Ballistic Kiss (Sandman Slim 11)

“This will be put to good use. I promise you.”

“Good. I don’t really trust any of the Sub Rosa overlords, but I do you.”

“Thank you.”

“Two more things—does this mean I can stay in the flying saucer house for a while?”

He holds his hands up.

“Consider it yours. Stay for as long as you like.”

“Good. ’Cause I don’t have anywhere else to go. Now there’s the second thing.”

“What’s that?”

“A friend of mine. She goes by the name Brigitte Bardo. She’s Czech and someone is trying to have her deported. She doesn’t want to go and I don’t want her to either. What can you do about it?”

Abbot thinks for a minute.

“I have friends in immigration. I can have them look into it for you.”

“Don’t look into it. Fix it.”

“It would help if I knew her real name.”

I write her phone number down on the folder with the bearer bonds.

“Call her and find out. She’s been Brigitte for as long as I’ve known her and that’s good enough for me.”

Matthew comes back with a plaid thermos. I put it in a coat pocket and get up.

“Thanks. If there isn’t anything else, I have a yule log to finish before sundown.”

“Try to eat some real food, Stark. That’s why we replenish the supply. It would be embarrassing for everyone if you got scurvy.”

“But funny,” I say, heading out. “Admit it. It would be fucking hilarious.”

Matthew follows me.

I get on the bike and he says, “We have a deal?”

“What deal is that?”

“You don’t come back unless the Augur calls you.”

I take out the half-smoked Malediction and light it.

“We have a deal.”

“Good,” he says. He waves his hand, trying to blow the smoke away.

“What the hell are those things? They smell like you set a donkey’s ass on fire.”

“You really want to know?”

“Yeah. In fact I do.”

“You’re not going to believe me.”