Solitary Man by Stephen Leather

Author:Stephen Leather [Leather, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780340628379
Publisher: Coronet
Published: 2010-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

Bird nodded slowly. 'I can send someone,' he said.

'Soon?'

'Tomorrow.'

'Soon enough,' said Winter. He patted Bird on the back and waved his cigar at the mamasan, pointing at Bird's empty glass once he'd attracted her attention. 'Have another beer, then help me choose my playmates,' he said. He jabbed his cigar in the direction of the singer. 'What about her?' he asked. 'What do you think?'

Bird nodded. 'Pretty girl.'

Winter pointed at another young girl who was sitting straight backed and smiling for all she was worth. 'What about her? Apparently her body massage drives you wild. I can't make up my mind between the two.'

Bird grinned and scratched the scar on his cheek. He looked across at the mamasan and then back at Winter. 'It's a guy, Billy.'

THE SOLITARY MAN 217

Winter stared at him in astonishment for several seconds, then he shook his head. 'Nah,' he said. 'You're pulling my chain.' He narrowed his eyes and stared at the girl. She pointed between her cleavage. 'Look at those breasts,' he said. 'You can't tell me that's a guy.' Bird shrugged. Winter drew on his cigar and exhaled slowly. He looked at the singer, then back to the girl. 'How can you tell?' he asked.

'Thai girls are short. He's tall. The hands are big, too.'

Winter looked. They were long and elegant with perfectly painted nails. But Bird was right, they were big. They weren't a woman's hands. He nodded.

'And the breasts are too good. They're definitely implants.'

Winter sat back in his chair. 'Bloody hell,' he said. He drained his brandy glass and slammed it down on the table. 'Looks like it's going to be Geng, then.' He waved over at the mamasan and pointed at the singer, who had given up trying to sing and was now humming along to the music.

'What about Hutch?' asked Bird. 'When are you going to talk to him?'

Winter flicked ash from his cigar on to the carpeted floor. 'A day or two,' he said. 'I want him to sweat for a little while longer.'

HUTCH WOKE UP WITH a raging thirst and three more mosquito bites on his left arm. He'd left the antihistamine cream in the detention centre and had no idea when he'd be able to get more. He sat up and stretched. His back ached and the skin around his ankles was red raw. The fluorescent lights had remained on all night and he'd had to pull his shirt over his head to get some relief from the brightness. Many of the prisoners had strips of cloth which they draped over their eyes, so Hutch figured that the lights were never switched off. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands.

Joshua was already awake, sitting with his back to the wall. The Nigerian waved a greeting. 'Sleep well?' he asked playfully.

'How come you're so cheerful?' asked Hutch.

218 STEPHEN LEATHER

Joshua shrugged. 'This is gonna be my home for fifty years or so, so I might as well make the best of it.

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