Je m'en fous," — the only French I remembered from school. I didn't give a shit. "When I picture Karl Marx's ass on that chair, my wallet shrinks. Let's get down to business."
Cesara rose from the couch and walked to the window. Staring at the sheet of rain, she tapped her fingers on the sill, thinking. Three minutes passed. Then she sat back down with that same dancer's grace, crossing her legs... I slipped the ice cube out of my glass, dropped it down my pants, and heard the hiss.104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1y3UKQFbzo
"You're at the epicenter," Cesara looked at me with pity. "Once Pachèrito's done with Amsterdam, he won't last even three days without your funeral. Trust me — it'll be a small one."
“ ’R you coming for the last kiss?”
" Depends on vodka and black caviar."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1tTBYprsSE
" Doubt it. Burgers."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1cKlSWyMa3
" Then only carnations. From me and Bathsheba. The cheap ones." She paused. "We got off track..."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZnDg4EMiv
"I'd argue, but where to start?.."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUx9vPmKPeU
"Two million."
I must've thrown a clot. Where? Guess — everywhere.
"You should see your... Dunno — is 'face' even the word?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1gMQ9NvB9M
She was right, the piece of work. Two million?! That's more than three hundred an hour. I remembered that much from school.
"For what?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAeUvhqnZp5
"You take out Pachèrito when he takes the bait on Susanna. By the way — what's with the nickname?"104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKlxThXZTc
"Little wanker. Spanish."104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAR0qa1hVbw
I was getting drunk on her bar, but this wasn't the end of it. Let's pick up what's behind the scenes. Don't go anywhere...
104Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1g1FkbFlgu
and then Add to home screen.