You've been great about everything."

He looked around the room slowly, before turning back to me. My heart sank, and I had the feeling I was about to be chastised.

"It's just . . ." Louis twisted his hands nervously on his lap, and I realized this was the first time I'd ever seen him like that. "It's just that I don't want to be the grownup in this relationship . . . like I was with Mom."

My heart skipped the stomach and went straight for my shoes.

"Given the circumstances of my conception," he said.

"Given the circumstances of your conception?" I repeated in shock. "Are you six or forty?"

Louis rolled his eyes, ignoring my comment. "I've been reading your Maxim Maxim magazines. Anyway, with Mom, she had this scattered life. I had to remind her to pay the bills, take me for checkups, all that stuff. magazines. Anyway, with Mom, she had this scattered life. I had to remind her to pay the bills, take me for checkups, all that stuff.

And I'd kind of like to be the kid now."

The room was literally spinning as I tried to absorb what my son had just told me.

"This means," he went on, "no swearing, no drinking too much, and no passing me off to sitters so you can go out."

"Holy shit, Louis!"

He frowned, and I knew I'd already screwed up. It was as if he'd sucker punched me. My first instinct was to be defensive. But how sad is it that I have to defend myself against a six-year-old who is more mature than I am?

"Okay. I'll try." I said, ruffling his hair.

"Anything for you."

Louis smiled, and I kissed the top of his head.

Later that night I thought about what he said over and over. And I realized that the kid was right.

Louis and I were really starting to show affection for each other. And to my surprise I discovered that my favorite time of day was picking him up after school. There was a real emotional rush every time he raced out the door and slammed into my arms. I decided the next afternoon that it was time for Leonie and Louis to meet.

"Hey!" Leonie kissed me on the cheek when she answered the door. "Who's this little guy?"

I watched carefully to see if she was upset that I had brought a child with me on the date.

Louis extended his right hand, "Louis Torvald-Bombay. Pleased to meet you."

Leonie laughed and shook his hand, shooting me a bemused look. Apparently she was okay with it.

To my surprise Leonie and Louis hit it off immediately. In fact, they talked to each other more than they talked to me. And to my shock I didn't mind. For once all the attention wasn't on me, and yet I felt like everything was perfect. I wanted my new girlfriend to fall in love with my new son.

While they munched on pad thai and chatted about the Gobi Desert (Louis's newobsession), I watched them with fascination.

It came as a shock to me that I was witnessing the possible birth of a family. So this this was what most people did. was what most people did.

A cold sweat crept over me. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I was becoming a family man. What happened to me? I used to be perfectly content with my life. Now, in a few short weeks, my life had turned upside down. Panic set in, and for a moment I thought I was going to hyperventilate. I was becoming a family man. What happened to me? I used to be perfectly content with my life. Now, in a few short weeks, my life had turned upside down. Panic set in, and for a moment I thought I was going to hyperventilate.

I left Leonie and Louis at the table and headed for the men's room. All of a sudden I needed some space. I found a quiet stall and sat down on the toilet fully clothed.

" 'Scuse me." A deep voice interrupted my meditation. "I'm looking for Dakota Bombay."

That was weird. Someone trailed me into the men's room?

"I'll be out in a second." I stood up quietly, sliding my leather belt out of the loops on my Dockers.

The door slammed open, knocking me back against the bowl. I recovered quickly, yanking on my opponent's arm and bringing him to the floor with me. I looped the belt around his neck and twisted.

"What the hell, man?" I asked the gurgling man in my grip, "What do you want with me?"

"Some guy sent me," he rasped, strugglingto get his fingers between the leather and his skin.

"Who?" I tightened my grip on his throat.

"Doc Savage . . ."

I almost dropped my belt. Again? I thought for a few moments about what I should ask next.

"What did Doc Savage want you to do?" I growled in his ear.

Shit. He was unconscious. I watched as his body dropped to the floor. Now what? After slipping my belt back on I made sure the bathroom door was locked. Working quickly, I sat him on a toilet in one of the stalls, pulling his pants down to his ankles and leaning him back against the wall. I crawled under the door so it would stay closed and cleaned myself up in the mirror. That's one of the things I like about strangulation: It's not very messy, and you don't have to actually kill them. It's all about the pressure. He was unconscious. I watched as his body dropped to the floor. Now what? After slipping my belt back on I made sure the bathroom door was locked. Working quickly, I sat him on a toilet in one of the stalls, pulling his pants down to his ankles and leaning him back against the wall. I crawled under the door so it would stay closed and cleaned myself up in the mirror. That's one of the things I like about strangulation: It's not very messy, and you don't have to actually kill them. It's all about the pressure.

No one would notice him, and by the time he woke up we'd be long gone. I just had to make sure I paid with cash instead of a credit card and no one would know I was even there.

"Who wants ice cream?" I announced when I made it back to the table. Louis started jumping up and down in his seat and Leonie smiled, so I guess that was a yes. I paid thebill and the three of us climbed into my car and headed for Whitey's, best damn ice cream in the Midwest.

"I like you," Leonie said to me with a wink as we sat outside eating.

"Wow. I'm honored," I responded. Louis ignored us both, intent on inhaling his ice cream.

She laughed. It was a wonderful sound.

Maybe the perfect sound. Huh. Huh. I always used to think the perfect sound came from a blonde moaning with pleasure. I always used to think the perfect sound came from a blonde moaning with pleasure.

"I mean it," she answered.

"I like you, too." Wow. Wow. This conversation was going nowhere. Then why did I feel so good? This conversation was going nowhere. Then why did I feel so good?

"Dad thinks you're cool," Louis said through an icecream goatee and mustache.

"Louis!" Was I . . . was I blushing blushing?

My son nodded. "It's true. I think he's quite taken with you."

Leonie smiled at me, then leaned down to Louis. "You know what? I really like him too."

"Why?" I asked before I realized it was a strange question. I mean, I knew why I liked her. But I needed to know why she liked me.

For most of my life I just took it for granted that chicks dug me. Huh. Huh. I guess I never really cared what it was about me they liked. I guess I never really cared what it was about me they liked.

And yet, it seemed very important for me to know what Leonie saw in me.

"I guess it's because you're funny, and weird. You don't act around me like I think you usually act around women."

"What? I'm weird? Really?" Wow. Wow. Didn't see that one coming. Didn't see that one coming.

Leonie grinned. "Somehow I feel that I'm the first woman to see who you really are.

The first one to see your vulnerable side, maybe. Everything else seems like an act.

But around me you're tongue-tied. That's a major turn-on."

Oh, my God. She liked me when I acted like a geek? What the hell? That wasn't what women wanted! They wanted handsome and confident men. Alpha males. Right? Wasn't that right? Vulnerable? Was she bullshitting me? She liked me when I acted like a geek? What the hell? That wasn't what women wanted! They wanted handsome and confident men. Alpha males. Right? Wasn't that right? Vulnerable? Was she bullshitting me?

Leonie pulled a napkin out of her pocket and giggled as she wiped the ice cream off Louis's face. She looked so natural doing that. Her mass of red hair tickled the boy's cheek and he laughed, and I realized that Louis and Leonie belonged together. The question was, where did I fit into the picture?

Chapter Fifteen.

[Szell prepares to torture Babe a second time] "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going into that cavity. That nerve's already dying. A live, freshly cut nerve is infinitely more sensitive. So I'll just drill into a healthy tooth until I reach the pulp. That is unless, of course, you can tell me that it's safe."

-Christian Szell, Marathon Man Marathon Man

"Don't forget about our little appointment!"

Gin's voice bubbled on the answering machine when Louis and I got home. Damn Damn. I forgot about that. Diego was accompanying Romi's class on a field trip, so I'd promised a month ago to take Gin to her appointment with a dental surgeon.

Taking Gin to get her wisdom teeth out was the last thing I wanted to do. But in the Bombay family we had to use the buddy system anytime we would be under anesthesia.

"Are you sure you want him in here?" Dr.

Munch asked my sister. He looked a little concerned about my presence. I could understand that. If he screwed up, he wouldn't want a witness. But rules are rules. It only had to happen once, and it happened to my great-great-great-uncle Francisco. He went in to get his gallstones out and, while under the influence, started talking about killing the mayor of Montevideo with a fish fork.

Fortunately the doctor thought he was just hallucinating and had no idea that the year before, the mayor of Montevideo had, in fact, bought it with a fish fork in a kind of creative tracheotomy, shall we say. Since then . . . well, we kind of borrowed the buddy system from the Boy Scouts.

"Sorry, Doctor," Gin said, "but I'm too nervous without my brother here for moral support. You understand." Of course, my sister isn't afraid of anything. In fact, she could probably pull her own teeth. Maybe we should consider having a dentist in the family.

The dental surgeon reluctantly agreed, then, after casting me a sidelong glance, proceeded to shoot my sister full of Novocain.

"You'll feel a pinch," he said as he plunged the needle into the roof of her mouth.

Yeah, right. A pinch. We practically had to peel Gin off the ceiling after that pinch. After three more shots on both sides, the doctor left. We practically had to peel Gin off the ceiling after that pinch. After three more shots on both sides, the doctor left.

"You okay?" I asked cautiously. Gin looked like she'd had a stroke.

"Thith feelth weird," she slurred. Her cheeks had collapsed into jowls.

I, of course, started to laugh.

"Ith noth funny!" She turned red, and I laughed harder.

"It's just, you're usually such a talker!" I wiped a few tears away. "And now you can't!

This is too good!"

"Athhole." Gin crossed her arms over her chest.

After a few minutes the doctor came back in. "Are you numb?" he asked Gin.

She nodded after slapping both cheeks.

"Yeth. Thee?"

Dr. Munch nodded and picked up a tool I suspect was frequently used during the Spanish Inquisition.

"You won't feel any pain, but you will feel pressure, and you'll hear cracking and popping as I pull the tooth out." Without waiting for her to respond, he reached into her mouth and wrestled with the firmly wedged tooth.

I was fascinated. I'd only been on the receiving end before. The doc was a large man, but he practically had to put his knee on Gin's chest to loosen up the tooth. Finally he pulled the bloody mess out. I watched with awe as he did the same thing on the other side.

My cell went off and I saw it was a textfrom Paris. Turning my back on Gin, I flipped open the phone.

First target-Norbert Munch, DDS. Last kill-whistle-blower for Halliburton.

I blinked. This couldn't be happening. I felt like I was in a trance as I closed the phone and turned back to Gin.

"There you go, all done." And then Dr. Norbert E. Munch rolled up his sleeves.

I froze. Woody Woodpecker mocked me from his inner wrist. It was the tattoo of the National Resources assassins. Holy shit! Holy shit! I didn't think it would be this easy. I mean, I knew one of them was a local-but what were the odds? I didn't think it would be this easy. I mean, I knew one of them was a local-but what were the odds?

Unfortunately the dentist/assassin saw that I saw. I jumped for the door to block his escape. He charged and I threw him to the floor, where we wrestled silently on the linoleum. The man grabbed my testicles and squeezed-an act of war, as far as I was concerned. Pain flooded my line of vision, and I bit my tongue so I wouldn't scream. Of course, then my tongue hurt too. My hand reached the tray above us, and I found a long-handled dental mirror.

My assailant flipped me into a submission hold. This guy was good. So good that my vision was starting to blur. I could feel myselflosing consciousness, so I took the only chance I had and plunged the end of the mirror deep into his eye socket. His hold relaxed, and I scrambled to my feet as he flopped around on the floor.

"You killed my denthal thurgeon?" Gin asked woozily. Oops. Oops. I forgot about her. I forgot about her.

I nodded. "Council assignment. I only just got his name, but I had to take him out."

"Well, thath jutht fantathtic." Gin rolled her eyes. "How the hell are we going to deal with thith? The nurth will be in any moment!"