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That should have been the last I\u2019d heard of Allondir. I was lining up more clients, putting out ads, doing whatever it took to get by. I could do without repeat business from a creature like him.<\/p>\n
Life isn\u2019t that simple.<\/p>\n
The following week, at nine minutes after eight in the morning, as I emerged from my shower, my scroll chimed. It was Allondir, on his personal line.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI…I just want to thank you again for what you did for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can thank me by paying me,\u201d I said. \u201cMy invoice said payment in full in net seven days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, yes. I transferred the cash yesterday. You should get it soon.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGood. Then we have nothing more to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWait!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI…\u201d He cleared his throat. \u201cI would like to hire you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease, no, listen!\u201d he said. \u201cI really, really need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTake your pity story elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe triads. They, they want to talk to me again. Personally, that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBully for you. Now hire someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s no someone else. You\u2019re the only one who\u2019ll understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re mistaken. I don\u2019t give a shit. Goodbye\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThey know!\u201d he shouted. \u201cThey know about…about…\u201d<\/p>\n
Oh. Fuck.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe kid,\u201d I said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes!\u201d He swallowed audibly, and lowered his voice to a whisper. \u201cThat shophouse…they own it. It\u2019s wired up with microcams. They…they have me on video. Emailed me a copy, even. They are threatening to hand me to the cops.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what do they want?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m supposed to travel around the region to assess potential business expansion sites for Savon-Bissau. They want me to recommend Bangkok to the higher-ups, then hand over control of the franchise to their people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSucks to be you,\u201d I said. \u201cWhy can\u2019t you handle negotiations remotely?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s…it\u2019s Kang. He wants to see me in person, or the deal is off.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cToo bad. Go to Bangkok yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can pay!\u201d he said. \u201cDouble, hell, triple your fee!\u201d<\/p>\n
That gave me pause. There was a lot I could do with that kind of money. But from a guy like that?<\/p>\n
\u201cGo fuck yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah? You sure you can afford to turn me down? I did some digging around. I know what you did at Tarabulus.\u201d<\/p>\n
I bit my lip. Son of a bitch. The version of the Senate report on Tarabulus released to the public was a pared-down version of the copy sent to policymakers, with sensitive details redacted. Including my name. This guy had connections.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou and your team got the Ambassador out,\u201d he continued. \u201cYou guys were heroes. And you, my God, you lost your arms, your legs, your magic. But the Legion abandoned you, just like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could recognize a sales pitch when I heard one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also disobeyed orders to stay put,\u201d I said. \u201cI make my own decisions now, and I still say\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHey, just hear me out, okay? Those prosthetics of yours, those are top-shelf. Even I couldn\u2019t tell that they were cybertech up close. It\u2019s quality stuff, not the crap the government gives to wounded veterans. But I\u2019m guessing your cyberware is expensive, at least as much as a used car. And with maintenance and refueling costs, lifetime costs will keep piling up. You need the money. I can give it to you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve got other clients lined up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo you don\u2019t,\u201d he said. \u201cYou know who I am?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA child rapist.\u201d<\/p>\n
He snorted. \u201cI\u2019m a corporate executive at Savon-Bissau. I am of the Elder Race, and I remember the Cataclysm. I have friends in high places. You, you\u2019re a washed-up nobody who lost his magic. If you take this job, I\u2019ll pay triple your fee and recommend you to everybody I know. If you don\u2019t, I\u2019ll make sure everybody knows you abandoned me in Bangkok.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou are luc d\u2019muinne<\/em>,\u201d I said. It was a curse in Salvorin that meant \u2018shit of the earth\u2019\u2014and in most elven religions, all things return to and are accepted by the earth.<\/p>\n \u201cShit I may be, but you are less than shit. One word, just one word from me, and you\u2019ll never find work again.\u201d<\/p>\n Son of a bitch. The scroll warped and buckled in my fist.<\/p>\n \u201cYou still owe me payment from the first trip,\u201d I said. \u201cIf I don\u2019t see my money by end of business today, I\u2019m not going to escort you up shit creek.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, you\u2019ll see it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAlso,\u201d I added, \u201cif I\u2019m going to do this, I need to get some gear and hire some people. You will be paying for them.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGive me your receipts.\u201d<\/p>\n I laughed. \u201cWhat, you\u2019re going to make an expense claim with your company?\u201d I just about sensed him glowering at me over the line. \u201cNo. The kind of goods and services I\u2019m talking about aren\u2019t sold by people who issue receipts, if you know what I mean. Cash up front, nothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cC\u2019mon, you\u2019re busting my balls here.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, well, they got you into this mess, didn\u2019t they?\u201d<\/p>\n He sighed. Long and loud. \u201cFine. How much do you need?\u201d<\/p>\n The rest was a question of price.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n If you enjoy blending sci fi and fantasy, check out my latest novel HAMMER OF THE WITCHES<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"image.png\"](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/0x0\/https:\/\/files.steempeak.com\/file\/steempeak\/cheah\/y8KyXozV-image.png\")
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