Allegiance (Joe Logan Book 4) by Michael Kerr Read Free Book Online Page A

and delivered a package.  I’m not on his payroll.”
    “What about Fallon?”
    “I’ve never met him and don’t want to.  He’s connected.  The guy is runnin’ for mayor, but he’s an asshole.  He heads up a lot of legit companies as a front and rips off pension funds.”
    “What else?”
    “He gets rid of anyone he decides could be a threat to him.  I know that Trask and his crew do the dirty work.  He just points them and keeps out of the picture.”
    “So Fallon will have told them to kill Arnie?”
    Benny nodded and said, “Yeah, he must have been diggin’ around and got too close to the action.  A lot of cops are happy to take more than just free coffee and donuts, but Arnie was pretty straight.  Believe it or not I liked the guy.”
    “Let’s hope he makes it, then, because he’s still alive, hanging on.”
    “If Fallon knows that he survived, he’ll send someone to whack him,” Benny said.  “And it could be another cop that gets the contract.”
    Logan took that on board.  A dirty cop could get to Arnie.  It would only take a second to stick him with a rig full of H or morphine.  But he couldn’t cover all the bases.  “Get your skinny ass in the shower,” he said to Benny.  “You stink, and you’re still high.”
    Benny knew that it wasn’t a request.  He kept his damaged right hand close to his chest and did what he was told.  After a couple of minutes under jets of cold water he was feeling clear-headed, and after toweling himself dry he found some cleaner clothes to put on.
    “Okay, let’s go,” Logan said.  “You can help me out, and in turn help yourself.”
    “What’s to stop me doin’ a runner?”
    “The fact that you’re already on the run.  And until Fallon and his muscle are dealt with you’ll be looking over your shoulder and waiting for a bullet every minute of every day.”
    “And just what the fuck do you think you can do to change anythin’?”
    “Whatever I need to.  And right now I need to negate any threat against my friend.  In turn that will benefit you.”
    “Who are you?” Benny asked, looking up at the stranger that he wanted to believe could make it safe for him to get back to his life, however messed up it was.
    “My name’s Logan.  Now let’s get out of here.  I have a lady waiting in a diner for me, and you look like you could use some food and a cup of coffee.”

CHAPTER SIX
     
    He felt a whole lot better.  Lennox had gone in the store and bought some hydrogen peroxide, a roll of bandage and a pack of Marlboro.  After lighting up and taking a few deep drags, Frankie had initially felt dizzy.  But it soon passed.  He was back with Miss. Nicotine, and felt better for it, however bad it was for his health.  The Surgeon General’s warnings were wasted on him. He accepted that smoking could kill him, but took into consideration that so could being in a RTA, or falling off a ladder, and a million other things.  He had grown up in the Pittsburgh metro area, which was in the top ten most polluted cities in America. It had seemed at the time like half the population was suffering from asthma or some other even more chronic lung problem.
    After swabbing his ankle and bandaging it he felt much better.  The bitch had scarred him for life with her teeth, but had got hers.  He smiled.  Hurting and killing people turned his wheels, and unlike almost all other endeavors, it was both a highly paid and tax-free occupation.
    “Let’s go see if Gus the geek can help us out,” Lennox said.  “He’ll be able to link the broad’s cell to a computer and trace it when we call her.”
    Gus Martin was an Afghanistan vet.  He had gone out there feeling like John Wayne, but after only three weeks had stepped on an IED and lost both his legs up to the knees.  He had prostheses, but chose to spend most of his time in a wheelchair in front of a computer.  Strapping on artificial limbs and walking like a robot was not on his list of