"Richard Harding - Outrider 02 - Fire And Ice" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harding Richard)

death. The riders always had plans. Bonner had even had a few himself over the
years. "And we think you might be interested," said Starling. "Tell me about
it." "Okay," said Starling, "remember our last time out?" "I'm not likely to
forget it." "Yeah." Starling's eyes glittered. "Remember how we picked up
Cooker just inside the Slavestates, inside the Borderlands? Right after Trash
Alley..." "Yes, I remember." Cooker was a cranky, ornery gas hound. He was
one of a few of a hardy breed, the gas hounds, the tank men, a group of men
who looked for gasoline the way the old prospectors searched for gold. They
rode old, homemade tank trucks, filling them where they could, then bringing
the stuff back to Chi and selling it at exorbitant prices. Cooker had been the
most driven, the most single-minded of the gas hounds. Starling and Bonner had
rescued him from a Stormer patrol the last time out. "Do you remember what he
was babbling about when we found him?" "He said he had found a gas tank
farm." "Yeah," said Starling enthusiastically, "what was it he called
it?" "The promised land," said Bonner. "That's right! The promised
land." "Well," said Seth softly, "we want to go keep the promise. We want to
find the tank farm." "Be my guest," said Bonner. "Yeah, now look Bonner, we
want you to come along." "Why?" Seth laughed. "Bonner, we already know that
there are Stormers rampaging out there. No one brings down Stormers better
than you." "I think you guys can handle it." Through the thin door the girl,
listening to the men converse, relaxed and closed her eyes as if giving
thanks. Bonner didn't sound like he was going. Good, she thought, keep him
here, with her, safe.... "It would be a big help if you came along," said
Starling. "Come on, what else you got to do?" Bonner gestured around the
book-strewn room. "I'm trying to catch up on my reading. I've got plenty to
do." "I know you, Bonner," laughed Seth. "There's only so much quiet you can
take." "Chi is never quiet." "You know what I mean." "Bonner," said
Starling, "think of it, we could really score big on this one. Cooker wasn't
kidding. It's out there, the gas, all you have to do is find it. No one knows
the roads better than you. Man you could be rich." Bonner shrugged. Seth
spoke: "That's the wrong tactic, Starling. You know the man don't really care
about money." "We need you," said Starling simply. On the other side of the
door, the girl screwed her fists together tightly. Leave him alone, she wanted
to scream, leave him here with me. She was worried. Bonner could never resist
a call on his friendship. He had few friends, but those he had he was loyal
to. If someone killed a friend, then Bonner killed his killer. It was that
simple. "You know the roads, Bonner, better than anyone." "No," said Bonner,
"there's someone a little better." Seth and Starling looked puzzled.
"Who?" "Leather." "Yeah, and he's probably out there right now looking for
our gas." Seth seized on this. Here was the tactic that would get Bonner to
go along. "Yeah. You never know, Leatherman himself might be out there. In the
open. You could take him, Bonner. This time you could get him." The faintest
sign of pain flitted across Bonner's hard features, as if Seth had found a
bruise on his lean body and had pressed on it. "Leather won't leave the
Cap." "He'd leave Washington if he had to. If he knows the roads better than
anyone, even you, it would seem plain to me that, he would be the one to lead
the expedition." "Look, Seth, you know what we did to him, I mean him
personally, when we were in the Cap." "Yeah." "I cut off his hands...."
Bonner held his own out in front of him. "What is he going to do on the road
without any hands?" "He'll be protected," said Starling. "Sure," said