Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven [203]
"Jesus," Harvey said. "Gordie, you didn't have any guns—"
"Had a twenty-two pistol," Gordie said. "Just in case. But it didn't figure in what happened."
This was a new Gordie. Harvey wasn't sure how, because he made the same jokes, and in some ways he was a lot like the Gordie Vance Harvey had known, but he wasn't, not really. He wasn't a man you could imagine as a banker, to begin with. He seemed to belong up here, with a two-week beard, and no gut but not hungry. Comfortable and dry and very much in charge and at ease …
"They were stupid," Gordie was saying. "Didn't want to be wet. They'd rigged some tents up, store-bought tents, along with their camper. We've still got their gear. Used some of it putting this shelter together." He waved to indicate the logs-and-boulder structure, a shed roof with walls and fire pit. "They were all inside, even the ones they thought were on guard. So we knocked them in the head."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that," Gordie said. "Then we cut their throats. Andy killed two."
Gordie let that sink in for awhile. Harvey sat, motionless, then deliberately looked across the fire to where his son lay sleeping with his … his woman. A woman he'd won by conquest, rescued ...
"And after that the girls just hopped into bed with you?" Harvey demanded.
"Ask them. You see how it is," Gordie said. "We didn't rape anybody, if that's what you mean."
"Only technically," Harvey said. He wished he hadn't said it, but the words were out.
Gordie wasn't angry. He laughed. "Statutory rape. Who's to enforce that? Who cares, Harvey?"
"I don't know. The Senator might. Gordie, Marie came with me. She's at the Senator's ranch—"
"Marie? I figured she'd be dead," Gordie said. "She really came looking for Bert, of course. She wouldn't have cared about me."
Harvey didn't say anything. It was true enough.
"She doesn't really care about Bert either," Gordie was saying.
"Bullshit. She's like a tigress. It was all we could do to keep her from coming up with Mark and me."
"Yeah? Maybe. When she knows he's safe, she won't care." Gordie stared into the fire. "So what happens now?"
"We take you back with us—"
"So the Senator can look at me funny and maybe try enforcing statutory rape laws? So he can split Andy away from his girl?"
"It won't be that way."
"Yeah? Get some sleep, Harv. I'll go change the guard. My turn on watch."
"I'll take—"
"No."
"But—"
"Don't make me say it, Harvey. Just get some sleep."
Harvey nodded and stretched out in the sleeping bag. Don't make him say it. Don't make him say I'm not one of them, they wouldn't trust me to be on guard for them …
Breakfast was fried fish and several vegetables that Harvey didn't recognize. It was good. Harvey was just finishing when Gordie came over and sat next to him.
"We've talked it over, Harv. We're not going back with you."
"None of you?" Harvey demanded.
"That's right. We're staying together."
"Gordie, you're crazy. It's going to get cold up here. It'll be snowing in a couple of weeks—"
"We'll make out," Gordie said.
"Andy!" Harvey called.
"Yes, sir?"
"You're coming with me."
"No, sir." Andy wasn't arguing. He wasn't demanding. He was just saying what would happen. He got up and walked out into the rain. Janie followed closely. She had still not spoken a word to Harvey Randall since she had challenged him on the trail.
"You could stay with us," Gordie said.
"I'd like that. I'd like it better if Andy asked me," Harvey said.
"What do you expect?" Gordie asked. "Look, you made your choice. You stayed in the city. You had a job, and you stayed for it and sent Andy up into the hills—"
"Where he'd be safer."
"And alone."
"He wasn't alone," Harvey insisted. "He—"
"Don't tell me," Gordie said. "Argue with Andy. Look, we put it to a vote this morning. Nobody objected. You can stay with us."
"That's silly. What's up here?"
"What's down there?"
"Safety."
Gordie shrugged. "What's that worth? Look, man." Gordie wasn't quite pleading, because he had nothing to plead. He was straining to make Harvey understand,