"Elrod, P N - Jack Fleming - The Vampire Files 02 - Lifeblood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Elrod P N)

"These bills are marked. If there's cops outside you're a corpse."

"No, please, I didn't know about this, please wait!"

She didn't look like she was ready to move, but the man was unnerved.
Behind him the big guy had shifted a hand to the inside of his coat,
which explained why she hadn't noticed him; there'd been no need to
notice her partner.

"I-I don't understand this. Mr. Swafford entrusted me to verify the
stamp and to pay you--nothing more. I assure you that I had no idea--"

"I said it's in the fire."

"But wait, please, you have no idea how valuable it is--

"Five grand. I only asked for half."

"I can help you. I know other collectors, ones who would ask no
questions. They'd be glad to pay you its full worth. If I had the money,
I'd buy it myself."

She took in his cheap clothes, her mouth becoming small and thin. "I'm
sure you would." Her hand shot up and knocked the pince-nez from his
nose, and his head snapped back a fraction too late to avoid it. They
hung from the velvet ribbon, swinging free and hitting the table edge
with a soft tick.

In turn his gray eyes hardened and his cowering posture altered and
straightened. "We may still come to an equitable arrangement. Miss
Green." His breathy manner of speech had been replaced by a precise
English accent, and the prissy mannerisms dropped from him like sour
milk.

"Like hell we will, Escott. Stand up and follow Sled out the back door."

Escott glanced up as the big shadow of the man in gray loomed over him.
"I meant what I--"

"Shut up or you get it now."

He shot her a glum look and stood. He put on his hat and reached for the
cane, but Sled grabbed it first, grinning at Escott's discomfiture. Sled
opened the back door and started through a short, dark passage that
served as storage space and led to the rear alley. The bartender watched
me and pretended not to notice his other customers.

I gave up my drunk act and vanished into thin air. Maybe he could
pretend not to notice that, either.