The Blade Itself by Marcus Sakey Read Free Book Online Page B

and Karen had never done the wedding thing, it was only because the ritual meant nothing to them. He didn’t need a ring to be faithful. And they both brought in solid money – far more than he had been able to count on hustling.
    Maybe in this new world he could be a father. Maybe such a thing was possible. If Danny Carter could have health insurance and mortgage payments, why not this?
    ‘What would we name him?’
    She laughed. ‘You mean her.’ And bent down to press her soft lips to his, under skies blowing wild as the hope in his heart.

7. A Good Score
    It took Danny thirty minutes to fight his way down Clark, and another ten to find a parking place. The Cubs looked good, and the streets and sidewalks were thronged with fans hoping that maybe this year they wouldn’t get their hearts broken. Danny was just hoping to finish his errands and get home before the sun set. It was Sunday, another beautiful day, and he had a date with an Elmore Leonard novel and the lounge chair on his fire escape.
    He walked two blocks to a copy and shipping place. The air-conditioning inside felt stale. Two bucks in quarters and ten minutes worth of forms later, he was finally done with work. The girl who checked him out asked if he wanted anything else.
    ‘Just a beer,’ he said, and smiled.
    She smiled back, a flirtatious look Danny didn’t respond to. Just waved and strolled out, thinking of the easiest way to get home. He could probably cut over to Halsted and dodge some of the traffic.
    Evan stood in front of him.
    Danny dropped his bag. Chemicals pounded through his bloodstream, his nerves gauging fight or flight.
    His old partner had a little smile on his lips like he was amused to have startled Danny. Like getting him off balance had been the point. People surged around them, wearing Cubs shirts and yelling to one another, but Danny hardly noticed.
    ‘Hey.’ Evan stepped forward, put an arm around his shoulders. ‘Let’s get a drink.’
    Keep walking
, a voice in Danny’s head whispered.
Just go
. But he let himself be led into a dim corner bar with a neon skull-and-crossbones in the window. Evan dropped his arm once they were inside, and gestured to a corner table. By the time they reached it, Danny had his cool back. He signaled for the waitress and flipped what he hoped was an easy grin. ‘Here for the game?’
    Evan snorted. ‘No.’
    A pretty brunette with a friendly smile bounced over, and they both ordered, neither looking at the extensive chalkboard beer list. Danny waited till she was gone, then tried on a quizzical expression. ‘So?’
    ‘We didn’t finish talking before. But now it’s Sunday afternoon. So you won’t have to get your panties bunched about work.’
    Danny let the remark slide.
    ‘You live up here now, huh?’ Evan asked.
    ‘Not far.’
    ‘A house, a woman, a truck. All settled in, snug as shit.’
    He nodded, thinking, A
truck
? Wondering if Evan had just made an assumption, why he hadn’t said a car. The waitress appeared with two pints on a tray. Evan gave her a ten, told her to keep the change, and they clinked glasses with eyes locked.
    ‘So that’s what you get. Life as a civilian.’
    ‘That’s all I want.’
    ‘Yeah? And what do I get?’
    ‘For what?’
    ‘For what.’ Evan shook his head, smiling ruefully as he tapped a cigarette free. He lit the smoke with the Zippo, snapped it closed, set it neatly on top of the pack. Blew jets of smoke from his nostrils, eyes hard now. ‘How long we known each other?’
    ‘Since we were kids.’
    ‘That’s right. Just a couple of Irish kids in a blue-collar neighborhood, spics competing with blacks to see who could move in faster. We made it through that shit by sticking together.’
    Danny decided to preempt the speech. ‘You’re pissed I walked out.’
    Evan raised his eyebrows, not saying yes or no. His look said
street
. It said
danger
.
    ‘Fuck you.’ Showing strength was the first rule. ‘You went crazy in