The Devil's Shadow: A Gun-for-Hire Thriller by J. E. Higgins

Author:J. E. Higgins [Higgins, J. E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mercenary Publishing
Published: 2019-08-19T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Crane hung back in the corner of the saloon where he had opted to wait. His fingers gently rotated the small glass of wine that sat on the table before him. He stared at the dark red liquid with concentrated intensity. He hardly noticed when his waitress came up to him. “Are you alive?” She stood over him like a worried parent.

“Just thinking,” he replied quietly in his passible Spanish, his attention still drawn to his drink.

“Whether you drink it or not, the answer is not going to come from a bottle or a glass,” she advised.

He smiled. “You never know what revelations one can gain from a good night of hard drinking. Perhaps in my inebriated state, I’ll gain a clarity of vision.”

“And what would that clarity be telling you?” she inquired further.

For the first time since their conversation began, Crane’s eyes lifted to meet hers. “You see, I have good things happen when I look for wisdom in my drinks. Why my life is so lacking in adventure.” He smirked as he said it.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” she said, pressing her fingers gently to her face with a slight look of shock. “I came here because someone called for you, or at least a man matching your description. He wanted me to tell you the rest of your friends have arrived.”

“Thanks,” he replied. “I guess my wild, vice-ridden, depraved party can finally commence.”

Grabbing the towel slung over her shoulder, she swatted him playfully across the head. She was about to continue when she was stopped by the harsh voice of Kusaki Ito speaking from behind her. Crane’s attention quickly turned to the Kusaki, and she took that as her cue to leave. Chilled by the Asian man’s cold glare, she turned and started walking away. As she passed Kusaki, he gave her a slight grunt of acknowledgment as he brushed by. When it came to business, the Japanese man had little time or patience for women. They had no place in such affairs other than to serve drinks and meals then depart.

Sliding into the chair next to Crane, he leaned in close. “The contact my friends gave us has proven accurate. He should be able to aid us over there as well as getting us what we need.”

“When we need it?” the Welshman asked.

“Generally, when we need it,” Kusaki replied cocking his head slightly to the side. Not having operated much in the Western Hemisphere as a mercenary, Crane’s black-market connections were not very good. And, not wanting to draw their friend Pizzaro in any deeper for such a dangerous operation, it was necessary to look elsewhere to find a supply connection they could use once they were in South America. He had been killing time in the bar while Kusaki left to meet with his contacts.

Thankfully, Kusaki had developed connections with the Yakuza that ruled the Japanese underworld. They were the Japanese equivalent to the Italian Mafia. Like the mafia, they too had extended their enterprise to other parts of the world.

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