Way too fancy," said Cade. "People would think I was from the French
Quarter or something. How about those, instead?"
He pointed to a set of three small stamped-out stainless throwing knives.
Each knife was about five inches long and they came with a sheath that held all
three at once.
She shrugged at his much less expensive choice and said, "Uh... Sure. Okay."
A few minutes later Cade left the booth with his knives as the woman
practiced the move on her boyfriend's left arm. He yelped satisfactorily and she
grinningly waved at Cade.
"I think I've got it!" she said.
Cade waved back as Mandi sidled up to him and took his left arm in hers, a
gesture that made him look at her with a raised eyebrow as he tucked the knives
into his back pocket.
"The dealer's room closes in ten minutes," she said. "That leaves two hours
until showtime. Is there anything on the schedule that you particularly care
about?"
"Nope. Actually, it'd be nice to get away from the crowds for a while and I
left most of my dinner sitting on the bar. You got any thoughts on the matter?"
With a shake of her head, Mandi said, "Not really. This is my first time in
Atlanta. I saw a couple of places in the city guidebook, but they're nowhere
near downtown."
With a grinning glance, Cade said, "You can fly at warp speeds, milady. Even
with heavy ol' me aboard you could zip pretty much anywhere in town in seconds."
Matching his wry grin, Mandi gave Cade's arm a squeeze and said, "Okay. True
enough, but I don't feel comfortable about leaving the area. Four of the men on
John's list didn't turn up today, which doesn't necessarily mean they aren't
somewhere near."
Shrugging, Cade said, "Let's take a walk, then. Maybe we'll find something
interesting within a couple of blocks."
They were nearing the dealer's room doors when Mandi gave his arm another
squeeze and said, "You're a refreshing change, Ed."
"Refreshing, huh? Gee, lady, how'd I manage that?"
"You just are. The others on the teams act as if they either worship me or
they're scared shitless of me. I've only met two people during this operation
who seem able to treat me like... well, who don't go overboard one way or the
other. You're one of them. Mind if I ask you why?"
"Why I don't worship you or why I'm not scared of you?"
"Yes. Both."
Stepping back and eyeing Mandi from toes to hairline, Cade said, "Well, you
asked..