"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 04 - Kalin" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

High passage, perhaps, certainly no more."

"Are your scars worth as much?"

"Less," he admitted. "Which is why we are together. Why we
must work as a team. My experience and knowledge; your
money. What you had of it. And," he said meaningfully, "you
have very little left."

And that was as true as the rest of it. A lifetime of work to end
in what? Degradation and poverty. Of what use was a woman
when she was ugly and old? Sara looked at her companion. Elmo
left much to be desired but he, at least, understood. And yet,
woman-like, she wished that he had been other than what he
was.
 A man like Dumarest, for example. She could trust a man like
that. Trust him to drive a hard bargain, perhaps, but to keep it
to the bitter end.

Had she been younger he would not be traveling alone. Even
now she could dream, but long ago she had learned to live within
her limitations. She could love Dumarest but he would never love
her. And now, with that girl from LogisтАФ

Irritably she shook her head. Dreams, stupid dreams at a time
like this!

Elmo reached into his pocket and produced a flat case. He
opened it and the light winked from polished metal and
unbreakable glass. The hypo-gun was a work of art, a
multi-chambered model calibrated to a hair. It would air-blast
any one of a half-dozen drugs in a measured dose through
clothing, skin and directly into the bloodstream.

"I could only afford one," he said. "But it's loaded and ready to
go."

"Are you sure?" She was practical. "Are the drugs as
specified? You could have been cheated," she pointed out.
"Transients are easy prey."

Elmo growled deep in his throat. A mannerism to add
emphasis. "The last man who tried to cheat me lost an eye. The
drugs are good. I checked them before handing over the money.
Your money," he said flatly. "But, Sara, never was cash more
wisely spent."

Gem-fire betrayed her agitation.

"A few minutes," he said. "That's all it will take. A brief flurry