"Karen Koehler - Slayer 02 - Dragon Blood" - читать интересную книгу автора (Koehler Karen)

being would look sloppy and bored. Not Kage. Kage didnтАЩt wear human that well. Instead he stood at
complete attention, his hands in the pockets of his long leather coat and his head canted to one side, eyes
seemingly trained on the pattern of the red and gold wallpaper. He too wore dark shades, but for a much
better reason. It was said if you looked into the eyes of the banpaia Kage you would fall into the black
sleep and never again be awakened. It was ridiculous, stupid Japanese legend shit. Charlie only wished
he would convince himself of that fact one of these days.

Kage made no indication that he was aware of CharlieтАЩs approach, yet he said in a low, whispery voice
that rode CharlieтАЩs hackles like an electrical storm: тАЬThe Ryuujin is taking a meeting.тАЭ

тАЬYeah...okay, fine...тАЭ Yeah, he could come back tomorrow. That wasnot a problem.

Kage looked at him. Kage looked through him. тАЬDo you have the woman?тАЭ

тАЬHad the woman. Lost her.тАЭ Charlie was about to say more, to start the process of weaving together the
story that might or might not save his ass, but a single look from Kage silenced him.

тАЬThe Ryuujin will not be pleased.тАЭ

No shit.

The fear, the tension in the air, the banpaia, and the fact that things existed that had no right existing--all
these things suddenly seemed too much and Charlie had to make a conscious effort right then and there
not to bolt for the nearest door. тАЬHey, man,тАЭ he said, raising his hands in a kind of hopeless defense, тАЬNo
one fucking warned me about tall, dark and dangerous.тАЭ

KageтАЩs eyebrows bobbed up. He looked generally interested--a first for him. He looked about to ask
something more of Charlie but opted to knock politely on the door of the office instead.

тАЬCome,тАЭ Mr. Ashikawa called in Japanese.

Kage opened the door, waited as Charlie skirted past him without touching, and then proceeded to
follow Charlie inside the office. Only when Charlie had found the courage to approach Mr. AshikawaтАЩs
desk--he was indeed in a meeting, albeit of the Net variety--did Kage close and discreetly lock the inner
office, sealing everyone in like victims in a tomb. This time, unlike others, Kage did not wait outside but
chose to listen to the flow of conversation between Charlie and the Ryuujin. That was odd.

Edward Ashikawa looked up from his laptop, took in CharlieтАЩs disheveled, battleworn appearance, and
seemed to come to some instantaneous conclusion. He then looked past them to where his loyal pet
banpaia stood near the door. Kage shook his head. Ashikawa nodded and looked again at Charlie.

тАЬHow did she escape?тАЭ

It was as if he somehow knew what had happened. On more than one occasion Charlie was sure things
passed between Mr. Ashikawa and Kage that he was unaware of. Odd things. Things not like talk but
like feelings. He thought about Rich and Xav and wished he was with them, cruising in the Caddy and
looking for a drugstore or deli to knock over or babes to pick up. He wished he were anywhere but here
right now. But because he was not, and because he knew he had to say something, he shrugged and said,
тАЬSeems thereтАЩs more than one Kage out there.тАЭ
Now Ashikawa looked generally interested.