“Now wait a minute,” my mentor scowled. “We talked all this out before we went after the merchants and you said that double-dealing wouldn’t bother you.”
“It doesn’t. If anything, I’m glad to see both the Mob and the Deveels getting a little of their own back for a change.”
“Then what’s wrong? I got you everything I could think of!”
“That’s what’s wrong.”
My mentor shook his head sharply as if to clear his vision.
“I’ve got to admit, this time you lost me. Could you run that one past again, slow?”
“Come on, Aahz. You know what I’m talking about. You’ve gotten me more money than I could spend in a lifetime, a beautiful house … not just anywhere, mind you, but at the Bazaar itself . . . steady work anytime I want it … in short, everything I need to not only survive, but prosper. Everything.”
“So?”
“So are you setting me up so you can leave? Is that what this is all about?”
I had secretly hoped that Aahz would laugh in my face and tell me I was being silly. Instead, he averted his eyes and lapsed into silence.
“I’ve been thinking about it,” he said finally. “You’re doing pretty well lately and, like you say, this latest deal will insure you won’t starve. The truth of the matter is that you really don’t need me anymore.”
“But Aahz!”
“Don’t ‘but Aahz’ me! All I’m doing is repeating what you shoved down my throat at the beginning of this caper. You don’t need me. I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and you’re right. I thought you always wanted to hear me say that.”
“Maybe I don’t like being right,” I said plaintively. “Maybe I wish I did need you more and things could go on forever like they have in the past.”