Chapters (42)
- DEDICATION
- EPIGRAPH
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- ALSO BY RICHARD KADREY
- CREDITS
- ABOUT THE PUBLISHER
Giselle shook her head. “Forget it. We’re too conspicuous now. And I wasn’t getting anywhere anyway. If anyone here knows Babylon, they’re not talking.”
“Great. Let’s go. I get a feeling we’re looking a lot tastier to some of this crowd.”
Giselle put a hand on his elbow. “Relax. You’re home. No one here is going to bother you.”
They made it as far as the bar before someone pointed a gun at them.
“You were saying,” Coop muttered to Giselle.
To Coop the gunman looked human, but he wasn’t willing to bet his Vin Mariani on it. The guy wore a sharkskin suit and his tie hung loose, like he hoped Frank Sinatra’s ghost would stroll by and invite him out for steaks and hookers. They guy pressed the barrel of the gun into Giselle’s chest. Coop recognized the unusual gold model.
“Why are you asking about Mr. Babylon?” said the sharkskin suit.
Giselle didn’t miss a beat. “I just got to town. I’m a Marilyn and I heard that Mr. Babylon liked to work with the best people. Well, I’m the best.”
“Are you?” said the suit. “What’s his story?” he said, pointing the gun at Coop.
“He’s a Flasher. He’s good, but not as good as me. Do you know Mr. Babylon? Could you introduce us?”
The suit pointed the gun back at Giselle. “Never heard of the man. No one around here has. In fact, neither have you. Do you get me?”
“Completely,” said Coop. “We’re sorry to have upset you. And we certainly don’t want to trouble any nonexistent criminal kingpins.” He took Giselle’s hand. “Let’s go get that Slurpee you were talking about.”
The suit lowered the gun and they started out of the bar when he said, “Wait a second. You have a picture of Mr. Babylon? Who the hell are you?”
Coop turned around as the suit brought the gun back up and fired. He pushed Giselle out of the way and caught the blast square in the chest. A scream went up through the bar. Behind Coop, part of the wall was missing, the edges red hot. Coop felt Giselle beside him as she pulled out a tranq pistol and shot the suit in the neck. He collapsed before he got off another shot. Giselle ran over and pulled the guy up by the collar, talking to him rapidly. From the back of the bar, the werewolves in the nice suits were pushing through the crowd. Coop didn’t need an introduction to know that the suit and the wolves were there together. They closed in fast on Giselle.