“Don’t fuck with me.”
“No tricks. I’m not going to leave something as important as the 8 Ball in the hotel safe, am I? No. I’ll keep it where no one even knows about it.”
I step through the clock. A second later Candy follows, Declan holding on to her like a leech. I take a quick look around. Kasabian’s laptop is open but he’s nowhere in sight. Good. He’s the last thing I want to have to explain to the shakiest gun in the West.
“What is this place?”
“My Batcave, where I keep all my secrets.”
“You people are even weirder than I heard.”
Candy cracks up and Declan tightens his grip on her arm. He doesn’t appreciate her extreme lack of terror. She should probably be a little more concerned. This guy is armed and unstable, and as far as I know, Jades don’t deal with bullets any better than civilians.
“You can put that gun down now. We’re here and I’m going to get the 8 Ball.”
“Qomrama. Show a little respect, asshole. It’s a holy thing and it’s going to get me a holy lot of money.”
“That’s clever. You wait here and I’ll go get it. You okay, Candy?”
She’s stopped laughing.
“Hurry up. I’m hungry. I want to order a lobster.”
I give her another don’t-do-anything look. She narrows her eyes at me. When this is over I’m going to need a thesaurus to show me how many ways you can say “Sorry.”
The fake 8 Ball isn’t in any safe. It’s in the one place no one is going to go pawing around. Under a pile of my dirty clothes, the bloody ones piled on top.
I bring the 8 Ball into the living room, bouncing it in one hand. Declan tenses but doesn’t let go of Candy.
“Good. Now put it on the table.”
“No. Who’s it for?”
“I’ll shoot the bitch.”
“No.”
Candy looks at me.
“The bitch doesn’t want to get shot,” she says.
I look at Declan.
“You could have shot her before and the 8 Ball is right here, so why would you shoot her now?”
Declan’s eyes flicker microscopically. He knows what will happen if he pulls the trigger and he doesn’t want to die. But he also knows that I don’t want Candy shot.
“Heads up,” I say, and toss him the 8 Ball.
He lets go of Candy and lunges for the Qomrama. Catches it with his arms, close to his chest like a football. Candy steps away from him. Declan now has the gun leveled at both of us.
I say, “Who’s it for?”
Declan looks at his bouncing baby 8 Ball and smiles.
“No one. Last time I was buying for a bunch of bankers with their own Angra group, Der Zorn Gottes. The Angra they worship is a fucking flower. Can you believe that shit? ‘Zhuyigdanatha.’ A real mouthful, huh? But his friends call him the Flayed Heart, so it’s okay.”
“But you’re not selling it to them now.”