“You look dashing,” she said truthfully. He shrugged.
“We need to be careful with our money,” he said with a worried look. “By my calculations we only have enough for a few days here.”
“Should be more than enough time to take care of Fallon and continue on our way,” Charley said.
“We’ll only get one chance,” Vinnie warned. So let’s make it count.”
Charley nodded, feeling her head return to the moment. She was beginning to feel the real menace that lurked in every shadow here. A soft ocean breeze was now coming in off the water. It moderated the humidity of the day and refreshed her senses. Vinnie offered Charley his arm gallantly.
“Shall we?” he asked.
“Wait,” she said. “What about a weapon?”
Vinnie considered her dress. “Allow me, he said, fashioning a small band from the elastic in his socks. He pulled the tight band up Charley’s bare leg and positioned it at her thigh. Smiling, he hooked a blaster through the band on her inner thigh.
“You’ll need to adjust your gait for that,” he explained. “You’ll get used to it.”
It felt strange to have the cold metal against her thigh but as Charley followed Vinnie into the darkness she felt herself adjusting so it wouldn’t be obvious that she was carrying. The pair could’ve used the sand buggy that was kept in the basement of their villa but chose instead to enjoy the cool evening and walk through the trees to the center of the island. The jungle was alive with the croaks, squawks and hisses of thousands of different creatures. At one point Vinnie held a protective arm across Charley as a thick python slid over the boardwalk twenty yards ahead. Once they’d settled back into a rhythm it was time to hatch their game plan for the night.
“I suppose our objective tonight is reconnaissance?” she asked Vinnie. The pirate was usually cooking something in his head but he wasn’t always forthcoming with it.
“It would make sense,” Vinnie concurred. “I’ve heard that Fallon is quite a gambler. We should sit back, watch the floor and make a list of potential threats.”
“I wonder if it’s possible to get Fallon on his own,” Charley mused.
Vinnie snorted. “Not likely,” he said. “Unless …”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just a stupid idea. It’s gone now.”
Charley was curious as to what that ‘stupid idea’ might be. She had a hunch that it involved pimping her out to Fallon to get close to him. Apart from the obviously nauseating aspect, she had to admit it made sense. Hardened killers like Fallon could smell assassins a mile away but not if they were thinking with their dicks. Many experienced professionals had lost their lives underneath women who had suddenly turned on them. It was the type of kill that would never go out of fashion in this galaxy.
“I can do that, you know,” she said quietly as they walked through a ballroom forest lit with twinkling green lights. “I have no problem with it.”
Vinnie looked across at her with guilty eyes. “I would never ask you,” he said. “But men like Fallon don’t have many weaknesses. Women are usually one of them. In any case, I’m more worried how I’d deal with it.”
Charley grinned and squeezed Vinnie’s hand. It was reassuring to know he felt that way.
The glittering lights of the casino loomed ahead. The pyramid was ablaze with golden light that swirled and formed into seductive visions before breaking up again.
Vinnie took Charley’s hand and led her down a red carpet to the casino’s west entrance. A burly security guard dressed in the purple livery of the casino let them in with a smile.
“Our names and credit profiles have already been scanned,” Vinnie said under his breath. They know we’re not far away from scum but they like the look of our 4000 credits. They’ll probably let us spend that tonight then refuse entry if we try and return.”
“Scum?” Charley asked, offended.
“Sure,” Vinnie said. “You’re from a sand hill on Abeyas and I have the worst credit history this side of the core worlds.”
Charley nodded glumly. Of course she knew that they were only welcome as long as the money was flowing but it was nice to live the fantasy if only for a little while.
The pair entered a glowing casino floor filled with all kinds of games tables. Dice games, deck games, old school tactical games using ornate colored pins and famous war maps. The one constant to it all was the steady clink of casino chips.
“Let’s start with a drink,” Vinnie murmured, steering Charley to a side bar.
Vinnie ordered himself a flat Darkan Spirit and looked at Charley with a raised eyebrow. “Blood Sunrise,” she said. In truth it was the only cocktail she knew. She’d heard one or two of Boss Pete’s men mentioning those back at the garbage compound at Sandflower Downs. She had a lot to learn in the ways of fine culture.
Vinnie had a faint smile as they sat at a small table.
“Yeah, so I’m a country bumpkin,” Charley said sternly. “You gotta problem with that?”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Vinnie said. “It gives you a hunger.”
“Hunger for what?”
“I don’t know,” came the cryptic reply. “A hunger for more.”
Charley pursed her lips, but she suspected Vinnie was right. She’d been hibernating on her shithole of a planet for so long she wanted to make up for every lost minute.
“What do we do now?” she asked, happy to change the subject.
“We sit and watch,” Vinnie said. “Hopefully we get a look at Fallon himself. His level of protection. His vices. Points of weakness.”
Charley nodded, scanning the crowd around her. “Time for my first lesson,” she said. “What do you see here?”
Vinnie frowned. “I see plenty of money, but only some of it is legit. I’ve already identified five merchantmen who look like they’re packing serious credit. They usually have two or three bored bodyguards. Those guys can get sloppy from lack of action. Most of these people are nefarious to some extent. I smell thieves. Hackers. People who do hard jobs for big payouts. These types dance the line between the good life and maximum security.”
Charley looked out over the floor, watching the milling crowd of smartly dressed men and women. All she saw was a bunch of good looking people. Some had deck implants, some had too much scaping. She couldn’t come close to the level of assessment that Vinnie had. He had great spying skills.
“I have a feeling Fallon is already here,” Vinnie said. “A lot of folks on this floor seem like lower level operatives to me. Let’s move up the pyramid.”
Charley finished her blood sunrise, enjoying the pineapple flavor. Feeling a little light-headed, she followed Vinnie as he sauntered confidently into a drop shaft. They were whisked away to the next level above. Each level became smaller due to the shape of the pyramid. Charley and Vinnie walked a lap of a games area that contained huge tanks filled with shimmering blue water. Several casino patrons were pressed up against the glass looking for something.
“Bullet squids,” Vinnie observed. “They like to kill each other, so why not put money on it?”
Charley watched as a small squid jetted across one of the tanks, causing a loud cheer.
She was so entranced with the gambling activity that she bumped into the huge chest of a swarthy alien. The thing was tall and sported a large, meaty gut, and yet other parts of its body were rippling with muscle. Its head was enormous, with two sawn-off stumps that once might have been horns. The face was like one of the mud warthogs that Charley sometimes saw on Abeyas. The creature blinked at her, frowning. She noticed the powerful blunderbuss strapped to its back. How it got that through security was anyone’s guess. The imposing alien wore custom armor plating over its large frame. Judging from the scarring, the thing had seen plenty of action. It stepped forward menacingly.
“You should watch where you’re walkin’, little miss,” it said in a deep voice like a chainsaw.
Charley froze. Apart from the occasional s
and skink on Abeyas, she didn’t have much experience with sentient non-humans. Vinnie stepped in between them with a murderous look.
“I’m pretty sure it was an accident, friend,” he said in a flat tone. “Unless of course you’re presuming this little lady could be a threat to you.”
The rotund alien considered Vinnie, his huge nostrils flaring. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that death can arrive in the smallest of packages. Would you agree, pirate?”
Charley didn’t dare breathe. How did this thing know they were pirates?
6
“I couldn’t agree more,” Vinnie said. “Which is why you’d better park your fat ass someplace else.”
The crowd had gone silent, tearing their attention away from the tanks to watch the confrontation. Purple liveried security staff inched closer, stun batons at the ready.
The alien looked ready to butt Vinnie with its head. Charley had no doubt that such a blow would cave in the man’s skull. Her partner didn’t lack for courage, that’s for sure. Not for the first time she wondered if he had some kind of death wish.
After a pregnant pause in which Charley was sure there’d be violence the alien suddenly threw his head back and laughed heartily. It was a rumbling wave, like an earthquake.
“There’s no problem here,” it growled amiably. “Gronko is at peace.”
Vinnie nodded, unable to mask his relief. “Have a good night, Gronko,” he said before moving on with Charley.
“What the fuck was that?” Charley whispered as they headed for the drop shaft.
“He’s a renki,” Vinnie explained. “They come from Astar VI. Big, loud, and prone to anger. They’re also loyal to a fault, apparently. That one was clearly an assassin.”
“Then why let him in?” Charley asked.
Vinnie shrugged. “Guy like that would make for the perfect head of security. Maybe they want to offer him a job.”
Charley frowned as they rode the central drop shaft to the very top of the pyramid. That encounter had been perilous.
“Gronko called us out,” she reminded Vinnie. “Is our cover blown?”
Vinnie grimaced. “The term ‘pirate’ can mean a lot of things. Gronko wasn’t necessarily calling us out.”
“Sounded like it to me,” Charley said.
Vinnie’s worried expression told her that he agreed.
“Hopefully we still have a chance,” he said. “Just because I’ve been called out doesn’t mean you have.”
The top level of the casino was designed to cater for high rollers. Charley followed Vinnie into a plush restaurant with 360 degree views of the island.
A VIP area was roped off and guarded by several scowling men in light combat suits. Charley made eye contact with Vinnie, who nodded. Fallon must be in there somewhere. They could smell it. The casino was probably bending over backwards to please a man who had become a bandit overlord in the system. The idea of it sickened Charley. The sooner they took this asshole out the better.
One of the guards barred them from entering the VIP area. Charley got a glimpse of a large round table and men smoking chukkah. Occasionally a waft of laughter would drift across to Charley and Vinnie.
“Sorry folks, this entire floor is off limits,” said the guard.
“No problem, we were just leaving,” Vinnie muttered, taking Charley by the arm. But there was a man standing behind them. Charley hadn’t even seen or heard him approach. He was a lean, almost petite man with fine features and long eye lashes. Although he looked a little weaselly Charley suspected that some women might even find him handsome. He had a slouched, low key air that almost concealed a lethal air of menace. Almost. Charley could see a feral gleam in the man’s eyes and knew he was a dangerous, dangerous man.
“Petyr Fallon,” Vinnie said confidently, extending a hand. To Charley’s surprise, the bandit leader accepted it.
“Always nice to see an ex-pirate,” he enthused with a disturbing smile. Every single one of the man’s teeth were meat-tearing incisors. Charley couldn’t tell whether they were real or augmentations.
“I heard about your late father. My condolences.”
Charley saw blood rushing to Vinnie’s head but he swatted the comment away with discipline.
“No doubt his time had come,” he said. “His passing inspired me to get back in the game. So I came to see you.”
Fallon laughed, though it was more a high-pitched squeal than anything else.
“That’s an interesting mask you’re wearing,” he said in a nasal whine. “One might wonder if you’re trying to hide from me.”
“I don’t think too many men can hide from you, Petyr,” Vinnie said with a humble grin.
Charley didn’t know what to say. She was still in shock that Petyr Fallon, the man they’d come here to kill, had managed to sneak up on them so easily. If she made it out of the casino alive she promised herself she’d get some kind of stealth training.
Petyr’s thin smile faded. “Unfortunately I’m not hiring at the moment, Vinnie, but if I hear about something I’ll be sure to pay you a call.”
“Thank you, Petyr. I’m in your debt.”
Vinnie was about to drag Charley away when he noticed that the bandit had his eyes locked on Charley’s immaculately presented breasts.
“What have you got here, Teks?” he sneered at Vinnie. I didn’t think they had girls like this at Purple Sands.
“Her name is Candy,” Vinnie said, not missing a beat. “I have her for three days and three nights.”
Fallon shook his head softly, his eyes devouring Charley on the spot. “You got me up to see you,” he said darkly. “I have a mind to take something of yours to keep you honest while you’re here.”
To Charley’s horror, Fallon offered her his arm. She looked at Vinnie with what she hoped was a blank gaze but inside she was burning with seven kinds of terror. It didn’t help that he shrugged, not even looking at her.
“Easy come, easy go,” he said.
Fallon smiled and clapped him on the back. “Till next time, Teks,” he said. “I hope you find employment soon.”
Vinnie turned and headed for the drop shaft. He looked like a guy who’d dropped a credit bit down a storm drain, never to be recovered. He had acted his part very well. Charley wondered if this had been his plan all along. To use Charley as exotic bait and trust that she had the means of disposing of him when the time came. She almost resented the expectation, but she could see the logic of his plan. Fallon was clearly a well protected man - running a direct assault was simply not going to work. Their best chance was to get Fallon with his guard down - and hopefully his pants too. He didn’t trust Vinnie, that much was obvious, but the bandit leader hadn’t provided any indication that he knew who she was. The way she was dressed suggested a classy, high-priced escort. Exactly the kind of look that men melted for again and again. Fallon clearly thought that he was taking something from Vinnie. This meant that his naturally suspicious mind wouldn’t really focus on Charley unless she did something incredibly sloppy or stupid.
For her part, Charley was equal parts excitement and anxiety as she rejoined Fallon’s dinner table. There were eight suited men around the table, possibly business affiliates of the Silent Runners.
“Gentlemen, I bring you Candy,” he announced with a chuckle. “She’s with me now.”
A number of men leered at Charley but it didn’t appear that she was expected to contribute to the general discussion. Charley was quickly finding out that playing the whore had its moments. Zero expectations could generate a lot of freedom. It seemed Fallon was having a problem with many of his mistresses, hence the need for the fresh blood that Charley provided.
The table conversation turned to platinum stocks and strategic investments. Charley’s mind wandered despite the dangerous situation. She wondered whether Vinnie would be allowed to leave the casino. Now that Fallon had made him she wondered if Purple Sands Casino had enough clout to prevent Vinnie’s assassination. She hoped
against hope that she hadn’t seen him for the last time.
Fallon’s dinner dragged by interminably. Occasional he would drape a hand over her leg, but the pressure was limp and his touch somehow revolted her. Still, she played the role of mute escort fairly well, arching her back, sticking her breasts out and crossing her legs seductively. She was careful not to let the blaster at her inner thigh show.
At length Fallon yawned and decided it was time to retire for the night. Charley had listened in for intel but it seemed this gathering was simply a loose collection of businessmen, nothing more. They might very well pay Fallon some kind of fee for traveling through the Mina system but that arrangement wasn’t discussed. Fallon grinned at his bodyguards as he guided Charley into the drop shaft. To her surprise he activated a level above the restaurant, a level only he could access. The drop shaft admitted to a huge penthouse at the apex of the casino pyramid. Charley gawked at the high ceilings, the glass walls, the spectacular view. She could see a galaxy of twinkling green light in the jungle that stretched out below. She thought she could even see the secluded beach where he villa was located. She thought of Vinnie and a wave of anxiety threatened to overwhelm her. Had he managed to escape to safety? This Fallon character didn’t seem like a man who was prepared to have someone like Vinnie hanging around.
But Fallon was now approaching with two glasses of Salorian peach wine. Charley had to admit it was exquisite.
“Where you from?” he asked casually, beckoning Charley out to the balcony. The cool night breeze ruffled her dark hair as she rested the glass on the balcony rail.
“Abeyas, originally,” she said truthfully. “I had a thirst to explore the galaxy.”
The Pirate Captain (The Space Pirate Chronicles Book 2) Page 3
