Piranha (Oregon Files 10)

“I should be going soon.” The Haitian nodded to the bartender for his bill.

MacD draped his arm around him. “Going? Now? Let me and my pals buy you a drink. What’s your name?”

“I really have to be leaving.”

MacD’s hand brushed against a hard metal object in the small of the Haitian’s back, which confirmed that he was armed.

“Come on, brother,” MacD said, “one drink won’t kill you.”

The bartender put the check in front of the man.

“I have to go,” the Haitian said.

“At least let me pay your bill.”

MacD leaned forward and tossed a U.S. twenty on the check. As he did, he snatched the pistol from the Haitian’s waistband and jabbed it into his kidney.

“I have no problem killing you right here,” MacD said. “Got it? If so, nod slowly.”

The Haitian did as he was told.

MacD grabbed a napkin and covered his gun hand. He nodded to Hali and Trono, who instantly gave up the drunk act and stood. The four of them retreated to the back hallway, where the restrooms were located. They took him inside the men’s room and locked the door.

Hali kept watch while MacD and Trono frisked the Haitian. Other than a folding knife, the SIG Sauer .40 caliber pistol Trono now held was his lone weapon. He also carried a phone with the same French text message that had been relayed by Linda. Two more messages indicated that he’d been communicating with someone outside the Waterfront.

“Who are you?” MacD asked him in Creole.

“I’m saying nothing.”

“You’ll say a lot once we get you back to the ship.”

“No, I won’t.”

“You’re no amateur, but this isn’t exactly what you’re best at. You’re a soldier, aren’t you?”

The Haitian didn’t respond.

“See, soldiers are good at attacking, not so good at the spy stuff,” MacD continued. “We, on the other hand, have had a little training in those kinds of things. Things like interrogation.”

The Haitian’s eyes were defiant. “Do you think you can scare me?”

“We’ll see. Who’s outside?”

“No one,” the Haitian said with a smile.

“So we can just stroll out the back?”

Without hesitation the Haitian said, “Go ahead.”

“They’ve got men posted front and back,” MacD said to Hali and Trono.

“Did he say how many?” Trono asked.

“No. And getting anything out of him won’t happen here. We’ll have to take him back to the ship to figure out who he is.”

“How do we get out of here?” Hali asked. “Use him as a hostage?”

“They may not care about him,” Trono said. “For all we know, they could shoot him along with us.”