Crack in the Kill Code (AmpCore #2)

17 - Like a Sieve

 "I don't like this."

"Yeah, you said that already."

"Well, I'm saying it again."

"Fucking hell, Nev, I thought you were supposed be the muscle out of the two of us."

Nevay shot him a glare along with a middle-finger. "Very funny."

"Just relax, would you? We can trust him."

"How in the hell would you know that? You've only met the fat bastard a handful of times."

Kirk sighed, rubbing his eyes with one hand. "Do me a favour. When he gets here, keep that sort of shit to yourself, will you?"

"I'm a model diplomat."

"Last time you took me along on a 'diplomatic' mission, you stabbed someone in the throat."

"Sometimes you gotta negotiate harder than others." She shrugged innocently.

Kirk rolled his eyes and started pacing back and forth. They weren't far from the station, tucked away in a back alley away from prying eyes, in a diminutive tech workshop run by one of Nevay's associates.

She'd gotten them to clear out for this meeting, but clearly her trust didn't run any deeper than that. Against Kirk's wishes, he knew that Targe was skulking somewhere nearby, armed with a heavy rifle so big that he doubted he could even lift it.

Insurance, a buzzword Nevay had gotten very fond of recently. He hoped to hell that Doser didn't have any idiotic plans to try and drag Cutter Jenning's niece back to a cell. The message had been vague by necessity, so he didn't really know what the detective had uncovered for them. It could, if his luck was bad enough, be a trap.

He doubted it though. Kirk just hoped his judge of character would be proved right.

A few minutes later, the detective arrived, right on time.

Doser could not have looked more nonchalant. He ambled through the door, cigarette between his teeth, hands stuffed into the pockets of his grimy trousers and an amused twinkle in his eye. He stopped in front of them, removing one hand to take a drag of the cigarette, exhaling smoke as he looked around.

"Nice digs," he chuckled, before turning his attention to them. "Glad you came, mate. Wasn't sure how cryptic I needed to be. I'm a detective, not a bloody spy."

"Well, we're here," Kirk replied. "You've got information for us?"

"I reckon I do." His gaze drifted to Nevay. "So you're the one keeping the flame of old Cutter burning, eh?"

"That's one way to put it." She sounded positively surly.

Doser shrugged. "Whatever. No concern of mine how you wanna run your business."

"Though you were a cop?"

"I am a cop. Have been for a long, long time. You know why?" He winked at her. "I know when to keep my neck wound in. Always knew to live-and-let-live with Cutter. Don't see why this has got to be any different. 'sides, seems like we've all got bigger problems."

"I'll buy that," she relented, unfolding her arms. "So what've you got?"

"Before we get started," Doser said, waggling an admonishing finger at her. "You wanna tell that big geezer with the bloody cannon that I'm not here to cause any trouble? Don't want anyone to get an itchy trigger finger." He lifted each side of his jacket in turn. "See, not wearing my gun. Which makes me either very honest, or very, very stupid."

"I think he's made his point, Nev," Kirk said, giving her an expectant look.

"Alright, alright." She huffed and let out a sharp whistle.