Asprin, Robert Lynn – Catwoman – Tiger Hunt (With Lynn Abbey)

There was no time for guesses. A rattletrap vehicle was making a noisy approach to the pier. Its headlights held everyone motionless as it jolted from the concrete and asphalt onto the wooden planks. The entire structure vibrated as it roared toward them. Catwoman dug her claws into the floor and prayed they weren’t all going for a swim. The vehicle braked. The engine idled at an unhealthy whine as four men piled out with guns drawn and looking very nervous. The man in front of Catwoman drew his gun and held it steadily as he scuttled sideways into the deeper shadow directly behind the large crate. Catwoman followed, thought it meant that she could no longer see what was happening.

“You will load in the back,” a man said in thickly accented English. “Now, please. No arguments.”

“You’ll never make it to Canada in that clunker, Khalki.” Catwoman recognized Eddie’s voice. “Let’s be reasonable—you take a look at what we’ve brought in. If you like it, we all get in the boat, we go out to where the rest of the merchandise is moored, we radio the captain of the Atlantic Star—“

“Please, no. My way now, not yours. You will load in the back.”

“They’re armed and they’re nasty, Tiger. We better do what they say.”

That voice must belong to the partner and Eddie must call himself Tiger. Catwoman wasn’t surprised, merely more determined than ever that she was going to claim him tonight. She began circling wide behind the crate out of the headlight beams, toward the light-filled gap in the wall above the boat. In a moment, she could see the pale, anxious faces of the foreigners and Eddie walking boldly toward them, arms wide open and laughing. He was not without a certain crass courage.