“Not at all.” I opened my pom and raised the holo of my account. “I still have your exchange code. I’ll send the credits now.”

  She disengaged the shock club but appeared none too happy.

  “Follow me.”

  The patrons stared as we entered. Lumen told me to stand aside and allow the gawkers to pass.

  “Return to your tables or head home,” she ordered as if a commander. “You got no business with this man. Ignore him.”

  Not the best customer relations, I reckon, but a monopoly provided certain privileges. The crowd filled a third of the hundred or so chairs. Lumen directed me to the end of the bar, farthest from the locals.

  Ship Foster was collecting empties when our eyes met. I saw the boy’s lights turn on. He nodded, just enough to make the connection without drawing Lumen’s wrath.

  I took my negotiating position on the last stool. Lumen laid her club on the inside counter and glared across the bar.

  “I’d wager you’ve always been a briar in somebody’s ass, Raul. When you asked for a tour, that was my first warning.”

  “You didn’t have to take payment.”

  “Call me curious. We see outsiders come in here flashing major credits about as often as the moon turns orange.”

  “Ah. And what of Cardinale’s men? Aren’t they regular visitors?”

  “Those cheap malgados?”

  “True. They did construct a lofty tab.”

  She rested her arms on the counter next to the shock club.

  “You took advantage of Ship. He is not bright, and he said you asked difficult questions. From now, the boy is off-limits.”

  “Understood. Although, he is sixteen. If he had a mind to …”

  “Off. Limits. Out with it, Raul. State your purpose.”

  Clever boy! He didn’t tell Lumen shit about our confab, let alone my special unveiling. Already, I saw a genuine future for the kid, although I wasn’t sure he’d have the fiber for it.

  “As I previously noted, I’m an investor. I have a portfolio of interests throughout Azteca. I focus on opportunities that protect the ordinary citizen.”

  “Hah. Protect from what?”

  “Barbarians. Ruthless land-grabbers. The corporate class who have a genetic predisposition toward displacing the marginalized and the politically underrepresented.”

  At first, she stared at me with the same limp-jawed wonder I evoked in Ship, who found my multisyllabic words impressive. Then Lumen placed a hand over her lips as she chuckled.

  “The rich run off the poor. There! Six words. Six syllables. You’re a piece of work, Raul. I don’t swoon over twenty-credit vocabulary.”

  “My apologies. I took you for a sophisticated and serious woman. I’ll be happy to trim syllables.”

  “You’re a meager salesman. Speak plain or drag your ass back to Mesquine.”

  The casual observer might have assumed this woman had my number. And damned if she wasn’t a tough nut. I wasn’t concerned, however. If anything, Lumen and her unibrow thrilled me.

  “Fair enough. I won’t bother you with my considerable language skills. I asked for the tour because I wanted a resident to validate my vision for the town. I chose the boy because kids have no filters. He gave me a fair, honest assessment.”

  “What is your vision, Raul?”

  “I’ll demonstrate, if you’ll allow me. I require five shot glasses and a bottle of your cheapest whiskey. I assume my surcharge will cover your costs?”

  She didn’t answer but complied. I admired the bottle’s label.

  “The Tajilios region. Three hundred years, they say. A family tradition unlike no other.”

  “They say the secret is in the worm.”

  Ah. There it was. Four inches long, floating near the bottom.

  I poured the golden elixir into four glasses and set the bottle aside. I arranged those four equidistant from the empty glass to form a diamond then pointed to the empty.

  “This is Desperido. To the casual eye: Quiet, unassuming, worthless. The terminal point to a long, desolate supply road.” I tapped the full glass nearest to Lumen. “This is the government of the Naugista Province. It collects taxes and enforces law everywhere in the province except, strangely enough, Desperido.

  “This glass to your right is the Horax, under the reign of Senora Evelyn Cardinale. It’s the largest, most pervasive criminal enterprise in the northern territories.”

  I’d done considerable homework the past four days after having been negligent for nineteen years. I never thought I’d have use for these Aztecans. As long as they strayed far from my interests, we’d coexist in peace. Esai and Emilio, bless their mischievous hearts, gave me a new perspective. I continued:

  “Senora Cardinale wouldn’t pay Desperido any mind but for the independent contractors who live here and provide specific goods. She is most likely why the Naugista government ignores this town. Please, correct me if I’m wrong.”

  Lumen’s cold stare betrayed nothing, but it also said I might need to beat the truth out of her.

  “I’ll take that as confirmation.” I focused on the glass to her left. “This represents the night market and all those entities that partake of it. They’re mostly private citizens, some of whom have contacts inside the government. Others compete directly with the Horax. It’s a complicated and corrupt web that requires balance. When it tips in the favor of a single entity, the others push back. Sometimes with violence.

  “You have an arrangement with all three forces, but you serve at the pleasure of Senora Cardinale. The terms of your deal are difficult. If she or the other beneficiaries of your town’s secret economy lost faith in your leadership, you and Desperido would find yourselves in their crosshairs. And here you sit, defenseless in the desert.”

  Lumen grabbed the empty, poured a shot, tossed back the liquor, and returned the glass to the center.

  “I was wrong, Raul. You’re not a grifter. You’re a parasite. You latch on, take a bite, and drink blood until you’ve had your fill.”

  Interesting analogy. She wasn’t far off the mark. I had certainly done my share of bloodletting.

  “A parasite? No, no. I go where I’m needed. I protect the little man against larger forces.”

  “So that’s your game. You want to sell me protection. If I refuse, you’ll bring trouble to my door.”

  Yes, but …

  “I want to save this town from its inevitable takeover by one or all of these forces.” I lifted the full glass nearest me. “The interests behind me will gladly stand against your enemies. Not only will I secure the town, but I’ll ensure you and every resident is a true free agent, beholden to no one. Free of tariffs. Free of oversight. Your margins will grow exponentially.”

  I drank to my health. Lumen reached for the club but did not ignite it.

  “You and the real world have gone separate ways, Raul. There’s no secret economy here. These people live day to day in peace, far from the noise.”

  “Which will soon arrive with disastrous results.”

  “The answer is no. Time for you to fly away.”

  I hardly expected a different answer, especially since my plan was short on details. I turned over my shot glass and set it atop the one representing Desperido.

  “I’ll put a dome over this town, and it will become per capita the wealthiest on the planet. Before you threaten me with the club, allow me to clarify my position. I’m not selling anything, and you’re not buying. I will have this town. Every square meter. I highly recommend you don’t resist.”

  15

  T HREATEN ME IN MY ESTABLISHMENT, Raul? You’re more than a jackass. You’re a stupid one.” She ignited the shock club. “You will not be the first man to leave here in a box.”

  “Lumen, please. That web of electrical current might intimidate some, but you’ll be disappointed when it doesn’t have the desired effect on me.”

  “It’s not designed to kill, Raul. I have other tools behind this bar.”

  “By all means, demonstrate. Otherwise, come to your senses and we’ll work out the details of my acquisition.”

  She wagged a finger in my face.

  “You’d love me to try. It would give you an excuse.”

  “For what?”

  “To take my town without a fight.”

  “Come now, senora. I’m not interested in violence.”

  “You’ll draw faster than I blink.”

  “Seen me in action, have you?”

  “I see everything in this town. You rolled in here suave and sophisticated, courteous and conciliatory. A true gentleman. I grew up surrounded by your kind.”

  “Which would be?”

  “Well-dressed vermin.”

  Interesting. I found nothing in my research to build a biography of this woman, but she gave away an important piece of intel. She was born into money. That narrowed my search options.

  “Senora, I don’t hurt people except in self-defense. I lean toward pacifism whenever possible.”

  Lumen disabled the club and leaned back against the rear display counter, where she laughed as if hearing a legendary punch line.

  “Don’t move,” she said. “I have something to show you.”

  Much to my surprise, she retreated into the back room.

  I tapped the bead in my right ear.

  “She’s left me alone at the bar. Gone into her office. What do you make of that, partner?”

  Moon sighed. “I told you someone would see through your bullshit, Royal.”

  “Eh. It happens.”

  “I think I know what she’s doing. The town has a security system. It was hard to detect, but there’s at least forty hidden cams.”

  “Where?”

  “It appears limited to outside. She has every angle covered.”

  “Huh. I should’ve asked about that during my tour. Then again, the boy might not know. Why didn’t you speak up the instant you discovered it, partner?”

  Moon chuckled on the other end.

  “You were sweet talking. You told me never to interrupt when you’re on a roll.”

  Ship appeared at the far end of the bar. He grabbed a bottle of blue liquor and tended to his duties, but our eyes locked. He glanced toward the office then to me. I sensed words on the edge of his tongue but waved him back to work.

  No reason for him to risk exposure. Yet.

  As Lumen re-emerged, I told Moon, “I’ll have her in my hands soon enough.”

  The big woman with the long braids carried a tablet. When Lumen swiped the screen, she grinned like a cat about to pounce on the canary. I loved when folks smiled at their premature victory.

  “Investor, you say. Not cartel, you say. Explain these, Raul.”

  She tossed a few holovids in my face. There I was with Moon and Esai, arriving on rifters. Another angle showed us entering the kid’s place. A third vid revealed Esai meeting with Vincente and Mando then leading them into his home. A fourth caught me leaving with Cardinale’s delivery boys. A fifth watched Moon load three crates onto a rifter and fly off.

  “Very nice, Lumen. You maintain a watchful eye on the town. I applaud you. I assume the residents know you’re keeping tabs.”

  “Don’t deflect. You can’t slink past the evidence.”

  “Which is what exactly?”

  “I can’t pin it down exactly, but you’re working for Cardinale.”

  “Never met the woman. Although I have seen her on the stream. Quite the lady about town. Beautiful creature. Exquisite fashion. A philanthropist. Lovely.”

  “Explain, Raul.”

  I could’ve drawn it out with endless digressions and misdirections. By then, I’d have grown bored.

  “It’s very simple, senora. Esai, his cousin, and two other miscreants hijacked our tumbler while we were parked at the Fort of Inarra for a break on our long journey.”

  I told her the same story that satisfied Vincente and Mando, cementing us as representatives of powerful men in the Mesquine region. Then I deviated.

  “When the four of us confronted Esai in his home, he made a shocking allegation. He and his friends acted on your orders.”

  If the twist fazed her, Lumen hid her surprise behind a stoic pose.

  “My orders?” She chuckled. “To do what?”

  “According to Esai, you accused the young men of not pulling their weight in Desperido. You sent them on scouting missions to areas of the Naugista Plateau where travelers would be vulnerable to attack. You told them to return with stolen goods or face consequences. Esai’s words, you understand.”

  “Uh-huh. And what were those consequences?”

  “Unclear, but Esai was relieved when he returned to town with our products. He claimed to have shown you the first load. You were thrilled, he said. Even offered to split the haul fifty-fifty if he returned to the fort and cleaned us out. He believed you meant to sell our products on the night market without paying Cardinale the appropriate cut.”

  Lumen swiped away the holos.

  “Those are outrageous accusations, Raul. Strange that Vincente and Mando never confronted me.”

  “I tried to talk them down. Once I understood your position and Cardinale’s interests here, I told them Esai must be lying to save his ass. A woman in your position would never be so reckless.”

  “Your generosity amazes me.”

  She said it with such snark, I tingled all over.

  “Vincente and Mando wanted to avoid trouble between the Horax and my employers, so they allowed us to reclaim our products, as your last vid demonstrates.”

  “Esai never emerged. I checked on him, Emilio, Manny and Tico. They left without their possessions. Very strange. I assume you killed them.”

  I grabbed the shot glass representing the Horax and threw back its delightful, peppery liquor.

  “They won’t be coming back.”

  “You’re garbage, Raul. You come to my town, murder four of my people, and claim you’ll protect us from barbarians.”

  “Which I will. You more than anyone, senora. I’m afraid Vincente and Mando don’t trust you. They left here intent on reporting your malfeasance to their boss. I tried to defend you, of course. Yesterday, my partner contacted them in Machado. I fear Senora Cardinale is preparing to make a move against you.”

  “Your bullshit deepens every time you move your mouth.”

  “Does it? Contact Cardinale herself. Not that she’d be truthful, of course. Judging from your attitude toward her men, I’d say you weren’t on the best of terms before I arrived.”

  Bluffs played well on the paranoid. They required a gentle nudge.

  “And then there’s another matter my partner uncovered yesterday.”

  She set down the tablet and grabbed that pointless shock club.

  “What’s that, Raul?”

  “It seems Vincente and Mando, poor sods, have taken to bed with something resembling influenza. Apparently, they’re of the opinion they picked up the virus here. Ilan says they felt uneasy on the trip home. They wondered if maybe it was the lentil stew.”

  “Food poisoning? I wonder who planted the idea, Raul.”

  At least she believed the nonexistent conversation took place. This bit was, arguably, the riskiest segment of my scheme.

  “The truth is, those men are using their illness and Esai’s reckless allegations against you. Don’t believe for a minute the Horax will not replace you. The secret economy of this town is too large for them to leave at risk.”

  “There you go again. Secret economy. What do you know of our business here?”

  “The weekly resupply tumbler serves another purpose. Yes?” Her silence answered me. “It’s a tricky game. The Horax has considerable investments in the shipping industry. Their contacts in the government ensure safe passage around inspections and duties. No one in power will take that chance unless the goods generate remarkable profits. Desperido is this planet’s best kept secret. And you’re about to lose it, senora, unless you accept my help.”

  She poured a drink in a regular glass, the first sign of concern.

  “Your offer is out of tune. If we’re protected by the Horax and the government, what will happen to our transports if you call the shots?”

  “At worst? Hijacked or destroyed. At best? Inspections will uncover your dirty deeds. Ugly, for damn sure. But my protection will open the market equally to all bidders. No one enterprise will have control, tariffs and royalties will not be sliced off the top of your profits, and every interested party will have a fair share. Within three months, income in this town will quadruple. These people will earn what they’re worth, Lumen.”

  “Pie in the sky.”

  “Care to put my proposal to a popular vote?”

  “We don’t vote here. Everyone knows the rules.”

  “Your rules. I’m throwing you a lifeline. Without me, you’ll be dead within days, and these people will have to work for smaller margins under new management.”

  I preferred not to kill her. The locals might have a problem with a new strongman who took her place by force. Stability would help them survive the coming storm.

  “So, what’s your plan, Raul? You can’t buy out the town. There are no deeds or property valuations.”

  “Of course not. Desperido exists outside legal parameters. I’ll protect the town, make arrangements with new partners, and you manage the cantina. Life will go on, but everyone will earn more creds. Simple.”

  “And if I send you on your way, you’ll make sure I’m dead within what – two, three days?”

  “Never. Cardinale is coming for you. Not me.”

  I felt her bending but not fast enough. Time to up the ante. I swiveled on my stool and caught Ship’s attention. He pretended to be surprised when I waved him over.

  “Yes, suh. How can I be of help?”

  “Do you have the device, Ship?”

  “I do, suh.”

  Lumen interjected. “What’s this about?”

  I said nothing. The kid retrieved a small hand-comm from his pants pocket. I loaned it to Ship when he agreed to take inventory. It was an old model, not connected to a comm network, but useful for simple data input.

  I opened the forward screen, read the first few items, and heard Lumen growl at the boy: