“But Boss….”
“Because if Hay-ner and his crew show up again, someone has to be here to let them know we’re on the job and that we haven’t just taken off for the tall timber. Assuming for the moment that we’re going to make it back, we need our exit route, and you’re going to be here making sure it stays open. All we need is for our hosts to move in a new tenant while we’re gone . . . say, someone who decides to brick up this door while we’re on the other side.”
Nunzio thought this through in silence.
“What if you don’t come back?” he asked finally.
“We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it,” I sighed. “But remember, we aren’t that easy to kill. At least one of us will probably make it back.”
Fortunately, my mind was wrenched away from that unpleasant train of thought by the arrival of Guido.
“Ready to go. Boss.”
Despite the desperateness of the situation and the haunting time pressures, I found myself gaping at him.
“What’s that?” I managed at last.
Guido was decked out in a long dark coat and wearing a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses.
“These? These are my work clothes,” he said proudly. “They’re functional as well as decorative.”
“They’re what?”
“What I mean is, not only do people find ’em intimidating, the trench coat has all these little pockets inside, see? That’s where I carry my hardware.”
“But….”
“Hi, Hot Stuff. Nice outfit, Guido.”
“Thanks! I was just telling the Boss here about it.”
Massha was dressed … or should I say undressed in her work clothes. A brief vest struggled to cover even part of her massive torso, while an even briefer bottom was on the verge of surrendering its battle completely.