"Foster, Alan Dean - Flinx - Bloodhype" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

Mercifully, the box hid moat of the other, bur it didn't hide the large
pool of red that stained the ferroconcrete to one side. Mal noticed the
small man's glance.

"I didn't mean to be so messy with your friend. Nor fatal. But there ware
two of you and I like odds in my favor. Don't worry, I'll be much neater
with you." He placed the muzzle of the pistol behind the man's right ear.

"Now, you've got just thirty seconds to come up with a real good reason why
I shouldn't send you bustling after your partner ... spiritually speaking,
of course."

The man moaned again, his voice tight from the pain in his arm. "Go ahead!
You're going to kill me anyway!"

"Nonsense! Don't be any dumber than you are. If I wanted you dead I'd have
killed you, oh, minutes ago. I'd just as soon see you alive. I didn't mean
to pass your friend on to the supervision of the Church, either, but I'm
not fond of thieves. See, I was stolen myself once. No... tell you what.
You cheerfully tell me what you were hunting for?and don't tell me this was
a general expedition; you pulled that crate out of a hundred tons of
similar ones?that, and who sent you for it, and maybe I'll let you depart
rare instead of well?done." He pressed the pistol a little harder into the
man's neck. "I suspect you'll have enough trouble avoiding the attentions
of your employer, who will doubtless send you greetings when he finds out
how sadly you've bungled."

The thief said nothing.

"Or," Mal continued conversationally, increasing his pressure on the
spindly arm, "we could make this even more interesting and do it by pieces.
I think this arm would be a good place to start. Then, if I lower the power
on this toy and turn it in a little instead of down (he did so), I can
start on one side of your head and fry you slowly to the other, maybe
spiraling around. Sort of artistic like, you know?"

"All right!" the man screamed. "All right!" Mal let up slightly on the arm.
"Rose."

"What? Stop whimpering, man and speak up."

"Rose. He's the one sent me and Wladislaw."

"Dominic Rose? The dragger?"

The man nodded, slightly.

"How very interesting. You're working for an especially disgusting
employer, did you know that? What did the dyspeptic slug want with my
cargo?"