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The Laughing Corpse :: Гамильтон Лорел
Страница: 192 из 213"
"You are not in the least intimidated that we have you completely at our mercy?"
"I could argue that point."
He glanced up at Bruno. "Such confidence, where does she get it?"
Bruno didn't say anything. He just stared at me with those empty doll eyes. Bodyguard eyes, watchful, suspicious, and blank all at the same time.
"Show her we mean business, Bruno."
Bruno smiled, a slow spreading of lips that left his eyes dead as a shark's. He loosened his shoulders, and did a few stretching exercises against the wall. His eyes never left me.
"I take it, I'm going to be the punching bag?" I asked.
"How well you put it," Gaynor said.
Bruno stood away from the wall, limber and eager. Oh, well. I slid off the bed on the opposite side. I had no desire for Gaynor to grab me. Bruno's reach was over twice mine. His legs went on forever. He had to outweigh me by nearly a hundred pounds, and it was all muscle. I was about to get badly hurt. But as long as they didn't tie me up, I'd go down swinging. If I could cause him any serious damage, I'd be satisfied.
I came out from behind the bed, hands loose at my side. I was already in that partial crouch that I used on the judo mat. I doubted seriously if Bruno's fighting skill of choice was judo. I was betting karate or tae kwon do.
Bruno stood in an awkward-looking stance, halfway between an x and a t. It looked like someone had taken his long legs and crumbled them at the knees. But as I moved forward he scooted backwards like a crab, fast and out of reach.
"Jujitsu?" I made it half question.
He raised an eyebrow. "Most people don't recognize it."
"I've seen it," I said.
"You practice?"
"No."
He smiled. "Then I am going to hurt you."
"Even if I knew jujitsu, you'd hurt me," I said.
"It'd be a fair fight."
"If two people are equal in skill, size matters. A good big person will always beat a good small person." I shrugged. "I don't have to like it, but it's the truth."
"You're being awful calm about this," Bruno said.
"Would being hysterical help?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
"Then I'd just as soon take my medicine like, if you'll excuse the expression, a man."
He frowned at that. Bruno was accustomed to people being scared of him. I wasn't scared of him. I'd decided to take the beating. With the decision came a certain amount of calm. I was going to get beat up, not pleasant, but I had made my mind up to take the beating. I could do it. I'd done it before. If my choices were a) getting beat up or b) performing human sacrifice, I'd take the beating.
"You are not in the least intimidated that we have you completely at our mercy?"
"I could argue that point."
He glanced up at Bruno. "Such confidence, where does she get it?"
Bruno didn't say anything. He just stared at me with those empty doll eyes. Bodyguard eyes, watchful, suspicious, and blank all at the same time.
"Show her we mean business, Bruno."
Bruno smiled, a slow spreading of lips that left his eyes dead as a shark's. He loosened his shoulders, and did a few stretching exercises against the wall. His eyes never left me.
"I take it, I'm going to be the punching bag?" I asked.
"How well you put it," Gaynor said.
Bruno stood away from the wall, limber and eager. Oh, well. I slid off the bed on the opposite side. I had no desire for Gaynor to grab me. Bruno's reach was over twice mine. His legs went on forever. He had to outweigh me by nearly a hundred pounds, and it was all muscle. I was about to get badly hurt. But as long as they didn't tie me up, I'd go down swinging. If I could cause him any serious damage, I'd be satisfied.
I came out from behind the bed, hands loose at my side. I was already in that partial crouch that I used on the judo mat. I doubted seriously if Bruno's fighting skill of choice was judo. I was betting karate or tae kwon do.
Bruno stood in an awkward-looking stance, halfway between an x and a t. It looked like someone had taken his long legs and crumbled them at the knees. But as I moved forward he scooted backwards like a crab, fast and out of reach.
"Jujitsu?" I made it half question.
He raised an eyebrow. "Most people don't recognize it."
"I've seen it," I said.
"You practice?"
"No."
He smiled. "Then I am going to hurt you."
"Even if I knew jujitsu, you'd hurt me," I said.
"It'd be a fair fight."
"If two people are equal in skill, size matters. A good big person will always beat a good small person." I shrugged. "I don't have to like it, but it's the truth."
"You're being awful calm about this," Bruno said.
"Would being hysterical help?"
He shook his head. "Nope."
"Then I'd just as soon take my medicine like, if you'll excuse the expression, a man."
He frowned at that. Bruno was accustomed to people being scared of him. I wasn't scared of him. I'd decided to take the beating. With the decision came a certain amount of calm. I was going to get beat up, not pleasant, but I had made my mind up to take the beating. I could do it. I'd done it before. If my choices were a) getting beat up or b) performing human sacrifice, I'd take the beating.