Page 74 of Duke
“They took Duke, though.”
Harris’s shrug wasn’t dismissive, but a little more nonchalant than I would have liked. “It’s Duke. I won’t say I’m not worried, but…it’s Duke. He’s unstoppable.” He waved a hand around us. “Look around. He’ll be fine.”
“But you do plan on rescuing him, don’t you?”
“Of course. That’s where we’re going now.”
“Which would be where?”
“Anselm got a look at a few license plates as Cain’s guys left, fed them to Lear, our computer expert, and he’s tracking them via satellite. It looks like they’re planning on taking him to an airfield an hour and a half from here. We’re getting into my helicopter and we’re going after them. If we can’t catch up in time, Lear will keep track of their flight and we’ll regroup.”
Thresh came over, then. “And we’re doing all this with a couple of civilian women along for the ride?” He glanced at Lola apologetically. “No offense, babe, but—”
She raised her hands. “Hey, I don’t want any part of the action. That’s your thing, not mine. You gotta go get your buddy back, I’m happy to be left out of it. I’ll be on the ground waiting if you need stitching up.”
“I’m with her. I’ve already shot two people today—I’m not exactly itching to do it again, like ever. So, if there’s somewhere safe we can hide out, that’s totally fine with me.”
“Problem is, you’re both on Cain’s radar now,” the bearded guy said, swaggering up to join the conversation, with Anselm close behind. He shook my hand. “Name’s Puck, and if hot women like you and Lola here are gonna keep popping up in this little adventure we’re having, I volunteer to be next.”
I gaped at him. “You call this anadventure?”
“It’s a hell of a lot more fun than sitting around with my thumb up my ass.” He examined his thumb suspiciously. “Tried that once. Donotrecommend it.”
I looked at Lola for help, and she just shrugged. “Don’t look at me, sister, I just met him myself.”
Harris laughed. “Puck, can you rein in the weird just a little? You’re creeping out the new girls.”
Puck dug the stump of a cigar out of a pocket, examined it, picked lint off the charred tip, and then lit it with an electric lighter he’d produced from nowhere. “Boss, the weird cannot be contained. The weird abides, man.” He puffed a noxious cloud of smoke skyward, eyeing us all expectantly, as if he’d made a point we were all missing. “No? The Dude? Nothing? Okay, whatever. Point I was making is, we need all hands on deck to go after our boy Duke. Not sure who we can spare to escort them somewhere safe, and where safe even is at this point. If they’re capable of this bullshit? Your compoundwasthe safe spot, Boss.”
Harris stole the cigar from Puck and sucked in a mouthful of smoke before handing it back; he held the smoke in for a moment and then blew a concentric series of smoke rings. “You have a point, there. But it’s not like they can just sit and wait in the helicopter while we infiltrate Cain’s hide out or wherever. Ideas, anyone?”
Puck chewed on the end of his cigar for a moment. “I got one.”
Harris eyed the shorter man skeptically. “If it involves hookers, I don’t want to hear it.”
Puck let out a long-suffering sigh. “Notallmy ideas involve hookers, you know.” Dramatic pause. “Strippers also feature prominently.”
“Puck—” Harris barked.
“But in this case, my idea contains zero percent naked women…” he eyed both Lola and me as if he was mentally undressing us, “unless you two wanna go skinny dipping with me, that is.”
“PUCK!” Harris shouted, drawing a pistol from a belt holster and aiming it at Puck’s foot. “I swear to fuck if you don’t make your goddamn point I’ll shoot you in the fucking foot, you creepy, lecherous little nymphomaniacal douchebag!”
Puck didn’t seem fazed. “I’m not an addict, I can quit any time I want,” he quipped. “What I was gonna say before you so rudely interrupted me with your empty threats,Boss, was that I got a place over in the Ozarks. Been in my family for going on a two hundred years now, and the only deed that exists is a crumbly old piece of paper in a dusty archive somewhere. Meaning, unless you know about it there ain’t no way to find it, and you ain’t gonna know about it unless I tell you.”
He took another puff of the cigar, rolling it and tapping it at the same time.
“This place isremote, like way the fuck out there in the middle of damn nowhere. It’s an old hunting shack way up in the hills, don’t look like much, and hell, itain’tmuch, but itisprivate, and as unfindable as anything you can think of.” He gestured at Harris with his cigar. “You fly us near it in the helo and let us down as close as you can. I’ll get these two set up nice and cozy, and then we’ll bug out, rescue Cain from Duke, and find some strippers and blow to celebrate.”
Harris shook his head. “Is there a word stronger than incorrigible? ‘Cause whatever it is, you’re it, Puck.” He nodded, thinking. “But the idea has merit.”
Thresh spoke up. “This the place you took me? The one you mentioned on the phone the other day?”
Puck nodded. “Yep. Where we went after that Moyers-Andersen debacle.”
Thresh frowned. “That place is a fucking dump, Puck.Iwouldn’t want to stay there for more than five minutes, and you’re gonna stick a couple high class women in there for who knows how long?”
Lola kicked Thresh’s shin. “Who’re you calling high class, asshole?”