War Everlasting. Don Pendleton

you really need to stop picking up strays. People are starting to talk, you know.”

      “Talk about what?” Corsack remained impassive, but there was no mistaking the icy tone.

      “Let’s save that conversation for a more private venue,” Lustrum replied with a deflective wave. “For now, what can I do for you?”

      “My friend needs work.”

      Lustrum gave Bolan the once-over. “Looks strong. Capable. You’re willing to vouch for him?”

      “I am.”

      “And he understands what’s required in order to earn a place among us?”

      Bolan had been patient as long as he could. “Talking about me as if I’m not here doesn’t really work for me, friend. I’m good to speak for myself. Just what exactly is it I have to do to get some work?”

      “You can start by showing a little more respect...friend,” one of the bodyguards said.

      Lustrum raised a hand. “Easy, Rov. There’s nothing wrong with showing a little backbone. We need more men like this here on Adak.”

      “Like what?” Bolan asked.

      “Tough men, resourceful men. Working on the docks is a hard life. If you don’t—”

      “I think you misunderstand,” Bolan said with a cool smile. “I’m not here to become a dockworker. My talents lie in other areas.”

      “I see.” Lustrum looked at Corsack. “I think, Maddie, you’ve brought your friend to the wrong man. I’d be more than happy to get him work here at the port. But that’s it. I can’t relegate him to any other position.”

      “Can’t or won’t?” Corsack asked.

      “We’re at a critical juncture right now. Davis doesn’t want to risk any more poor decisions. His business concerns are under scrutiny.”

      “Davis doesn’t run things at this end, Otto,” Corsack pointed out. “You do—or at least you did.”

      Lustrum’s expression went hard, but there was something more to it than that. Bolan understood what Corsack was trying to do, and he had to admit the lady knew her stuff. Bolan wasn’t sure exactly what Lustrum did, but from what Corsack had just said, there was some relationship between Lustrum and Davis Haglemann. Chances were good this would get him on the inside if he played his cards right.

      “Okay, Maddie. Okay.” Lustrum scratched the back of his neck. “You’ve done me a lot of favors over the years, so maybe I owe you one. I’m willing to give your man a shot here. But no way am I letting him into one of the crews overseen by Davis. He works for me or not at all.”

      “Fine.”

      Lustrum returned his gaze to Bolan. “Of course, the only question remains is, are you up to it, Mr.—?”

      “Mike Blansky. Depends. What do I have to do?”

      “If you want to work for me, I’ve got to know you can hold your own, no matter what.” Lustrum turned to the man who’d lipped off to Bolan earlier. “Rov, you seem to have taken a personal shine to Blansky here. I think I’ll give you the opportunity to put him to the test. His mettle against yours until one of you stays down.”

      Bolan chuckled. “You want me to fight him to prove myself?”

      “That’s right.” Lustrum grinned.

      Bolan looked the man called Rov in the eyes. He saw the killer instinct there, understood it because he’d seen it before. But the soldier saw something else; an uncertainty that he knew he could exploit. Rov might have acted tough, maybe even been tough, but he was young, and that meant he didn’t have the experience that the Executioner did.

      “Fine,” Bolan said. “It seems a little sadistic, but I’m willing if he is.”

      Without hesitation, Bolan turned and ducked under the rope barrier, glancing to ensure Rov was following. It wasn’t the way he would have preferred to get on the inside, but he had to play the role if he was to gain the trust. Whatever had been going on in this region of the world the past few days, Bolan was sure Davis Haglemann and his people had something to do with it. Or at least they were involved somehow, if he were to believe even half the things Corsack had told them on the flight.

      Rov came under the rope from the same point Bolan had, but instead of squaring off he lunged at the Executioner with surprising speed, arm already cocked to land a punch. The soldier sidestepped in time to take the blow to his right shoulder, thankful he had since the blow landed hard enough to cause pain. Had it connected, it most likely would have broken Bolan’s jaw. Bolan waited until the last moment when Rov’s impetus carried him past, then stuck out his foot and dropped to his side with a slap against the thin mat. He executed the leg sweep perfectly, and Rov went down like a ton of bricks. The soldier immediately regained his feet and waited for the next attack to come. He didn’t have long to wait.

      Rov got to his feet and charged low, encircling his beefy arms around Bolan’s waist in a body-block tackle. The soldier had no way to move out of the line of attack and had to go down with his opponent, but at the last moment he twisted so that Rov would land on his back. He used the brief opportunity in the superior position to drive a palm strike into the man’s sternum just below the notch of the breastbone. The air left Rov’s lungs as the strike winded him. He gasped and wheezed, trying to suck in air, finally jostling Bolan out of position with a buck of his hips. The Executioner tried to maintain superior position, but his thighs couldn’t find purchase and he came free.

      Rov moved with surprising grace and speed, gaining the top role and driving his forearm against Bolan’s throat. The Executioner tried to break the choke, even knowing that brute strength would never accomplish it—especially not with Rov using all his weight behind it. The only way to counter such a move was to gain leverage, and he knew exactly how to achieve it. The Executioner wrapped his right hand against the hand of the forearm holding him down and drove his thumb into a pressure point, a move meant to distract more than debilitate. Hot, stale breath gushed from Rov, who was already sweating profusely at straining to hold his adversary down. The distraction did its job, enough so that Bolan could get his left arm snaked into the crook of the elbow.

      Twisting his body and using the motion of his hips to put strength behind the joint lock, the maneuver broke the choke hold and took Rov off balance. Bolan continued the twist until he’d executed a full-on arm bar with enough pressure to bring Rov’s elbow to the point of snapping. The soldier used that leverage to pry off his adversary and continued the motion until he’d regained his feet. Rov tried to break free by yanking his arm, but Bolan now had him in a jujitsu hold that proved very difficult to counter, unless one was well-experienced in such tactics.

      Every time Rov tried to move, Bolan applied more pressure to remind the bigger man of his precarious situation. Despite the pressure on his arm, Rov continued to resist his opponent until the Executioner thought he might have to break the man’s arm. Finally, Bolan extended the technique so that he could maintain the hold while actually driving Rov’s force toward the ground. In that moment, gravity did the rest until Bolan had Rov’s right arm pinned to the floor and a knee in the back of the man’s neck. He tried to rise, but his position proved so unwieldy that Bolan had little trouble holding the man pinned to the ground.

      The soldier finally looked in Lustrum’s direction. “He’s not going anywhere. I can hold him this way all day. Are we done?”

      Lustrum thought about it for a minute, while Rov continued to shout and curse, the sounds almost unintelligible. He knew if Lustrum declared Bolan the victor that it would not only mean they had to accept him, but Rov would lose face and reputation in front of his peers. That didn’t matter to Bolan. Even if it had gone another way, or he beat Rov without disgracing him, he’d have to watch his back all the same. This was a closed society, just as Corsack had said, and no matter how this ended, Bolan would still be considered an outsider.

      “Tell