Broken People Read Free Page B

Nicholas drink
much anyway. While Spinner chatted about getting a new and,
presumably, important job, Rake watched Nicholas from his corner of
the table.
    Nicholas’s relaxed stance said nothing about
his thoughts as he nodded, pretending to understand Spinner’s
technical jargon. The magician’s chameleon skills were so good,
they even made Rake feel at ease in his presence. And Nicholas
wasn’t doing anything special to achieve that. It was a gift. Rake
shook his head. That was why they needed him.
    The door leading to Big Dino’s bedchamber
opened silently, and Cielo slipped out.
    “Any change?” Spinner asked.
    The girl closed the door, careful not to
make any sound, and pushed a blonde lock behind her ear. “No,” she
whispered, her eyes downcast. “No change since yesterday. I
replaced the drip because it was clotted. It should hold him until
morning.”
    Spinner thanked her with a nod. Nicholas’s
dark eyes followed her while she limped around the table. People
didn’t usually notice the clumsy girl with sea-colored clothes and
a timid, little smile. But Nicholas did, and he left his chair in
time to gallantly hold the door open for her. Cielo’s smile became
less reserved, only to fade a moment later.
    “And here is our headquarters,” Jacko’s
voice came in from the darkness. He climbed up the steps of the
car, taking them two at a time. The clown’s patchy jacket brought a
hint of color into the otherwise spartan room. “Come, come, Mr.
Armstrong, before we all catch a cold.” Jacko waved his hand at
someone still waiting outside. “We circus people can’t afford
medical insurance.” He glanced around the room. “Hey, Cielo … Oh,
Mr. Renard, you’re here, too …”
    Nicholas ignored the comment and focused his
attention on the visitor. “Good evening, sir. It’s always a
pleasure to meet one of Miss Aurore’s friends.”
    “Dale Armstrong,” the man said, entering the
car.
    The name didn’t ring a bell. However, the
visitor’s leather jacket concealed a gun on the left side. No
surprise there. No one in their right mind would venture into this
part of town unarmed, especially this late at night. The irony was
that the train station area became safe when the circus was
visiting, but a stranger wouldn’t trust that.
    With a murmured “Goodnight,” Cielo left the
car without making eye contact.
    “How is Miss Aurore doing?” Nicholas asked
with an affable smile. The magician was one of the few people who
was never unsettled by the Golden Lady’s presence.
    “She’s … fine,” Dale said. “She recommended
I see someone called Big Dino?”
    “Big Dino is indisposed,” Spinner said, “but
you can talk to Mr. Renard over here. He’s Big Dino’s right-hand
man.”
    “Nicholas Renard.” Nicholas held out his
hand and added, “Nicholas le Fleuriste is my stage name. You must
have seen the posters in town.”
    They shook hands, the visitor refraining
from adding his input to the conversation. Instead, he looked
around the room, his eyes stopping briefly on each of the men. His
cold assessment put Rake on guard. The man was either a killer, or
a damned great actor. He’d make a fine match for Nicholas.
    “These are my … associates,” the magician
said. “Rake and Spinner.”
    The “associates” nodded, grunting. Neither
of them offered their hands.
    The awkward silence was broken by Nicholas,
“I’m afraid they know more about the technical parts of the
business than I do, but I’ll do my best to accommodate you. What
seems to be the problem?”
    Dale looked from one man to the other. “My
friend had an accident. His arms got badly burned. He needs to
regain his hands’ dexterity as soon as possible.”
    “Are we talking about full prosthetics, or
muscle and nerve regeneration?” Spinner asked.
    “The latter would be preferable. He needs
ninety-five percent accuracy in his movements,” Dale said. “And I’d
like to stress the soon part.”
    “Nerve regrowth