Her eyes remained accusatory, locked on his.
?I brought all this on us, Vikki. You don?t have to say it.?
?Don?t leave.?
?More of the same isn?t gonna cut it.?
?I?m not mad at you. I?m just tired.?
?I?ll be back.?
?When??
?When you see me.?
?What are you going to do??
?Boost a car. I wasn?t just a crewman in a tank. I was a mechanic. See, there?s an upside to getting french-fried in Baghdad.?
?Damn you, Pete.?
HUGO CISTRANOS WAS sitting on a canvas chair on the beach in his Speedos, the waves capping and sliding in a yellow froth up on the sand. The air smelled like brass and iodine. It smelled of the crusted seaweed around his feet and the ruptured air sacs of the jellyfish that lay in a jagged line at the water?s edge. It smelled of the fear that fouled his heart and pooled in his glands that no amount of suntan lotion could hide.
He tried Preacher?s cell phone again. He had already left six messages, then had listened to a recording tell him Preacher?s mailbox was full. But this time the cell phone not only rang, Preacher picked up. ?What do you want?? he said.
?Hey, Jack, where you been?? Hugo said. ?I was worried sick, man.?
?About what??
?About whatever has been going on over there. Where are you??
?Looking for a new house.?
?Looking for??
?I had a fire, a propane explosion.?
?You?re kidding??
?During the fire, somebody shot out my car tires, too. Maybe one of the firemen.?
?I read about that motel gig in the Houston Chronicle. That?s what brought it on? Those punks torched your place??
?What motel??
?Jack, I?m your friend. Those guys worked for the Russian out on the coast. I don?t know why they were after you, but I?m glad they got clipped. I suspect they were sent out here to do a payback on Artie and everybody who works for him, including me.?
?I think you got it figured, Hugo.?
?Look, I called about a couple of other issues, even though I was worrying about you, not hearing from you and all.? A red Frisbee sailed out of nowhere and hit Hugo on the side of the head. He picked it up and flung it savagely in a little boy?s direction. ?Artie wants to settle with you. He wants me to take care of the money transfer.?
?Settle? This isn?t a suit.?
?He?s offering you two hundred thou. That?s all the cash he?s got. Why not call it slick and put it behind you??
?You said ?issues,? in the plural.?
?We think we know where the broad is.?