Free The Deep by Mickey Spillane

a drink. We’ll talk about it later.”
    His voice was a tired whistle and he hung up. When I put the phone back I told Augie to round up a couple of the old crowd to stake out the place and then beat it on home.
    He made the calls there, picked up his hat and waved so-long. I waved back and watched him get into his car from the front window, then I turned the TV on, sat on the floor and waited for Cat.
    Twenty minutes later the chimes went off, I pushed the buzzer to open the downstairs door and listened to the hum of the elevator climbing up.
    There was a single sharp rap on the door and I yelled to come in, then looked around. But it wasn’t Cat. It was Councilman Hugh Peddle and his two friends were well dressed hoods who went along under the title of “advisors.”
    Rather than get up from the floor I waved to the chairs and said, “Sit down, laddies, sit down. You’ll have to excuse the informality. I wasn’t expecting anyone.”
    Hughie’s eyes sneered back at me. “It’ll only be a short visit, Deep.”
    â€œOh?” I could feel a nasty grin pulling at my mouth. “How’d you find me?”
    â€œYou left a wide path, Deep. You were leaving yourself open to being found, but don’t think you’re being clever.”
    â€œYou came to tell me this, huh?”
    â€œNot exactly.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œHow much will you take to leave town?”
    I inched back slowly and leaned against the sofa. “I’ll collect a million or so by sticking around, pal.”
    â€œOnly if you meet the terms of Bennett’s will.”
    â€œYou mean to sell out now?”
    â€œNot at all. Let Batten have what there is. Keeping it and managing it is nothing but a headache. You take a cash settlement and leave. The sum will be quite substantial.”
    â€œLeave to where?”
    â€œWherever you came from. Wherever you want to go. Just leave.”
    â€œWho’s got that kind of dough?” I asked.
    â€œNever mind. It’s there and there’s no catch to it. The money can be deposited for you, handed over in cash ... any way you prefer. No rough stuff afterwards. You get to keep the money.”
    â€œThat’s a real nice deal, Hughie.”
    â€œWell?”
    â€œI like it here.”
    The smaller of the two hoods smiled gently, as if he felt sorry for me. His mouth never moved when he spoke. “If you want, Mr. Peddle, we can push this bird a little. It’s not hard to make them reasonable.”
    I said, “Tell him, Hughie boy.”
    The Councilman got all red in the face and I could see his beefy shoulders hunch under the coat. He made an impatient motion with his hand and turned back to me again. “What about an outright sale then. The price will be above anything you can make in a lifetime and you can keep Bennett’s junk too.”
    I timed it so he wouldn’t know I was reaching. “What’s there to sell, Hughie boy?”
    He didn’t trust himself to speak. There was rage in his face but fear in his eyes and before the wild anger of the moment could make him point the finger I looked at the two hoods and said, “Either one of you even twitches and I’ll pop one right between your horns.”
    A tic pulled at the mouth of the taller one, like he was trying to keep from laughing. “You can’t be that fast,” he said. He kept watching my hands where the thumbs hooked into my belt. He was wondering how long it would take to make a cross-draw to a shoulder holster.
    I said, “I know how you can find out.”
    The red left Hughie’s face and he said, “Stop it, Moe. He’s got the rod on his belt.”
    The hood sucked in his breath at the mistake he almost made and let his face go blank. Then the small one chuckled. “From the floor he’d be your only hit, friend. What do you think I’d be doing?”
    Behind him Cat said softly,