|
|
|
Another 4:00 am, out on the back deck of the Wolf's Den after closing, having a smoke and a think and savoring the darkness ... when suddenly I sense that I am not alone.
Someone is standing, very quietly, about a dozen feet behind my right shoulderblade.
I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people I know who can get the drop on me like that. Although there's no telling if this is an adversary I have not yet met. And as I'm off-duty, I don't have the Walther on me. I tense up, ready to take evasive action if necessary.
But then the wind direction changes and I catch the telltale whiff of Pall Malls, and I relax and laugh. I turn in time to see a lean black-clad figure step out of a deep pool of shadow where the deck meets the back of the buliding.
"Christ, Lupin, I coulda nailed ya about eight dozen times before ya finally twigged." Man, have I missed that gravelly baritone. He grins big, giving that habitual tug on the brim of his fedora to tilt it down over his eyes.
"You mean you could have tried." I stroll over, grinning ear to ear myself.
We go inside and I pour him his usual, double Chivas on the rocks. "So ya tryin' on retirement again?" The gunman casts his semi-hidden eyes over the Joint.
"Extended sabbatical. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it."
"Uh-huh. And that's what yer tellin' yer new girlfriend, too?"
"Julia? She and I are both telling each other we're just taking it one day at a time, staying in the moment."
"Yeah, sure, whatever ya say, buddy. I see that lovestruck look in yer eye. So I guess that means yer not interested in any jobs right now, huh?"
"Not at all. Just because I'm officially on sabbatical doesn't mean I can't take a few field trips on the side." I lean forward conspiratorially. "So ya got something?"
"Possibly. Though maybe we should take a ride to talk about it."
"Yeah, we should. Keep the businesses separate ... so the Fiat's just around the back."
"I saw. Shall we?"
"Let's."
He finishes his drink, I strap on the Walther and lock up, and we head off into the night. Me and my aibou, my partner in crime, on the road again. Ahhhh, yes, life is good.
Loopy-chan · Sun Jan 11, 2009 @ 12:21am · 0 Comments |
|
|
|
|
|