“Troof in advertising,” Kham said, which set the other Orks to hooting again.

“Quiet down,” Crenshaw ordered. She turned to roe norm who had still said nothing. “I’m glad you could join us tonight, Mr. Markowitz.”

“Stuff the fake courtesy, Johnson. Get on with it. The sooner I’m out of here and away from this gutter, the better I like it.”

“You stuff it, Markowitz,” Ridley said. “I heard about you and the Clemson kidnapping. All very noble, I’m sure. but murder is murder.”

Markowitz started to speak, then merely shrugged as he turned to Crenshaw again. “Can we get on with it, Johnson?”

Before she could reply, the door opened to let a squat figure come strutting through. Dressed in studded leathers whose pattern indicated hidden plates of armor, the Dwarf rested his hands on the grips of a matched pair of Ares predators. One of the Orks whispered, “Greerson,” and he new arrival smiled tightly. He took a step toward the speaker, who scrambled up from his seat and retreated away from the Dwarf. Greerson appropriated the vacant chair, dragged it back to the door, and sat down, leaning the seat back against the pocked wood.

“You’re late,”Crenshaw said.

“You down to business yet?” Greerson asked.

“Just got here.”

“Then I ain’t late.”

Crenshaw waited a few moments to reestablish her control. “None of you are green street punks,” she said slowly, “and you all know the score. We’re going to have to put our differences aside until this job is done right and you’re all paid off. Till then, I want teamwork.”

Greerson eyed the assembled crew with a sneer. “Dump the drek, Johnson. Name the targets and delivery date, If you got enough nuyen, you’ll get what you want. I don’t need any help.”

“Everyone here has valuable skills, Greerson. Some in areas where your own considerable ability does not reach.” Crenshaw ignored the Dwarf’s glare. She pulled a handful of hardcopy files from her case, and gave them to Addison to pass around. “Mr. Markowitz has already determined that the principal target has returned to Seattle within the last few days. There are pics and pertinent data from his corporate file. Don’t be fooled by Verner’s innocent face. He’s been edging the shadows since he hit town. I don’t know how big his ring is, but he’s definitely got high powered connections with access to serious muscle. That’s the reason I need a team like this. The only one of his associates that we’ve been able to tag is a local, an Elven decker by the street name of Dodger.”

“Dodger?” Kham asked.

“That’s right.”

“Dis run ain’t against Tsung’s crew, is it?”

Mention of the notorious shadowrunner triggered unpleasant memories, but Crenshaw kept them locked behind a bland expression. “Not as far as I know. The Elf wonks with her?”

“Sometimes.”

“I suspect that the Elf is operating independently time.”

“If he ain’t, me and de guys are out.”

“Me, too,” Ridley said. “I’m not going up against Tsung and her bunch without magical backup.”

“Dump them now, Johnson,” Greerson said. “They ain’t got the balls for the job, so I’ll take your whole budget and do it alone.”

Anticipating an outburst, Crenshaw cut in, speaking loudly and quickly. “You probably could take Verner and Dodger by yourself, Greerson, but the extent of this operation is still unclear. At one point, a dracoform was involved. If it still is, Kham’s crew will, I believe, provide a necessary volume of firepower. It if turns out Kham needs to withdraw because of Sally Tsung’s involvement, I will accept his decision, as long as he gives me enough time to secure replacement fire power.”

Kham cleared his throat, then drew himself up when he had everyone’s attention. “Me and de guys ain’t weed-eaters. We ain’t afraid of Tsung, see. She and me, we got a working arrangement.”

“I see,” said Crenshaw. And she did. She saw Kham’s face floating over an H amp;K 227 in a Renraku-owned Boeing Commuter. She saw that face next to Sally Tsung’s. She remembered Kham now; he had been part of the team that bad abducted and abused her. He obviously didn’t recognize her. Or care, if he did. She’d make him care, but settling with Verner came first. Kham would have to wait his turn to pay for the indignities she had suffered. But if she could twist things so that Tsung’s connections turned on one another, she’d be that much closer to settling the score with them, too. “But if the Elf is working alone, you have no reservations about disposing of him?”

“Naw. Never did like de smart-mouthed fairy.”

“And you, Ridley?”

Ridley folded his arms. “I guess so. But if Tsung is involved…”

“You do not have personal objections?”

“No. But the magic…”

“If we determine significant magically active opposition, I shall arrange for countermeasures.”

“A good wiz is a lead-filled wiz,” Greerson pronounced. “Best countermeasure I know. Magical superiority through faster firepower.”

“Greerson makes a good point,” Crenshaw said. “Let’s all keep it in mind. A magician can’t cast a spell if you shoot him first.”

40

The Elven decker’s directions had been accurate, even though his description of the final destination was not. Dodger said it was an antique shop, but the sign proclaimed it a pawn shop and offered cash for credsticks and corporate vouchers. Sam did see the ornately carved cuckoo clock Dodger had said would be in one barred window. The hands were frozen at two o’clock. if this was the place, that was a sign Cog the fixer was in and open for business.

As Sam entered, he heard no chime and saw no surveillance devices, but was sure they knew he was here. Skirting several islands of junk, he made his way to the back counter where, ensconced at one end and shielded by an actual cash register machine, a wizened old man sat reading last month’s Intelligencer.

“Excuse me, I saw the clock in the window. Is it for sale?”

Gray eyes regarded him from under busy brows and behind old-fashioned spectacles perched precariously on the tip of the man’s nose. “Sold it yesterday. Didn’t you see the tag?”

“I thought that I might outbid another purchaser.”

“You need to talk to the owner.”

“That’s right. I need to talk to the owner.”

The old man reached under the counter. With a loud snick, a door in the back wall popped ajar. Sam thought he also heard a softer, echoing click from the front door, the sound of a bolt sliding closed. The caution of the fixer’s minion was apt. Those who dwelt in the shadows must take precautions. Remember, you’re one of them now.