"Asprin, Robert - Myth 09 - M.Y.T.H Inc. In Action" - читать интересную книгу автора (Asprin Robert)

"Hello, Snake," I sez, edgin' a little away from Nunzio so we both have lots of room for whatever is gonna happen next.

"You remember me!" he sez, though his mockin' smile makes it clear he is not su rprised. "I wasn't sure you would."

I Don't think anyone would have trouble rememberin' Snake... Except for maybe, witnesses... as he is what you would call highly memorable. He is tall and real thin, and has a habit of dressin' all in black like he is now, which is why he was able to ease up on us in the shadows.

"You guys know each other?" Spyder sez, hesitant-like lookin' back and forth between us.

"Oh, we're old friends," Snake sez in that smooth, purrin' voice of his.

"Actually, it's more like'associates," Nunzio corrects, easin' even further apart from me.

While both Nunzio and me know Snake, we have never pretended to like him. He is one of the top enforcers for the mob, but tends to like his work a little too much for our tastes. You have perhaps noticed that when the occasion calls for it, neither Nunzio nor me are adverse to the judicious application of violence, but as it goes against our delicate natures we have trained ourselves to terminate such encounters in the briefest possible time. Snake, on the other hand, likes to prolong and drag out his work as much as possible... and he works with a knife. He can be as fast as his moniker when the situation calls for it, however, and though Nunzio and me had been confident about roustin' a room full of normal people earlier this evening, there is a serious question in my mind as to whether both of us workin' together can take Snake if things get ugly.

"Why Don't you head on back to the barracks, Spyder," I sez, not takin' my eyes off Snake. "Our colleague here probably has some things he wants to discuss with us... privately."

"Not me!" Snake says, holdin' up his hands palms out in what to my eye is an exaggerated show of innocence."... Though I'll admit I think a conversation between us would be... In teresting. No, I'm just here to escort you to another old friend."

"And who would that be?" Nunzio sez.

Snake's smile slips away and his voice drops a dozen degrees.

"Don Bruce wants to talk to you... He wants to talk to you real bad."


Chapter Fourteen

"You countermanded me on whose authority?"
Pope John

"That's quite some babe you got there."

I shoot a side ways glance at Snake when he sez this, but his manner seems as respectful as his tone, so I decide he is since re and not tryin' to be sarcastic.

"She's okay" I sez, noncommittal-like.

Realizin' we are in trouble with the mob, it does not seem like the best idea to seem too close to Spyder.

"So what happened to her hair?"

"I think she likes it that way," I shr ugs. "Who knows with broads. Of course, it looked better before the army cropped it short."

"That reminds me of a joke I heard once," Nunzio sez. "It seems this guy takes an alliga tor, then cu ts off its nose and tail, and paints it yellow..."

"You know," Snake interrupts, "while we were looking for you, she was asking me about joining the mob after her enlistment is over."

I realize now why Snake is bein' so talkative. He is checkin' politely to see if either Nunzio or me has any claim on Spyder... professionally or personally. This is understandable, for while I do not think he is afraid of us, every guy knows that messin' with another guy's moll or, in the mob, his recruit is apt to be considered a challenge, so it is wisest to check things out carefully before proceedin'. While it is not exactly gettin' permission, havin' the courtesy to ask is a good way to avoid blunderin' into somethin'; thereby avertin' hurt feelin's, not to mention needless bloodshed.

"She's got her own mind," I sez cautious-like. "Of course, she was askin' me and Nunzio the same thing a week ago, so we was kinda figurin' to sponsor her if it came to that."