Freelancers: Falcon & Phoenix by Anthony Thackston Read Free Book Online

And not just because of his oversized stomach.
    “Are you trying to get me banned from this place, too?” She looks back at Falcon. The fear in his eyes is genuine. And if he hadn’t already put her through so much in one day, she might be tempted to feel sympathetic toward whatever his plight was and wait for the Dealer to come to her. But he has put her through so much and she wants to get on the road as fast as she can. The quicker they’re in and out, the quicker they can get ahead of the storm. “We don’t have time for this.” She jerks at the cuffs, pulling Falcon forward.
    “Fine…Maybe she’s forgotten.” He steps forward to keep pace.
    The bar is nearly full of people conversing and carrying on. Some tell stories of their lives in the old world. Others tell harrowing stories about contract pursuits. Falcon overhears those, specifically. He rolls his eyes. Half of them are embellishing the events to make them sound more harrowing than they were. Others tell stories that are less exciting than the tellers remember them. Some of the tables have people playing various games of skill and chance, with weapons on the table as wagering items. And some people are just making deals or trading goods with one another.
    Falcon does his best to keep his head down. His eyes dart around the room. There are few people in here that he would call friend. Many of them are outright enemies of some sort. But his biggest concern is on the person he can’t see. Fortunately she doesn’t seem to be around and no one else appears to recognize him…yet.
    “There he is.” Phoenix pulls Falcon to a table at the back of the room. Five chairs circle the table but only four people sit around it. And only one of them matters to Phoenix. The man in the wide-brimmed hat. The Dealer.
    Phoenix steps around to the empty chair. “I need a car.”
    The Dealer doesn’t look up as he shuffles a dirty deck of playing cards. “What’s wrong with the little box you drove in here? Seems like the perfect size for you.”
    The others at the table laugh.
    “It’s fine. I just need more room for my hat.” Phoenix takes a jab at the Dealer. It doesn’t go unnoticed.
    The front of the man’s hat moves slowly up to reveal the Dealer’s shark-like features. He looks at Phoenix then at Falcon. A glint forms in his eyes and he leans back in his chair.
    “You gonna sell me one or not?” Phoenix asks.
    “That depends. You got something I want?”
    “I’ve got currency.”
    “So do I.” He pulls out three large stacks of paper money and sets them on the table. “Mine’s in all the colors, too.”
    Phoenix looks down at the bricks of money. It’s more than she’s accustomed to seeing. Her eyes move back up to the Dealer’s. “You need a job done? I’ve got skills that—”
    “Lacy! Get your fine ass over here, girl.” The Dealer reaches a hand out and a woman walks over to him. She wears high heels and a pair of tight denim cut-offs. Her top is a loose fitting button-up shirt. The top three buttons are gone. The Dealer pulls her into his lap. “This is Lacy. She’s got skills, too. Are your skills as good as hers? Maybe we can find out, later.”
    Phoenix reaches down for her gun at the insult.
    “Go on and get us a room. Fix it up real pretty, for me,” the Dealer says, pushing Lacy back to her feet. He smacks her on the rear as she walks away. “Skills? Hell, everyone in this fine outpost has skills.” He looks back at Phoenix. “But I’ll tell you what. You do have something I want. And it ain’t currency and it ain’t skills.” His eyes slowly move to Falcon.
    “This guy?” Phoenix tries to play off Falcon’s importance. “This guy’s not worth a vehicle.”
    “Then you won’t mind trading him for one. Seeing as how I’d be getting the raw end of that deal.”
    Phoenix and the Dealer stare holes through one another. He knows who Falcon is and he knows she needs a car. She knows he’s not going to give her a car