The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

"Shit." The cop was looking out the window. The address was virtually across the street.

He yanked the radio off his belt. "Detective Seven Eight Seven Five. At the scene of the ten thirty. Bay Ridge. Send backup. K."

"Roger Seven Eight Seven Five. Two RMPs en route. ETA four minutes. K."

Nick lost the rest of the transmission. The detective was headed outside, hand on his weapon. He pushed out the door, turned left and vanished from sight.

Freddy, head down, entered before the door closed. He stormed up to them. "Come on, you guys. Get out. Now!" He tossed two twenties on the table. Von leapt from the booth, Nick behind him, and they followed Freddy through the kitchen and out the back door into a pungent, trash-filled alley.

"This way."

Nick said to Freddy, "You called it in? You did that?"

"Had to do something. Didn't look good, whatever was going down. We gotta move, though. He'll find out it was fake in about five minutes."

"They'll trace you," Von said.

"A burner. Jesus, you think I was born yesterday?"

They walked into a backyard and kept going west. Freddy said, "Look for a gypsy cab. Not metered, a gypsy. The hell happened?"

"The shield recognized me," Nick said. "Gave me some lip. Would've been okay... Only, only our boy here's got a piece."

"Yeah, so?" Von was defensive.

Freddy turned on him, furious. "What? I told Art: No weapons. Period. My man here just got out."

"Art didn't say nothing to me. I don't know. I was meeting some stranger in the Ridge. I'm not stupid."

"Well, you're stupid enough to get mandatoried one year in Rikers, for the piece. How'd that sit with you?"

"All right, all right."

"He get your name?" Freddy asked Von.

"No," Nick said. "But he'll come back, looking. And he does have your descrip, Von. And he knows me. Ditch the piece. And I mean now. In the water."

"These things cost money."

Freddy said, "No. I don't trust you. Give it to me. I'll do it myself."

"Man..."

"You want me to call Art?"

"Shit." He handed over the gun, which Freddy took in a wad of tissue.

"It's cold?" Freddy asked.

"Yeah, yeah, can't be traced."

Freddy asked, "You got the list, Nick?"

"Yeah."

Freddy said, "Thanks for that, Von. But now, separate ways."

"I didn't get my meal."