XXVIII

A New Deal

They were squished inside the small musky office of the Shadow Broker. All four of them. Toad sat in the lone chair in front of the silhouetted form behind the plate glass. Falco stood next to him with the rhino bodyguard in the shadowy corner behind him. On the opposite side, Luigi was pressed up against the wall with Daisy standing in front of him. She had wide hips with a large round bottom that rubbed up against his groin. She felt him swell against her and placed an absentminded hand on his thigh, which, of course, only served to aggravate matters. He studied the ceiling and recited times tables. Two times two is four. Four times four is sixteen…, he said to himself, but it was a fruitless effort to stymie the blood flow.

"That was then, Toad," came the avalanche of a voice. "The deadline has passed."

Daisy puffed out her cheeks and put her hands on her hips. "Nice try, Broker. I read the agreement. There was no deadline." She bent forward to assert her point but the Broker took no notice. Luigi did, however, because when she did so, her bottom pressed firmly against him. His eyes rolled back and he placed a hand on hers to hold her hip. He panted like a dog without water. She straightened and placed her hand on his cheek and slapped him with three quick strikes. But there was no getting him out of it. He was on the long, lonely spiral to an achy crotch.

"It was a handshake agreement," growled the Broker. "Or don't you remember, Toad?"

"You fuckin' weasel," said Toad, his eyes falling. Falco watched him with disgust as a tear fell from his cheek. The scoundrel had lied. There was no official agreement between him and the Shadow Broker. While there was a written note, it had no fingerprints attached and without those, it was as useless as sandals in the mud. And why would there be? The Broker was a big time player in all things seedy. He didn't need to ante up to a chump like Toad. As far as he was concerned, Toad was meat to be thrown into the grinder. He was a lifetime loser who was never meant to succeed and now he was blubbering in his office. So, he lied about the official agreement. He made the whole thing up so that Mario and team would support him in trying to get his money.

"You can't do this to us," breathed Luigi. "We did what you asked."

"I need that money, Broker," said Toad in a small voice. He sniffled and wiped his tear-stained cheek on his sleeve. There was so much on the line for him: his ship, his freedom, his dignity. He couldn't let it slip away, especially, when they had actually completed the job.

"The client wanted Bow brought in within a week's time. You've been cruising around for a month." The broker slammed his massive fist on his desk with a bang that caused all of them, including the hulking rhino, to jump.

"I wouldn't call it cruising," Toad protested.

"You don't know what we've been through," said Daisy, her cheeks turning bright red. "We've fought rachquids and a Piranha Maw to see this done.

"Regardless," said the Broker with a swipe of his claw. "The client's interest has passed. If I don't get paid, you don't get paid."

Falco pulled out his blaster and pointed it at the plate glass. If someone decided to get brave in the Broker's office, the glass was thick enough to withstand a stray bullet and give the rhino enough time to get the drop and crack their skull. But it wouldn't stand up to a shootout. "Pay up, scumbag," he said. He flicked the switch on the receiver to ready a thermal clip in the chamber, causing the barrel to glow an angry orange.

Toad stood, drew his pistol, and aimed at the form behind the glass. Daisy saw out of the corner of her eye the rhino pull both pistols from his shoulder holsters and aimed one each at the back of Toad and Falco's heads. She drew her pistol and aimed at him. It was a good ol' fashioned Mexican standoff. Luigi was so pressed up against the wall that he didn't have enough room to maneuver.

"Put your weapons down," growled Rambi, the rhino.

"You first," Daisy shot back. He angled his head towards her then and his black eyes widened so that she could see the whites of them when he realized he was staring down the barrel of her gun. He stole himself and bared his teeth at her. So many people had graced this office, people of import and respect. People who knew not to draw their weapons. Even the bitch from New Donk knew to watch her manners and she was crazier than an ostrich in sneakers. Who the hell did this team of ruffians think they were?

"Hey, hey, hey," said Toad. "Let's not lose our heads. I'm sure we can sort this out like civilized scoundrels." He threw his hands up in a surrender gesture, his pistol dangling from his index finger through the trigger guard. They stood like that for a long moment in silence. Falco's gun arm burned as the adrenaline coursed through his veins, his blaster like a lead weight.

Suddenly, there came a light scratching from beyond the glass. The form was tapping his long nails upon his desk. "I could offer you another contract. A real one this time."

"Forget it," said Daisy. "We're not dealing with a bookie who doesn't pay his debts."

"Very well. I should tell you that it pays double what was on the table last time. If you complete it in full. No partial payouts."

"Is it dangerous?" asked Luigi.

"Very." The form tapped the omnitool on his arm and swiped out with his finger, which sent the new contract to Toad's omnitool. It chimed and flashed blue as it received the message. Toad checked the new contract and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, Broker," he said. "I'm listening."