"Laurell K. Hamilton - Anita Blake 06 - Killing Dance" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Laurell K)

Richard?"
"Partly. How else was I ever going to?"
There was a knock on the door.
"Come in," Catherine said.
Bob opened the door. He still looked ordinary to me, but from the light in
Catherine's face, she saw something else. He smiled at her. The smile made his
whole face glow and I could see something shining and fine. Love makes us all
beautiful. "Sorry to interrupt the girl talk, but there's a phone call for
Anita."
"Did they say who it is?"
"Ted Forrester; says it's business."
My eyes widened. Ted Forrester was an alias for a man I knew as Edward. He
was a hit man who specialized in vampires, lycanthropes, or anything else that
wasn't quite human. I was a licensed vampire hunter. Occasionally, our paths
crossed. We might even on some level be friends, maybe.
"Who's Ted Forrester?" Catherine asked.
"Bounty hunter," I said. Ted, Edward's alias, was a bounty hunter with
papers to prove it, all nice and legal. I stood and went for the door.
"Is something wrong?" Catherine asked. Not much got past her, which was one
of the reasons I avoided her when I was ass deep in alligators. She was smart
enough to figure out when things were off-center but she didn't carry a gun.
If you can't defend yourself, you are cannon fodder. The only thing that kept
Richard from being cannon fodder was that he was a werewolf. Although refusing
to kill people made him almost cannon fodder, shapeshifter or not.
"I was just hoping not to have to do any work tonight," I said.
"I thought you had the entire weekend off," she said.
"So did I."
I took the phone in the home office they'd set up. They'd divided the room
down the middle. One half was decorated in country with teddy bears and
miniature gingham rockers, the other half was masculine with hunting prints
and a ship in a bottle on the desk. Compromise at its best.
I picked up the phone and said. "Hello?"
"It's Edward."
"How did you get this number?"
He was quiet for a second. "Child's play."
"Why did you hunt me down, Edward? What's up?"
"Interesting choice of words," he said.
"What are you talking about?"
"I was just offered a contract on your life, for enough money to make it
worth my while."
It was my turn to be quiet. "Did you take it?"
"Would I be calling you if I had?"
"Maybe," I said.
He laughed. "True, but I'm not going to take it."
"Why not?"
"Friendship."
"Try again," I said.
"I figure I'll get to kill more people guarding you. If I take the
contract, I only get to kill you."
"Comforting. Did you say guard?"