The Traveler

16

Maya avoided the front door of Resurrection Auto Parts. She entered the parking lot and began to circle the building. There was an unmarked emergency door near the back with a diamond Harlequin mark scrawled on the rusty metal. She pulled the door open and entered the building. Smell of oil and cleaning solvent. Sound of distant voices. She was in a room filled with racks of used carburetors and exhaust pipes. Everything was stacked and sorted by make and model. Pulling her sword out a little farther, she moved toward the light. A door was open a few inches, and when she peered through the crack she saw Shepherd and two other men standing around a small table.

They looked surprised when Maya came through the door. Shepherd reached beneath his jacket for a gun, then recognized her and grinned. “There she is! All grown up and very attractive. This is the famous Maya I’ve been telling you about.”

She had seen Shepherd six years ago, when he visited her father in London. The American had a plan to make millions of dollars from pirated Hollywood movies, but Thorn refused to finance the operation. Although Shepherd was in his late forties, he looked a good deal younger. His blond hair was cut in a spiky style and he wore a gray silk shirt and a tailored sports jacket. Like Maya, he carried his sword in a case slung over his shoulder.

The other two men looked like brothers. They were both in their twenties with bad teeth and bleached blond hair. The older one had smudged prison tattoos on his arms. Maya decided that they were taints-Harlequin slang for low-class mercenaries-and she decided to ignore them.

“What’s going on?” she asked Shepherd. “Who’s been following you?”

“That’s a conversation for later,” Shepherd said. “Right now I want you to meet Bobby Jay and Tate. I’ve got your money and identification. But Bobby Jay is providing the weapons.”

Tate, the younger brother, was staring at her. He wore warm-up pants and an extra-large football jersey that probably concealed a handgun. “She’s got a sword like yours,” he said to Shepherd.

Shepherd smiled indulgently. “It’s a useless thing to carry around, but it’s kind of like being in a club.”

“What’s your sword worth?” Bobby Jay asked Maya. “You want to sell it?”

Annoyed, she turned to Shepherd. “Where did you find these taints?”

“Relax. Bobby Jay buys and sells weapons of all kinds. He’s always looking for a deal. Pick out your gear. I’ll pay for it and they’ll go.”

A steel suitcase was on the table. Shepherd opened it and displayed five handguns lying on a foam pad. As Maya stepped closer, she saw that one of the weapons was made of black plastic with a cartridge mounted at the top of the frame.

Shepherd picked up the plastic weapon. “Ever seen one of these? It’s a Taser that delivers an electric shock. You’d carry a real gun, of course, but this would give you the choice of not killing the other person.”

“Not interested,” Maya said.

“I’m serious about this. Swear to god. I carry a Taser. If you shoot someone with a gun, the police are going to get involved. This gives you more options.”

“The only option is to attack or not attack.”

“All right. Fine. Have it your way…”

Shepherd grinned and pulled the trigger. Before she could react, two darts attached to wires flew out of the barrel and hit her in the chest. A massive electric jolt knocked her to the floor. As she struggled to stand up she was hit with another shock and then another that brought darkness.