“Do overripe kiwi explode?”
“I just thought you would know that reference to round ballsack-like fruit.”
“What was my other choice?”
“Jabillos.”
“Excuse me?”
“Dynamite fruit. They explode when ripe.”
“Why…do you know that?”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Whydon’tyou?”
I laughed, and moved him so he was tucked under my arm. “Come on. I want to get on with this tour. And maybe take care of those exploding balls of yours.”
Aaron’s eyebrows jumped a bit. “Really?”
We headed down the underground passage and I grinned. “Yeah. You’re not the only who has jabillos for balls right now.”
We both laughed and continued down the corridor. I glanced around and realized we were walking through a very old secret passage.
“I don’t get out of the US very often,” Aaron paused, then added, “okay, not ever before. Is it normal for a liquor store to have an underground passage that looks like the Visigoths themselves dug it?”
“Not that I know of,” I answered. “You know who would love this? Rand. He would probably know all about this passage, who built it and why.”
The door was just ahead, and I stepped up to it, knocking three times slowly like the clerk had said. A moment later, the lights went out while the door bolt clanged. The door swung open and the light from the other side was momentarily blinding. We had to wait a moment to get used to it, and a figure was standing there. He spoke after a minute.
“Bochdew oedd eich mam.”
I choked and pushed into the room so I could confirm what I suspected after that phrase. Slamming the door behind Aaron I found the man standing there, laughing his ass off.
“Smoke. You fucker.Your mother was a hamster? Really?” He was doubled over, and I couldn’t help but smack him on the back of his head. “What the hell are you doing here? How did you find out about this?”
Smoke Gillam stood up, coughed a few times to clear his throat, but couldn’t knock the smile off his face. “Hi, Maddox, fancy meeting you here.”
“Where did you even learn how to say that in Welsh?”
He started to regain himself a moment later and clapped me on the back. “I had a friend teach me.”
“Seriously, man. How did you get involved in this?”
“Josef Petersen is one of my old mentors.” He grinned, and motioned us to move through the basement to a set of stairs. “He contacted me about a private flight out of Warsaw, I about crapped myself when he told me your name. I had to take this one myself.”
“Maddox?” Aaron asked next to me.
“Oh, man. Smoke, this is our new drummer, Aaron Donner. Aaron, this is Smoke Gillam. Who do you work for now?”
“Almostfor McInnis Security, in DC.” He shook Aaron’s hand firmly and nodded. “Just wrapping a few last cases before I’m fully theirs.”
“Wait,” I said. “Security. You’re a rent a cop?”
Laughing again, he pulled open the door at the top of the stairs and ushered us through. “I knew you were going to say that.”
“You’re a super spy and you’re working the mall beat?”
He shook his head. “No. I’m not. Head into the kitchen, grab a drink. I have to grab the paperwork for the rest of your trip.”
