The Street Survivors (The Guild Wars Book 12) Ian Malone (the false prince series txt) đ
- Author: Ian Malone
Book online «The Street Survivors (The Guild Wars Book 12) Ian Malone (the false prince series txt) đ». Author Ian Malone
Torrio flopped up a hand. âWhat can I say? Weâre small but mighty.â
âThis ainât a joke, Paulie,â Jack snapped. âThe chiefâs right. You put a crew your size on an island like thisâwith support from the Goka, no lessâand youâre in real danger of outkickinâ your coverage. Thatâs how people get killed.â
The colonel heaved a sigh as his companion returned with a pair of pint glasses. âWanna know what really fires me up about livinâ in Jacksonville, Ms. KâNami?â
âNo, but Iâm pretty sure youâre about to tell us,â Stan muttered.
âHereâs a hint,â Torrio continued. âIt ainât the beach or the sunshine, or even the low taxes. Itâs wakinâ up every single day knowinâ my only competition for peach jobs like yours comes from a city full of dumbass rednecks who think they know everything because theyâre from the South and Iâm not.â He elbowed his subordinate. âMike, gimme the thing.â
The captain reached into his vest and produced a slate, which he handed to Torrio. The latter swiped the device active, then presented it to their host.
âAs you can see, miss,â the captain said, âour outfit has secured a three-month subcontract with the Buffalo Bills to provide full transport to and from Emza, plus tactical support from two additional troop companies for deployment on the ground. Thatâs CASPers, ordnance, supplies. The whole nine yards.â
Kami swiped at the screen, perusing the data. âWhat happens if the threat to my clients hasnât been neutralized after three months?â
âThen weâll stay longer,â the captain said. âIf youâll swipe to page 13, youâll see near the bottom where Colonel Torrio negotiated a ninety-day extension into our agreement with the Bills. This way, if we need to stick around, weâre free to do so, with full support via the contract rider.â
Taylor whistled. âMy hatâs off to ya, Colonel. Thatâs one helluva pitch. Although Iâd sure hate to see the interest rate on the loan you took out to pay for all that extra hardware.â
âThink whatever you want.â Torrio grunted. âSome of us didnât have the luxury of landinâ a free pass to financial bliss from a washed-up old merc has-been to launch our business. Speakinâ of Ron Carnegie, I hope that backstabbinâ bastard is rottinâ in a gutter somewhere like the decrepit old turncoat he is. Serves him right for the way he walked out on his people.â
Kami swiped off the slate. âAnd you can verify all this?â
âYes, maâam,â the captain said. âWeâve got the Billsâ ship captain standing by on comms if youâd like him to stream down a manifest.â
âForget the manifest. Letâs get to the kicker.â Torrio clasped his fingers. âNot only will the River Hawk Defense Group provide everything he just said and moreâin two weeksâbut weâre also prepared to do it for 18 million flat with no combat bonuses.â
Kami blinked. âYouâre serious. No bonuses.â
âNot a one,â Torrio said. âSimply put, weâll go where your clients want, when they want, however many times they wantâno questions askedâuntil their problems with these hostiles are history.â
Kami gave a slow nod, then turned to Taylor. âWithout combat bonuses, his proposal represents a potential swing of 20 million credits back to my clientsâ account. They canât not consider that. Iâd be remiss if I didnât ask the Eagles to counter-offer.â
Taylor glanced to his XO, who shook his head.
âHa!â Torrio clapped his hands. âWhat do ya say, sweetheart? Should we make this official now and sign on the dotted line, or do you require some extra shmoozinââŠsay over a private dinner and drinks in my quarters? Because Iâd do that for you.â
Kamiâs earlier posture of professionalism morphed into one that said, touch me and youâll be dead before you hit the floor. âNothing is official until my clients make a formal selection on who to hire. You both make a strong case. Expect their decision by the end of the day.â With that, she fired down the last of her whiskey and rose to go. âColonel, Chief, Husker. Iâll be in touch.â
The humans stayed behind, while the SirraâKan left for the exit.
âWell, I reckon thatâs it, then,â Taylor said. âRegardless of how this shakes out, Colonel, I wish the best to you and your crew.â
âGo to hell, Van Zant,â Torrio said with a snarl as he got to his feet. âAs far as Iâm concerned, you and your entire inbred crew can take your sanctimonious platitudes and shove âem up your swamp-rat asses. Now if youâll excuse me, Iâve got shit to do.â He motioned to the captain. âLetâs go.â
The Eagles stayed seated in the booth as their human counterparts stormed out of the merc pit.
âWhat a waste,â Jack mumbled.
âIt truly is,â Billy said. âLogistically speaking, Paul always did have a solid head for numbers. If he couldâve just found a way to keep his mouth in check, he mightâve made a decent addition to the Eagles.â
âIâm pretty sure my partner was referrinâ to the beers.â Stan pointed to the pair of half-full pint glasses thatâd been left on the table. âFor the record, Iâm inclined to agree. Paulie was assigned to our unit after the Eagles took over Steeldriver. Did he show some potential? Sure. He was a bona fide loose cannon, a fact borne out by his own personnel file, courtesy of Steeldriverâs former HR director.â The Mississippian took a pull of his drink. âMe personally, Iâm glad that Yankee prick took his attitude and his Aqua Velva ass on down the trail. Weâre better off without him.â
Taylor sipped his beer and considered what mightâve been for the River Hawkâs commander as
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