Up Against It - M. J. Locke [54]
“Chiisu,” he said.
Ian lifted a hand in a casual wave. “Chiisu. I was wondering when you’d show up. You’re late for the party.”
“Um, sorry—” He gestured at Ian’s shiner. Ian shrugged with a sheepish look, and gestured at Geoff’s tender, swollen nose. “Likewise.”
“Look, let’s get out of here, Ian. This isn’t our turf.”
But Ian wasn’t listening. “I’ve met some guys, and they’re ready to deal. They want to give us a hundred thousand for Ouroboros! That’ll get us to Earth with wads of cash left over for trainers and living expenses.”
Geoff started to speak, but Amaya interrupted. “Bukkurosu yo!” She shoved Ian’s shoulder. “Idiot! I’m going to pound you! You have no idea what you’re doing. They’re criminals!”
Ian tried a grin; it came out more like a grimace. “They’re just trying to make a buck, Amaya. Come on…”
Geoff shook his head, arms folded. “We’re not making a deal with them. Kam is already at the bank, trading our ice in.”
Ian’s face went through a series of contortions. “No fucking way! We’d only get a tenth of what these guys are offering. If that!”
“I told you. I’m not selling my ice on the black market.”
“Then you’re the idiot.”
They stared at each other. When he saw they weren’t going to budge, Ian’s anger drained away, leaving fear in its place. He leaned close. “Don’t you guys get it? They know about the ice now. They’re watching us. We have to sell to them.”
“And that’s just the way you planned it, isn’t it?” Amaya asked. “You are such an asshole.” She cut herself off with a growl. Ian looked both mad, embarrassed, and sick to his stomach.
Geoff said to Ian, “You can stick around if you want. But Amaya and I are leaving. Come on,” he told her. He turned—and nearly ran into a man with a hairless chest. He took a step back and looked up.
The hairless man must have weighed a hundred fifty kilos. He wore an expensive business suit but no shirt beneath. He had deep blue skin and a bald head. Neon coursed across his chest in rivulets of light. He seemed unaffected by the chill in the air. His sammy cache was full to the brim, and pulsed an alarming red. The sight of it made Geoff’s neck hair bristle. His companions’ caches weren’t much better.
“What seems to be the problem here?” the man asked. The others fanned out around them.
“Just a misunderstanding,” Ian said, with a nervous chuckle, while Geoff replied, “No problem. We were just leaving.”
He and Amaya tried to go around them, but one of the men blocked their path. Geoff’s heart pounded.
“We hear you got some high-carbon ice,” the guy who had stepped into their path said. He had a tuft of white hair at the crown, and his scalp, face, and neck bled neon like the other guy’s chest did.
“High-quality stuff,” a third said. “A good ten tons or more.”
“You trying to cut us out?” Blue Tattoo asked.
Geoff folded his arms across his chest. “I didn’t make any deal with you. And it’s my ice to trade—not his,” with a jerk of his head toward Ian. “I’ve already made a deal with the bank. They’re waiting for us to get there and sign. If we don’t show soon, they’ll call the cops.”
Blue Tattoo looked from Geoff to Ian and back. He looked thoughtful. Then he chuckled. “Bullshit. You don’t show, your banker buddy’ll assume you’re full of crap and won’t give it another thought.”
He leaned into Geoff’s face. His breath stunk of bacteria and old booze. “Here’s how it works. You deal with us or we leave your cold-ass corpses up top for the cops to find.”
Geoff’s hands balled up. Asshole. He started to retort, but a large group of people passed nearby: Downsiders, talking noisily. Tourists? They must be—he heard one of them call Phocaea “foh-KAY-uh” instead of “foh-SEE-uh.” Geoff tried to bolt toward them with a yell—“Hey! Help!” but he was jerked backward by his hair. Someone clamped a hand over his mouth and nose, which started bleeding again. They were manhandled into an alleyway.
“Goddamn, he’s bleeding all over the place.”
“You broke his nose, you jerks,” Amaya said. She shoved them back and made her way over to hand him a cloth scrap smeared with bike grease.