"Chalker, Jack L. - Dancing Gods 01 - The River of the Dancing Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Chalker Jack L)

door, and decided to put on his flashers and go to her. He was
not without his own suspicions; hijackers would use such bait
and such a settingЧalthough he could hardly imagine somebody
hijacking forty thousand pounds of soap flakes. Still, you
never knewЧand there was always his own money and cards
and the truck itself to steal. He took out his small pistol and
slipped it into his pocket, then slid over, opened the passenger
door, and got out warily.
Page 3
Chalker, Jack L - The River of the Dancing Gods
He was a big man, somewhat intimidating-looking himself,
perhaps six-three, two hundred and twenty-five pounds of mostly
muscle, wearing faded jeans, boots, and a checkered flannel
shirt. His age was hard to measure, but he was at least in his
forties with a face maybe ten years older and with very long,
graying hair. He was dark, tooЧshe took him at first for a
black manЧbut there was something not quite of any race and
JACK L. CHALKER 5
yet of all of them in his face and features. He was used to the
look she was giving him and past minding.
"M'am?" he called to her in a calm yet wary baritone. "Don't
worryЧI don't bite. A trucker going the other way spotted you
and asked me to see if you was all right."
Oh, what the hell, she decided, resigning herself. / can
always jump out again. "I need a ride," she said simply. "I'm
kind of stuck here."
He walked over to her, seeing her tenseness and pretty much
ignoring it. He picked up her bag, letting her get her purse,
and went back to the truck. "Come on. I'll take you for a while
if you're going west."
She hesitated a moment more, then followed him and permitted
him to assist her up into the cab. He slammed her door,
walked around the truck, got in on the driver's side, released
the brakes, and put the truck in gear. "How far you going?"
he asked her.
She sat almost pressed against the passenger door, trying
to look as if she weren't doing it. For all he knew, she didn't
realize she was doing it.
She sighed. "Any place, I guess. How far you going?"
"El Paso. But I can get you to a phone in Fort Stockton if
that's what you need." ,
She shook her head slowly. "No, nobody to call. El Paso's
fine, if it's okay with you. I don't have enough money for a
motel or anything."
Up to speed and cruising now, he glanced sideways over at
her. At one time she'd been a pretty attractive woman, he
decided. It was all still there, but something had happened to
it, put a dull, dirty coating over it. Medium heightЧfive-four
or -five, maybeЧwith short, greasy-looking brown hair with
traces of gray. Thirties, probably. Thin and slightly built, she