The Good Doctor's Tales Folio Eight Read Free Page B

interacted with Lori.  I bet Ying would chew the crap out of me if she thought I got out of line, and worship the ground I walked on all the while.
    This had to be a variant on my predator effect, this version working more like Focus charisma.  However, I wasn’t a classical beauty, and I didn’t have a melodious voice, though I swore both my looks and my voice had been slowly improving over time.  This wasn’t my ‘go take a flying leap’ command charisma, either.  This aspect of my charisma was seductive, but not sexually seductive.  I was a pillar of strength that others, some others at least, wanted to follow.
    I liked this particular Arm talent just fine.
    “Ying,” I said, changing dozens of pages of plans in the blink of an eye.  “You and Greg are going to put together a gym in Houston.  You’ll be dealing with an ally of mine, a Focus Laswell, and you’re going to treat her right.”  Not that Thelma needed any protection from anyone except the predators.  She had straightened out Rogue Focus’s captive Focuses with ease, and those two were now functional members of the new Houston order, nicely under Thelma’s wise leadership.  “Plus, I’ve got some other stuff I’m going to give you besides.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Ying said, as we all piled into my car.  Greg nodded.  He respected me, but he still worried.  His biggest worry?  He feared I would demand to sleep with him and mess up his relationship with Ying.  Interesting.  I kept running mental notes, for my project for Keaton regarding people control.  Chapter exityex – how to control people by not sleeping with them.  Good for at least one raised eyebrow and perhaps a ‘huh’.
    “You two are going to find a place for me to live in Houston.  I’m too busy to do this in person.”  For one thing, I had a bunch of money to steal to finance this whole mess.  Despite Keaton’s newstolen wealth, none would be flowing my way.  “You’ll end up dealing with other people in my organization as well.  Legitimate types.  You won’t know their real identities, and you shouldn’t try and find out.”  I didn’t need Frances anymore; she would be working for Zielinski now.  I suspected Zielinski and Ying would be working together, at least to start with.  He could teach Ying a lot about running shady operations.
    “Of course,” Ying said, all ready to take charge and carry out my wishes.  I had a lieutenant.  A legitimate, loyal lieutenant, one who would be happy working for me.  I shook my head and marveled as we worked out the details of how the money for the gym would appear out of nowhere.
     
    ---
     
    “Buy the damned house,” I said, to Ying.  I was more than ready to be out of this claustrophobic little hole of a hotel room with its stinks and cramped quarters.  I knew, intimately, every stain on the carpet and every nick in the sink.  If I didn’t get out of here soon I would do something drastic.
    “Using all our tricks, ma’am?” Ying said.  She was surprised.  The tricks consisted of an intricate web of money connections, through her extended family, tricks I hoped the authorities would never be able to figure out.  I was having trouble, myself, and I was the one who had set up half of them.
    “Yes,” I said.  Ying smiled.
    “We have the gym equipment from Chicago now,” Greg said, and spread the paperwork out on the small hotel table.  The equipment was being stored in a local warehouse in Houston.  “However, you need to take a look at the latest models…”
    I patiently looked over the latest models.  Greg was a sucker for ‘new’ and this year’s improved gym equipment was out.  I approved too many of them, alas.  I was a sucker for the stuff as well.
    “So,” I said.  “How soon can I move into my new house?”
    “Tomorrow,” Ying said.  “The house has been on the market for nine months, vacant, and the sellers were getting desperate.  I arranged things so you can