It was still a close call, though. I ducked and rolled past his next few shots, which punched pretty big, sizzling holes in the hallway. Seemed that he preferred energy rounds — his second mistake. Accuracy is always so-so with high-mech weapons. My piece was retro enough to still use ordinary slugs, and fortunately I’m a pretty good shot even on a bad day. The Mean Ol’ Broad put Pike down with a single booming round. Pike scream in an entirely unmanly manner as he ate the carpeted floor.
I paused to light a gasper before I strolled over and kicked his heater out of his reach, in case he got a sudden case of desperate bravado. He still had a little fight in him, though. A little Derringer popped from his sleeve, but I was alert despite my nonchalant attitude. I gave him second thoughts on that score when the heel of my size elevens stomped down on his wrist. I ignored his yelp of pain.
“That’s awful discourteous of you, Pike. After I took the time to take you down with a non-lethal shot.” I stooped down to relieve him of the Derringer, and aimed the Mean Ol’ Broad right at his forehead.
Pike was a clean-cut, thin-mustached mug. The slick-haired, gentleman gangster type that dames flip their wigs over. He didn’t look so hot at that particular moment. Probably because of the blood staining his darb rags from the shoulder shot I nailed him with.
“You must be Mick Trubble.” He was still pretty cool, especially for a mug who must have known I wasn’t there for the stimulating conversation.
“That’s the rumor. I guess you must know that I got a score to settle with you. You murdered some friends of mine. That’s not something I can walk away from.”
“Do you know who you’re dealing with?” His eyes practically flickered with heated fury. “You won’t make it out of this building alive, Mick. I promise you that.”
“Is that so? Funny, I plan on walking out the same way I walked in. You’re a smart mug, Pike. Surely you must have noticed that your boys took a heel-toe outta here. You understand? There’s no one here, Pike. No one but you and me.”
He tensed as the realization dawned. His breathing steadied, and he studied me with the calm that comes to a lot of mugs when they know that death is breathing down their neck.
“What do you want, Mick? You had me dead to rights, but you didn’t take the kill shot. So there must be something that I can do for you. Something that might persuade you to allow us to part ways without any further… damage.”
I grinned. The mug was smooth, all right. “You see? I knew you were smart. So here’s what I want. The Red-Eyed Killer. You gotta know where I can find him. You give up the wire along with one more thing, and I let you live. My word on that.”
He licked his lips. “Can I take you at your word, Mick? Because you know that if I do as you ask then I’ll be marked for death all the same. The Red-Eyed Killer will know what I did.”
“A man’s only as good as his word, Pike. I figure if you take my deal then at least you get a head start. If you don’t…” I placed the Mean Ol’ Broad against his temple. “…then you won’t have a head at all, pipe that?”
He didn’t even blink. “The Black Dahlia.”
“What about it?”
“It’s a dining lounge in the Uppers above Downtown. You’ll find the Red-Eyed Killer there. We’re supposed to meet in an hour to discuss the last… piece of business in the Luzzatti case.”
It took a lot of self-restraint not to pull the trigger on the louse. “Her name is Natasha, Pike. You say her name, or I’ll forget my word and decorate the carpet with your brains right now.”
Pike swallowed. “Na… Natasha. You’re right, of course.” Sweat beaded on his forehead as his eyes slid over to where the Mean Ol’ Broad’s muzzle rested against the side of his head. “You said… there was something else you required?”
“That’s right. I figure since I’m letting you off easy and all, I outta benefit from my act of mercy. You got a mighty fine Duesy sitting down in the parking garage. Seeing as how I need a set of wheels to get over to the Black Dahlia, I’m pretty sure you’d agree that the Duesy will do just fine.”
“The Duesy…? Oh, you mean the Ghost.” Pike’s face was clearly relieved. “Absolutely. Just let me access the control key from my holoband…”
“Slowly, Pike. Nothing funny, because the Broad here ain’t in the mood.”
He nodded. I watched closely as he opened the holographic display on his holoband and slid over to his vehicle access screen. I could see why losing the Ghost didn’t exactly disturb him much. He owned around a dozen wheelers, not to mention a few skimmers and a couple of real sweet floaters. I synched my holoband to his screen, and he slid the controls to the Ghost from his band to mine.
“All right, shut it off.”
He eyed me warily as he shut his holoband down. “You will comply with the terms, won’t you? I did everything that you asked.”
I stood up. “Yeah, you’ve been a model citizen, Pike. So I’ll carry out my end of the bargain. I won’t kill you.” I holstered the Mean Ol’ Broad. Pike exhaled a sigh of relief. At least until he saw the second piece that I pulled out.
“Wait… I thought you said…”
“Relax, Pike. This is a stun gun.”
“Is that really necessary? I won’t…”
“Call the Red-Eyed Killer as soon as I walk out the door? No, you’re not that slippery a rat, are you Pike? I’m sure you’re as trustworthy as newly christened priest. But I’m not a man to take chances. Don’t worry, this won’t hurt you half as bad as Moe Flacco will when he catches up to you.”
His face was the picture of confusion. “Moe Flacco? What does he have to do with this?”
“You’ll find out when you wake up.” As he looked up with an open-mouthed stare, I hit him with the electric stun charge.
A few minutes later I was back in the parking garage. I sent the hoversled packing with an automatic homing tag. The Duesy’s doors opened once my holoband got in range. I slid into the cushioned leather seats, which automatically adjusted for my size and weight.
“Good evening, Mr. Trubble. It is a pleasure to have you as my new owner.” The wheeler’s voice purred like a high-class dame with a kinky side. I couldn’t stop the smile that slid across my face.
“The pleasure’s all mine. So, what did Pike call you? You’re a tad too fine to not have a name.”
“Mr. Pickens never designated a name to me, Mr. Trubble, other than the Ghost.”
“Well that changes now. Maxine sounds about right for a sexy beast like yourself. Any objections?”
“None at all, Mr. Trubble.”
“I take it that Pike has your transit computers off the grid?”
“That is correct. Transit control is not able to commandeer my operations, and I do not show up on any of their scanners except visual.”
“Music to my ears, sweetheart. Well, I’d love to spend a bit more time getting to know you, but I have an appointment across town at a high pillow joint called the Black Dahlia. The quicker you can get me there, the better.”
“Not a problem, Mr. Trubble. Scanning for the fastest routes now.”
A few seconds later we were on the road. It felt a lot better than flying across the air. Normally I’d have been ecstatic with the good fortune of acquiring such a mean set of wheels. But I wasn’t jazzed at all. Every time my mind drifted, I saw the dead faces of the Luzzattis and Natasha’s liquid eyes. Every mile that Maxine devoured brought me closer to the last stage of my act of vengeance. If the Red-Eyed Killer’s rep was as advertised, I was about to face a killer about as deadly as Hunter Valentino was. The only thing I had going for me was the element of surprise.