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I said, “I’m going to draw their attention, so be watching.”
Loomis pocketed the pick, “I will.
Ajax, John Wesley, and a third guy who must be the muscle of the group approached me as Loomis walked towards the trio, giving them dirty looks as he passed.
John Wesley glanced back at Loomis and watched him go out the museum doors. He said to me, “What’s with that weirdo?”
I said, “I told him you three were here demonstrating as part of the ‘Down With Museums’ group. He donates every payday to the museum, so you can understand his agitation.”
Ajax’s muscular henchman stepped to within three feet of me, flexing his torso to show how big and fierce he was.
I said, “You must be Beaver Cleaver’s brother, right?”
He said, “What?”
“You’re the one they never put on TV. Your name’s Meat, right? Meat Cleaver.”
That got a grin out of him. However, the Alpha crook of the bunch wasn’t happy with it. “Shut up with the funniness,” Ajax said.
“Give me Jett and you’ll never hear another joke,” I said.
“Give me the merchandise.”
“No deal, Baldy. You give me Jett, and then I’ll get your weapons so you can destroy the world and make yourself happy.”
John Wesley stepped close and said, “Do what he says, now, or kiss her goodbye.”
I looked beyond them and out the glass doors. I saw the two men and the black shiny top of the Mercedes. Loomis lurked nearby.
Ajax gave a nod to Meat and the big guy reached in my direction. I was ready and I snapped a hard front kick into Meat’s chest and knocked him into the saber tooth display. Several nearby women screamed.
Meat crashed through the display and landed on his rear atop an upside-down skull. Four long, sharp inches of cat sabers stabbed deep into his right butt cheek. Another visitor yelled, “Oh, my god!”
I was already moving after the kick and I reached John Wesley. I grabbed his shirt pocket and tore it off his chest. I had the MAV in my fist as I raced toward the front doors.
Behind me, Meat screamed and jumped to his feet, causing the lower jaw, which was on top, to open and close, clacking down on his butt. This made Meat jerk, which made the jaws snap open and shut again. He ran in a bouncing circle yelling, “It’s biting me! It’s biting me!”
I banged through the front doors to the outside. The two men by the Mercedes looked at me, and when Ajax came through the doors, followed by John Wesley, they ran for us, leaving the Mercedes unguarded.
People started coming out of the museum and several others who were approaching the doors stopped and stared at us.
Things got busy then and I didn’t see Loomis or the Mercedes for a while because John Wesley had a pistol stuck up my nose. He said, “Move one more time, you sonofabitch and I’ll kill you no matter what anybody says.”
Ajax put his hand on the black cowboy’s shoulder and said, “You’ll get your chance, but when I say. I want you rich first.”
John Wesley said, “Yeah, okay,” and put up his pistol.
Ajax held out his hand in front of my face and said, “Give it to me.”
I reached into my pocket then heard the sound of an engine racing and tires squealing.
We all turned and watched the black Mercedes burning rubber out of the parking lot. The two men who had been guarding it stood big-eyed and sheepish, sneaking glances at Berenko.
“Hard to get good help anymore,” I said, and then I hit John Wesley on the jaw and took off running.
The two men who had been guarding the Mercedes chased after me, but I had too much of a head start and I was weaving among the parked cars. I finally lost them after I crossed Wilshire, then doubled back and hid in some shrubs.
It was a good thing I hid because in the next twenty minutes I watched a lot of activity. An ambulance arrived at the Page Museum and two paramedics went in with a gurney and came out with Meat on it, lying facedown.
