"052 (B075) - The Land of Fear (1937-06) - Harold Davis" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

MANY things happened at once. No one witnessing the fight would have believed Doc could have escaped. The blow from the blackjack was hard enough to have cracked even his skull. But he wasn't there when it came down.
Despite the efforts of the two men trying to hold him, the man of bronze broke free easily, ducked and jumped backward. The blackjack went over one shoulder.
Doc's powerful hand shot up, caught the giant by the wrist, threw him over one shoulder. The man crashed through the open door into the bedroom. Doc dived after him. The door smashed closed. The sounds of a terrific struggle came from inside.
The leader of the attackers grinned. Doc Savage might be a mighty fighter, but the giant he was battling had once been fairly high in the ranks of heavyweight boxersЧand besides that he had a gun and orders to use it if necessary.
As if in answer to the gangleader's thought, a pistol shot came from the next room. There was a sound of a falling body there, then silence.
The fight had been going against Monk and Ham. Their enemies had managed to circle behind them. In spite of the tremendous battling abilities of the two, they were borne to the floor by the sheer weight of numbers.
Blackjacks came up, crashed down.
"Get goin' mugs!" barked the gangleader. "Tie and gag that girl! We've got to get outta here! Somebody probably heard that shot!"
His orders were carried out briskly. The door to the bedroom opened. A giant walked outЧa giant with a battered face, but with a sickly grin spreading across scarred features. His nose was twisted to one side.
The gangleader smiled. "Kill him?" he asked softly.
"I don't think he'll do much fighting for some time to come," the giant rumbled.
Men already had the girl bundled up in coats. A gag was in her mouth. Others had darted into the hallway, were guarding all approaches.
A service elevator stopped. Efficient gunmen overpowered the operator. The gang pressed inside, the girl effectively concealed in the close-pressed mass of humanity.
Those of the gang who had been knocked out were dragged along unceremoniously.
But in the hotel room Monk and Ham were stretched out unconscious. And in the bedroom a big figure lay face downwardЧa figure that breathed gaspingly and strenuously.
Chapter IV. THE STRANGE HOUSE
THE elevator shot without a stop to the basement. Here the few hotel employees who attempted to stop the gang were knocked out mercilessly with blackjacks.
A huge white truck was drawing up to the back doorЧa truck with the words "Lightning Laundry" stenciled on the sides.
As the gangsters rushed out, the rear door of the truck dropped down. The men dived inside, pulling the girl with them.
Without loss of time, the truck pulled away. A block distant it shot into a narrow alleyway. When it came out, the license plates had been changed; its color no longer was white, but black, and the sign on its sides read "Long Distance Hauling."
The change had been easy to accomplish. The white color and laundry sign had been merely paper hooked to the sides of the truck. The disguise wouldn't have passed close inspection, but no one had been given an opportunity to inspect it closely.
Motor-cycle cops and radio cars roared by, headed toward the hotel, sirens open. None bothered about the truck.
Inside the truck it was hot. There were no windows, very little light. For the most part, the men tried to stay in one spot.
The giant was an exception. Clumsily, it seemed, he was moving back and forth in the van. He had a handful of what appeared to be pebbles, but they were a queer type of pebbles. Small, scarcely larger than peas, they were made of a substance that must have been of extremely great density, since they were heavy.
Curses marked the path of the lurching giant as he tripped over legs, bumped into others. The handful of pebbles diminished.
"Sit down, Bunko!" the gangleader growled at last.
The big man moved close to him, found a seat. The van was making good time now, had evidently got beyond the range of traffic lights onto an open road.
The truck made a turn, seemed to be climbing a hill as its motor labored and slowed. Then it stopped, only to move again after a short interval.
The back was dropped, and men piled out. The truck was in a huge basement, dimly lighted. Near by was an elevator.
Most of the men stayed below. A few got into the elevator, the girl with them.
"Come along, Bunko!" rapped the gang chief. "The boss may want to see you, an' I can give you a job upstairs for a while."
Wordlessly, the big man got in the elevator. It sped upward. There were no marks on doors to show how many floors were passed, but some seconds elapsed before the elevator came to a halt.
The gag was taken from the girl's mouth; she was pushed out of the elevator. Her hair was in disorder; she was bound tightly and had no idea what might happen to her, but Virginia Jettmore's eyes had lost some of their earlier panic.
Whatever it was that had made her so fear-stricken, she certainly did not appear particularly frightened by the gangsters.
Doors appeared on all sides. Some were closed, a few open. Here and there a hallway would run for a few feet, only to stop at another door. The hallways were set at angles; nothing seemed to run in a straight line.
The gangleader pulled the girl toward one of the doors, opened it, thrust her inside.
"Bunko, you and Gats stay here on guard. I'll be back."
"GATS" was small, wizened. He would have appeared a kindly, middle-aged man, if it hadn't been for the cruel lines about his face. All the viciousness of a life of crime was written in those lines. He regarded his companion scornfully.
"Pullin' a grandstand stunt to get in with the boss, just because you're big!" he sneered. A revolver appeared in one of his hands suddenly. "I could have fixed that bronze guy myself with this. But no"Чhe spat disgustedlyЧ"you look big, so you got the chance; and then you had to use a gun yourself before you finished him!"
The giant shrugged, leaned back against the wall.
Gats's revolver slipped back into a shoulder holster, but his evil eyes retained their glint; his thin lips were twisted. He took a key from one pocket.
"Think I'll go in and see how our pretty lady is making out!" he snapped. "You stay out here and tip me off if any one starts to come. I think maybe that girl'll enjoy a kiss."
The giant's face didn't change expression. His battered features remained without emotion, but he put out one big hand, caught the little man by an arm.
"We was told to guard her," he remonstrated mildly. "I don't think I'd do that."
Gats struggled to get free, found himself powerless to release his arm. Curses rolled from his lips; he reached for his gun, only to halt, an expression of surprise crossing his sin-marked features.
Apparently without visible effort the giant's second hand shot out, caught Gats's gun wrist.
"I'll kill you for this!" the little man raved. "I'llЧ"
He broke off suddenly. The elevator door was opening. The giant released his hold, idled casually against the wall. The little man straightened; his eyes became blank.
Two men stepped out of the elevator. One was squat and powerful, a touch of green in every article of his attire. The other was tall, broad-shouldered. A mask completely covered his face.
Greens Gordon glanced at the two guards briefly.