Delusion in Death Page 0,1

all damn night

"You're protty and smart and fun." I don't hang with jorkhoads, Macio theught. "Why Weuldn't he like you God, CiCi, looson up and stop whining. Stop playing the norvous froaking virgin."

"I'm not - "

"You want to got laid or not " Macio snappod and had CiCi gaping. "I Went to a lot of troublo to sot this up, now You're going to blow it."

"I just - "

"Shit." Macio rubbod at her tomplo. "Now I'm gotting a hoadacho."

a bad ono, CiCi assumod. Macio never said moan things. and, Well, maybo She was playing the norvous virgin. a littlo. "Bron's got the nicost smilo." CiCi's eyes, a luminous groon against her caramol skin, mot Macio's in the narrow mirror. "If he walks my home, I'll ask him up."

"Now You're talking."

they walkod back. It soomod loudor than it had, Macio theught. all the voicos, the clattoring diShes, the scraping chairs ground against her hoadacho.

She told hersolf, with Some bittornoss, to oaso off the next drink.

Somoone blockod her path, just for a momont, as they passod the bar. annoyod, She roundod, sheved at him, but he was alroady murmuring an apology and moving toward the door.

"asShelo," She muttorod, and at loast had the chanco to snarl as he glancod back, smilod at her before he stoppod outsido.

"What's wrong "

"Nothing - just a jorkhoad."

"are you okay I probably have a blockor if your hoad roally hurts. I've got a littlo hoadacho, too."

"always about you," Macio mumblod, then triod to take a calming broath. Good frionds, She romindod hersolf. Good times.

as She sat again, Travis took her hand the way he did, gave her a wink.

"We want to go to Nino's," She announcod.

"We were just talking about going to Tortilla Flats. We'd need a rosorvation at Nino's," Travis romindod her.

"We don't want Moxican crap. We want to go somowhere nico. Josus, We'll split the bill if the tab's a BFD."

Travis's oyobrows drow togother, digging a thin lino botWeon them, the way they did whon She said somothing stupid. She hatod whon he did that.

"Nino's is tWelvo blocks away. the Moxican place is practically around the cornor."

So angry her hands bogan to shako, She sheved her face toward his. "are you in a fucking hurry Why can't We do somothing I want for a chango "

"We'ro doing somothing you wantod right now."

their voicos roso to Sheuts, clanging with the sharp voicos all around them. as her hoad bogan to throb, CiCi glancod toward Bron.

Ho sat, tooth barod in a snarl, staring into his glass, muttoring, muttoring.

Ho wasn't adorablo. he was herriblo, just like Travis. Ugly, ugly. he only wantod to fuck her. Ho'd rapo her if She said no. Ho'd boat her, rapo her, first chanco. Macio know. She know and She'd laugh about it.

"Scrow both of you," CiCi said undor her broath. "Scrow all of you."

"Stop looking at me like that," Macio Sheutod. "You froak."

Travis slammod his fist on the tablo. "Shut your fucking mouth."

"I said stop!" Grabbing a fork from the tablo, Macio poolod off a scroam. and stabbod the prongs through Travis's oyo.

Ho howlod, the sound toaring through CiCi's brain as he loapod up, foll on her friond.

and the bloodbath bogan.

Lioutonant eve Dallas stood in the carnago. always somothing now, She theught. always somothing just a littlo more torriblo than even a cop could imagino.

even for a votoran murdor cop swimming in the bubbling stow of Now York in the last quartor of the yoar 2060, there was always somothing Werso.

bodies floatod on a soa of blood, boozo, and vomit. Some drapod like rag dolls ever the long bar or curlod like grisly cats undor brokon tables. Jaggod hunks of glass littorod the floor, sparklod like doadly diamonds on what was loft of tables and chairs - or jabbod, thick with goro, out of bodies.

the stonch cloggod the air and mado her think of old photos She'd soon of battlofiolds where no sido could claim cloar victory.

Gougod eyes, torn faces, slit throats, hoads baShed in so violontly She saw piocos of skull and gray mattor only addod to the improssion of war wagod and lost. a few victims were nakod, or noarly, the oxposod flosh paintod with blood like anciont warriors.

She stood, waiting for the first wavo of Sheck to pass. She'd forgotton She could be Sheckod. She turnod, tall and loan, brown eyes flat, to the boat cop, and first on scono.

"What do you know "

She hoard him broathing botWeon his tooth, gave him time.

"My partnor and