"Michael Swanwick - The Raggle Taggle Gypsy - O" - читать интересную книгу автора (Swanwick Michael)

ten minutes, eh? Distract the man."

He turned her around and gave her a shove towards the Mini-Mart. Her shoulders
were stiff with anger, her bottom big and round in those tight leather pants. God, but
he loved the way she looked in those things! His hand ached to give her a swat on
the rump, just to see her scamper. Couldn't do that with Annie, though. Not now,
not never. Just one more thing that bastard Eric had spoiled for others.

He had the truck loaded and the steering column topped up by the time Annie strode
out of the Mini-Mart with a boom box and a stack of CDs. The mechanic trotted
after her, totting up prices on a little pad. When he presented her with the total, she
simply said, "Send the bill to my husband," and climbed into the cab.

With a curt, wordless nod, the man turned back towards the store.

"Got any more doubts?" Annie asked coldly.

Crow cursed. He'd killed men in his time, but it wasn't anything he was proud of.
And never what you'd call murder. He slammed down the back of the seat, to access
the storage compartment. All his few posses-sions were in here, and little enough
they were for such a hard life as he'd led. Some spare clothes. A basket of trinkets
he'd picked up along the way. His guns.

****

Forty miles down the road, Annie was still fuming. Abruptly, she turned and
slammed Crow in the side with her fist. Hard. She had a good punch for a woman.
Keeping one hand on the wheel, he half-turned and tried to seize her hands in one
enormous fist. She continued hitting him in the chest and face until he managed to
nab them both.
"What?" he demanded angrily.

"You should have killed him."

"Three handfuls of gold nuggets, babe. I dug 'em out of the Yukon with my own
mitts. That's enough money to keep anybody's mouth shut."

"Oh mercy God! Not one of Eric's men. Depend upon it, yon whoreson caitiff was
on the phone the very instant you were out of his sight."

"You don't know that kind of cheap-jack hustler the way I doтАФ" Crow began.
Which wasтАФhe knew it the instant the words left his mouth тАФ exactly the wrong
thing to say to Annie. Her lips went thin and her eyes went hard. Her words were
bitter and curt. Before he knew it, they were yelling at each other.

Finally he had no choice but to pull over, put the truck in park, and settle things right
there on the front seat.

Afterwards, she put on a CD she liked, old ballads and shit, and kept on playing it
over and over. One in particular made her smile at him, eyes sultry and full of love,