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THE MANHATTAN JOB
JASON KASPER
THE MANHATTAN JOB
Copyright © 2021 by Regiment Publishing, LLC.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without
written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a
book review.

Severn River Publishing

www.SevernRiverPublishing.com

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and

incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious
manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is
purely coincidental.

ISBN: 978-1-64875-114-1 (Paperback)

ISBN: 979-8-74629-822-5 (Hardback)

For information contact:

Jason@Jason-Kasper.com
Jason-Kasper.com
 CONTENTS

Also by Jason Kasper

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94

Thanks for Reading

Next in Series
Also by Jason Kasper
About the Author
 ALSO BY JASON KASPER

Spider Heist Thrillers

The Spider Heist
The Sky Thieves
The Manhattan Job
The Fifth Bandit

Shadow Strike Series

The Enemies of My Country
Last Target Standing

American Mercenary Series

Greatest Enemy
Offer of Revenge
Dark Redemption
Vengeance Calling
The Suicide Cartel
Terminal Objective

Standalone Thriller
Her Dark Silence

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 To my son, Levi

Welcome to the world.

 1
BLAIR

Blair strode purposefully across the rooftop, making her way to the
fire escape stairwell.
The night sky over LA was hazy, the stars drowned out by the
electric glow of bars and restaurants that would remain open well
into the early morning hours. After all, this was New Year’s Eve, and
the City of Angels wasn’t known for restraint when there was any
possible cause for celebration.
Reaching the fire escape, Blair took a final glance across the
rooftops around her.
Most of the buildings in the Old Bank District had been converted
to residential loft apartments, and judging by the thumping bass
notes below, more than a few had parties in progress.
But a majority of the occupants, she suspected, were celebrating
at the bars along South Main Street. She’d only encountered a few
civilians so far, none of whom gave her a second glance. Even from
her current location, she could hear the raucous crowds, catch hints
of cigarette and marijuana smoke being carried on the calm breeze.
Adjusting her backpack straps, Blair descended the fire escape
toward the empty alley. All in all, it was a perfect night to slip to her
destination undetected.
After setting foot on the pavement, Blair began walking down the
alley while checking over her shoulder to see if anyone had noticed
her. The coast was clear behind her, and she was in the process of
turning her head to the front when she collided with a backpack
worn by a woman striding out from between buildings.
“Sorry,” the two women said, almost in unison.
Blair scanned the civilian’s appearance, trying to end the
encounter as quickly as possible while simultaneously determining
whether she’d been recognized.
Nothing about the other woman’s appearance, however, indicated
either suspicion or a likelihood to alert authorities. She had darker
skin, artificially blonde hair pulled into a ponytail, and accessories
that immediately put Blair at ease: skull-and-crossbones earrings,
black fingernails, and Converse All Stars.
The woman was likewise taking in Blair’s attire, an expression of
pity crossing her features as her eyes danced across the hardhat,
utility vest, and service backpack.
“They’re making you work tonight?”
“Can you believe it?” Blair replied. “Outage on East Third, and
we’ve got to check all the subsidiary breakers. Last night I wanted to
be working.”
“Seriously,” the other woman agreed. “Good luck with that.”
Then she was gone, continuing on her way without so much as a
backward glance.
When the woman had vanished from sight, Blair transmitted into
the radio mic hidden in her shirt collar.
“Ran into a civilian at the base of the fire escape—she’s gone
now.”
Sterling replied over her earpiece.
“Were you compromised?”
It was a fair question; without her disguise, Blair would have
been one of the most easily recognized faces in LA. So too would
Sterling, and for similar reasons.
But both had taken extensive precautions to alter their
appearance, and Blair responded, “No. We’re good to proceed.”
“All right,” Sterling said. “Let’s get moving.”
Blair did, leading the way for her team as they approached JB
Porter Federal Bank.
 2
STERLING

Swiping a bead of sweat from beneath his hardhat, Sterling adjusted

the straps of the massive backpack that may as well have been filled
with bowling balls.
He half-turned to the man walking across the rooftop beside him.
“Could you have possibly made this any heavier?”
Alec was similarly attired in a utility uniform, his face dimly visible
in the ambient light as he replied in his Boston accent.
“You want a comfortable walk in, or you want this thing popped
in record time? Because you can only have one. Besides,” he added
with a grin, “Marco’s got the heaviest pack.”
Marco replied a moment later, his Russian lilt more pronounced
under the exertion of hauling the weight across their route.
“Don’t remind me.” He slowed as he withdrew his phone and
checked the display.
Sterling asked, “We still good with the surveillance video feed?”
Marco replaced his phone. “And the landline alarm, and wireless,
and the cellular. We own it.”
With a grunt of approval, Sterling located the fire escape stairs at
the edge of the roof. He’d almost reached them when Blair
transmitted over his earpiece.
“I’m one minute out from the target. Last call before I step in
front of a camera.”
Sterling answered, “You’re clear, go ahead.”
 Then he led the way down the fire escape, Alec and Marco
clanging on the metal steps behind him. Glancing down, he was
pleased to see the alley free of people—and mildly surprised that
Blair had already encountered a civilian. He’d intentionally planned
this heist to occur when most people would be indoors to ring in the
New Year; though unlike any heist he’d ever done before, this one
wasn’t for financial gain.
No, he thought, tonight’s job was about something far more
valuable than money could buy, and he intended to see it through at
all costs.
Sterling reached the alley and followed the path that Blair had
crossed minutes earlier. He soon saw the target building, and even in
the alley’s murky shadows, it was a sight to behold.
JB Porter Federal Bank was a historic structure, one of the oldest
continually operating financial institutions in California. Even the
back of the building was finished in the same glorious art deco style
of the forward-facing walls, the limestone surfaces adorned with
intricate geometric patterns between bold columns. For a moment,
Sterling felt like he was in the ranks of the Great Depression-era
bank robbers—though men like John Dillinger weren’t exactly known
for the levels of discretion and technical proficiency that Sterling’s
crew would be relying on tonight.
Locating the rear entrance, he was pleased to see that Blair had
already picked the deadbolt with the help of a covert entry tool
tailored to the lock, and was now swinging open the metal door for
them to enter.
He swept past her without a word, swapping his hardhat for a
headlamp and casting a red beam of light through the bank’s dark
interior. He moved quickly, eager to drop his pack, breathing the
office smells of fresh paper and printer ink and hearing that most
treasured sound on any late-night heist effort: silence.
No chiming of an alarm system on a timer, no clanging siren
alerting everyone within earshot that four thieves had just entered,
and while Sterling wasn’t necessarily surprised—after all, Marco’s
ability to bypass anything and everything digital was the stuff of
legend—he still felt immeasurably grateful.
 He came to a stop before an obstacle that was decidedly more
analog, one that not even Marco could overcome. No cyber-wizardry
stood a chance here, and Sterling felt a momentary sense of awe at
the sight of the ten-foot circle of armored steel forming the bank’s
vault door.
The imposing structure was made more so by what Sterling knew
remained unseen. Twenty-four bolts radiated from the door to the
vault’s reinforced concrete walls, locking the enormous metal disc in
place against every method of intrusion from acetylene torches to
explosives. Modern vault doors were square or rectangular; this
circular door was a monolithic throwback to the era of great banks,
and the only way to get it open before daybreak was to figure out
and enter the correct combination.
And that was where Alec came in.
 3
BLAIR

By the time Blair locked the rear door and rejoined her three
teammates, they’d already dropped their packs, and Sterling and
Marco were retrieving components that they handed to Alec in
sequence.
Blair set down her hardhat and activated her headlamp as she
took a place next to Alec.
The vault door’s central feature was an enormous wheel with
eight spokes, with a single latch handle beside it. But the team was
currently focused on a small finger dial between these two that was
slightly bigger than the circumference of a padlock.
Blair helped Alec mount a heavy metal disc over the dial, clanking
it into place with a magnetic backing until the dial emerged through
a central cutout. Then they screwed a set of four metal poles into
threads on the disc, each two feet long.
Then came the engine, an enormous black box that attached to a
forty-pound metal tripod. Both seemed like overkill, but when the
clock was ticking and you were detecting internal mechanical
deviations down to the micron, both the power and the stability of
the combined setup were essential.
Sterling and Marco maneuvered the tripod-mounted engine
behind the dial, and Blair and Alec connected the metal poles to the
engine’s attachment points for additional support.
 Then came the sensors: suction-based microphones that would
act as stethoscopes, translating vibrations within the vault door to
digital signals. Using a tape measure, Alec placed the sensors at
strategic points on the vault door, each corresponding to an internal
component divined from the original patent specifications.
As Marco prepared a tablet and connected it to the engine, Blair
installed the final component on the assembly: a round vise that
wrapped neatly around the dial, connected by a horizontal pole
attached to the tripod-mounted engine.
Taking the tablet from Marco, Alec consulted the display readout
before tapping a green button on the screen.
The engine emitted a thin electric whine before spinning the dial
left and right with impossible speed in a whirring series of clicks.
Within seconds, Alec said, “We just struck out on the eleven
common factory-default combinations. As old as this bank is, I was
hoping we’d get lucky.”
Sterling replied, “We don’t need to be lucky as long as your robot
works as advertised.”
“It’s an auto dialer,” Alec said defensively. “And what’s so hard to
understand? There’s an accelerometer, a step motor, a rotary
encoder, and an analog-to-digital converter. Simple. Plus the motor,
software to analyze data and reduce permutations, and a lot of
sophisticated sensing technology.”
Sterling shook his head. “Your knowledge with this stuff is
fascinating. It’s like you only have a viable IQ when there’s a safe
involved.”
“What do you mean, only when there’s a safe involved?”
Marco interjected, “Yesterday you came to work with your T-shirt
on backward.”
“It was a new shirt, and the cut was...weird.”
Sterling placed his hands on his hips and asked the team, “We
taking bets on how long the robot takes?”
“Auto dialer,” Alec corrected him.
Sterling ignored him. “Because I say four hours, if that—there are
a million possible combinations.”
 Blair said, “Two and a half, tops. This model of vault door has a
‘slop’ of one, meaning plus or minus one digit from the correct
number will still fall within the solution gate, so the auto dialer is
probing in multiples of three. That brings us down to under 36,000
combinations.”
Alec shook his head. “It doesn’t have to run through every
possible combo, only determine the location of solution gates.”
Marco folded his arms. “You say that like it means something to
the rest of us.”
“This thing is basically a giant, three-wheel combination lock,
right? Each of those three wheels has twelve indents, called gates.
Eleven are basically decoys, and only one is deep enough to fit the
fence—that’s the ‘solution gate.’ Line up all three solution gates, the
fence fits in, and Bob’s your uncle.”
Blair cringed.
“Did you just say ‘Bob’s your uncle?’”
“I was watching BBC last night. So the auto dialer is feeling for
mechanical deviation indicative of the solution gate, to determine
the combo one number at a time. And since we’re doing set testing,
the auto dialer sets the first two wheels, then searches for the
solution gate on the last wheel. Once it finds it, it works backward to
the first two wheels so it doesn’t zero out the lock and have to start
over every time. That drops us down to three hours in the worst-
case scenario, but in my testing we usually had the combo by—”
The tablet chimed and Alec stopped speaking, consulting the
screen before he looked at Sterling and announced, “Third wheel
number is 67, and it’s working on the second wheel now. Care to
revise that four-hour estimate?”
“No,” Sterling said. “Even robots get lucky.”
“Auto dialer.”
“Whatever. We could still be waiting hours for it to figure out the
next two numbers.”
“Maybe, maybe not.”
Marco interjected, “Seven minutes, thirty seconds.”
Alec gave him an appreciative nod.
 “Well look who’s coming off the top rope with an optimistic
estimate. That’s a first for you, buddy—making me proud.”
“Well,” Marco said, “don’t be. My faith isn’t in you, it’s in the
software of the robot.”
“Auto dialer.”
“Because if you were half the lock whisperer you claim to be,
you’d be doing all this by hand.”
Alec rolled his eyes. “Sure, Marco. Great idea. Let’s hang out here
for eight hours while I sweat profusely trying to feel for clicks like it’s
the 1800s.”
The tablet chimed again, and Alec continued, “Well look at that—
second wheel number is 26, and now we’re off to the final one.”
Blair blurted out, “Thirty seconds. We’ll have the final number in
thirty seconds.”
“I’ll take that bet,” Marco said solemnly. “And give you a plus or
minus three-second margin of error.”
“What are we betting?”
“Pizza for the whole team when we get back to the warehouse.”
Blair nodded. “You’re on.”
Sterling said, “Fifteen seconds left—not looking good, Blair.”
She focused on the tablet. “Come on, robot.”
“Auto dialer,” Alec said.
“Ten seconds,” Marco said. “Five...four...three…”
The tablet chimed, a final number frozen on the screen as Blair
read it aloud.
“91, and with two seconds to spare. Don’t forget, Marco: I like
pepperoni and extra cheese.”
Marco gave a bow of concession, then detached the horizontal
pole and moved the tripod-mounted engine backward with Sterling’s
help. Blair and Alec went to work detaching the auto dialer from the
vault face.
Then Alec cranked the vault door’s latch handle ninety degrees,
spinning the wheel counterclockwise like a ship captain trying to
avoid an iceberg. Blair could hear the steel bolts retracting into the
vault door, and with a final, soft clank, Alec pulled the vault door
open with the words, “Sésame, ouvre-toi.”
 Sterling addressed Alec and Marco.
“Start packing up the robot.”
“Still an auto dialer,” Alec replied, stripping the components from
the vault door and handing them to Marco.
Blair was already entering the vault, with Sterling slipping in
behind her.
 4
STERLING

The vault interior split in two directions, and Sterling followed Blair
left to a hinged glass door. Now that they were past the main door,
most of the inner locks were simple affairs. Blair was already
inserting a tension wrench into the bottom of a keyhole on a door
handle.
Then she slid the needle-like extension of an electric pick gun
into the center of the keyhole, forcing the lock pins out of the
cylinder. She squeezed the pick gun’s trigger, causing it to emit a
high-pitched buzzing sound as it vibrated against the pins. By
simultaneously applying pressure to her tension wrench, she was
able to turn the lock cylinder as easily as if she held the key.
She twisted the handle and pushed the door open, Sterling
holding it for her as she entered their final destination. The walls
glinted with the reflection of their headlamps—floor-to-ceiling safe
deposit boxes lined the room, with additional rows of shelving
arrayed like bookcases in a library.
Blair made her way to her personal safe deposit box, one she’d
reserved while still an active FBI agent. Which was, of course, the
last time she’d seen it. The events since then—her transition from
law enforcement to heist crew member chief among them—had
precluded her return until now.
“Right here,” she said, indicating a ten-by-ten-inch box labeled
1159. Beneath the number were two keyholes spaced inches apart,
one for the customer’s key and one for the bank representative’s
guard key. Since Blair had long since lost possession of her key,
they’d have to pick both locks simultaneously; and since excessive
vibration from an electric pick gun could disrupt the pins in the
opposite lock, they’d be going manual.
Which was no hardship for Sterling. Sure, there were a few
special considerations for safe deposit locks—a hooked pick with a
greater tip angle than that required for most pin tumbler locks, a
special tension wrench—but they had the tools and had rehearsed
this procedure ad nauseum back at the warehouse.
But the warehouse offered no opportunity for suave coolness
quite like a heist did, and as they readied their tools, he asked, “You
up for another bet?”
She was already inserting her tension wrench into the keyhole,
and Sterling did the same as she replied, “When have I not been?”
Together, they slid their hooked picks inside their respective
keyholes.
Sterling said, “Go,” and the game was on—both of them applying
pressure to their tension wrenches and working their picks to set the
lock pins from front to back.
Then Sterling asked, “So what do I win when I open my side
first?”
“Marco’s already buying pizza. How far do you want to push your
luck?”
“It’s not luck, it’s skill,” he said. Now the lockpicking process was
getting interesting; after setting three tumblers, Sterling had to
release tension on his wrench to move pins deeper in the lock. That
risked dropping all pins simultaneously, which would hand Blair an
easy win.
Sterling said, “How about a kiss?”
“I’ve already kissed you. Twice.”
“The second was on the cheek. Doesn’t count.”
“You’re on. Unless I win, in which case…”
“Yes?”
“You owe me a bottle of wine with my pizza.”
 Sterling felt the penultimate pin give way and moved to set the
final one. “Done.”
Blair bumped him with her hip. “You’re crowding me.”
“You’re crowding me,” Sterling shot back.
“Well, I guess I’ll just get out of your way, then.”
Sterling set the final pin, but it was too late—Blair was already
turning her cylinder with a click.
“A chardonnay sounds nice, don’t you think?” she said in a
triumphant voice.
With a dissatisfied grunt, Sterling muttered, “You got it.” Rotating
his cylinder clear of the pins, he opened the small silver door and
recovered his tools along with Blair.
Then he slid the safe deposit box out of its casing—it was
surprisingly light for a two-foot-long container— and turned the
opening clasp toward Blair.
She opened the lid, revealing a single object: a small black velvet
bag, scarcely the size of a pack of cigarettes. It was a small item to
go to all this trouble for, he thought as Blair plucked it from the box,
held it to her ear, and gave it a shake.
Both of them heard the click of tiny cassette tape cases within,
and Blair said, “We’re good. I’m out of here.”
 5
BLAIR

Leaving Sterling to re-pick the safe deposit box and room door into
their locked positions, Blair moved past the vault door to see Alec
and Marco packing up the myriad equipment components in
preparation to move.
Marco pointed to a laundry bag on the floor. “Your wardrobe’s in
there.”
“Thanks,” she said, stripping off her utility vest and uniform to
reveal the attire beneath: black shorts and a tank top under a blue
blouse, along with a ball cap, purse, and non-prescription glasses
that she hastily put on. It never hurt to have notable elements that
could be ditched if she needed to quickly change her appearance.
Together with the blonde wig and green colored contacts she’d worn
into the heist, Blair could probably withstand an initial lineup, and
didn’t fear the passing scrutiny of a largely drunken crowd. The last
thing remaining was her footwear, and she quickly transitioned from
utility boots to fashionable sneakers.
The combined effect was just unremarkable enough to blend in,
while allowing her to run should the need arise.
Stuffing the bag of voice recorder cassette tapes into her pocket,
she said, “Marco, am I good?”
He checked his phone, consulting the surveillance camera feed
that was now hijacked and streaming to him in real time, all while
presenting a pre-recorded version of events to the security office.
 “You’re clear. Enjoy the party.”
“Alec, I’ll see you at the car.”
“Give me twenty minutes—just need to get the robot out of
here.”
“Auto dialer,” she called over her shoulder.
“See that, Marco?” Alec muttered in her wake. “Now you people
even have me saying it…”
Then Blair was off, moving to the bank’s back door. She stopped
before it and took a final breath before pushing the door open and
exiting into the warm night air.
Walking out with her teammates was an option, but not a great
one: a single report of a suspicious group of utility workers could
result in the capture of her team along with the heavy and expensive
equipment used to break into the bank vault. For this reason, the
team preferred whenever possible to separate their captured item
from all equipment used to obtain it, and get that precious cargo as
far from the crime scene as quickly as possible.
Normally, the streets of the Historic Core in Downtown LA at this
hour would be a decent place for a recognizable fugitive like Blair to
blend in, but when the night in question was New Year’s Eve, there
was no better place.
She emerged onto the sidewalk to find people sweeping toward
the local bars, couples and groups of friends who appeared to have
begun drinking at home before hitting the streets. Others were
already stumbling back home, having planned to watch the ball drop
in Times Square on a bar television but finding themselves unable to
sustain the three-hour drinking effort required to ring in the New
Year in their local time zone.
Turning right at the corner, she entered the bar strip with a sense
of relief. String lights crisscrossed over the street and sidewalk,
casting a festive glow to the noisy, largely drunken celebrants below.
Blair slipped through the crowds of people stepping outside for bar
hopping, cigarettes, and weed, noting as she did so that the LAPD
was out in force tonight: she passed one officer strolling the
opposite direction, and caught sight of another standing across the
street. She could have expected as much: in addition to this being a
nighttime hotspot, the LAPD had a community station just a few
blocks away on East 6th Street.
But neither officer paid her any mind, and why would they? Even
a semi-sober civilian was the least of their concerns amid the New
Year’s Eve debauchery, and by now, Blair had mastered the art of
walking casually in crowded public areas. Contrary to popular belief,
the best hiding place for a fugitive was not in some remote small
town where everyone knew their neighbors. Large cities like Los
Angeles provided a blanket of anonymity because no one knew the
vast majority of their fellow residents and most couldn’t have cared
less, bringing a strange sense of comfort.
She wouldn’t have to travel far now, just three more blocks to a
parking garage where they’d staged one of four drop cars in
preparation for escape contingencies. Blair wouldn’t drive, of course:
the likelihood of a random DUI checkpoint tonight made that
prospect far too risky. Instead, she’d stay in the car until her
teammates had dropped the utility equipment in their own vehicle,
then wait for them to drop off Alec so he could drive her car home
while she hid in the trunk.
That was, of course, if everything went according to plan.
But Blair’s first indication that the plan was about to change
came when the door to a bar beside her burst open, revealing one
man shoving another down to the sidewalk. Blair almost tripped over
them, then stumbled backward as a third man darted out of the bar
wielding a pool cue like a baseball bat, managing a half-swing
downward before being tackled from behind.
Then the melee began, bodies spilling out of the bar and swirling
around her. She turned to flee only to find her escape blocked by
someone bumping into her from behind, apparently eager to get a
view of the confrontation if not join it. By the time Blair caught her
footing, she looked up just in time to see a twenty-something man
throwing a fist that connected with another man’s face.
The volume of noise on the street went from normal to deafening
as the sounds of shouted profanities and shattered glass rang out. It
was impossible to see through the chaos as a body pummeled into
her from the side, shoving her off balance as a cold slurry of liquor
and ice slapped her chest, drenching her shirt.
She tried to move backward, then forward, as the mass of bodies
blocked her escape from all directions. Someone hurled a chair
through the open doorway, and Blair vaguely registered a man on
the street grabbing it and throwing it back.
Then she felt the first direct aggression against her—a hand
grabbed her right wrist with an iron grip, the perpetrator somewhere
to Blair’s rear.
A dozen hand-to-hand combat lessons from the FBI Academy
fired into her brain at once. Blair instinctively spun toward her
attacker, slapping her left hand atop his and pinning it to her
opposite wrist. Then she swung her right arm in a counterclockwise
arc, twisting the man’s body sideways by using his locked arm as a
fulcrum. He was spun half away from her as she prepared for her
next move: a forceful downward shove of his immobilized arm, a
maneuver that would drive him to the ground before she made her
escape.
But she never made it that far.
The arm she was gripping, locked at the elbow with the wrist
torqued, was covered by a dark blue sleeve bearing the triple
chevron patch of an LAPD sergeant.
Blair released him immediately, preparing for a hasty retreat
through the crowd, but it was too late—a second officer dove in
from the side, threading his arm under hers and placing both hands
on the back of her neck in the time it took her to realize what was
happening.
By then she was falling face-first toward the concrete, her body
absorbing the impact as the officer wrested one hand over her head
and hastily cuffed her wrist. Blair didn’t resist; the only thing worse
than having her hands cuffed was having them simultaneously
pinned behind her back, and she narrowly avoided that fate by
remaining compliant as her opposite arm was pulled upward.
“You don’t understand,” she said, panting for breath, “I didn’t do
anything.” That was both true and not true, she thought, as the
officer applied the other cuff, restraining her hands together.
 “Nice try, lady.”
By then multiple cops were converging on the fight, pushing their
way through the crowd and pinning assailants to the ground. The
officer who’d restrained her grabbed Blair under the arms and
hoisted her upright, passing her along a row of officers leading their
captives to an LAPD paddy wagon parked on the street. To Blair, it
looked like an ice cream truck from hell—the back door was open,
revealing seated occupants who’d been detained earlier in the night.
This thing had probably been shuttling drunks to and from the local
station for hours now, and the officers manning it seemed to be at
the peak of monotony for their professional duties as they shoved
the accused over the truck’s rear step and into the back.
Blair couldn’t break free and run, and even if she did, her
handcuffs would make escape impossible. Then she was at the
loading step, being escorted into the paddy wagon’s brightly lit
interior. Six cuffed men were already seated on benches inside, with
several more following behind her.
“Yeah,” one of them called, “we got a woman!”
Blair said nothing, falling into an open seat as her escorting
officer called back, “Shut up. You’re going to sleep it off at the
station.”
Except for her, Blair thought. For one thing, she was the only
sober passenger, and secondly, she’d barely make it to the
fingerprinting portion of her booking procedure before they realized
exactly who she was. Now that she’d been out of prison for years,
she felt a crushing sense of disbelief that of all possible ways to
return, it had come down to this: being rolled up in a random street
brawl that she had nothing to do with.
Blair whispered into her hidden radio mic.
“Guys...I’ve got a serious problem.”
 6
STERLING

Sterling was leading Marco and Alec across the apartment rooftop
when he heard Blair’s radio call over his earpiece.
“Guys...I’ve got a serious problem.”
“Send it,” Sterling transmitted back.
“I got caught up in a bar fight and thrown in an LAPD paddy
wagon parked off East 4th and Los Angeles Street.”
Alec wondered out loud, “What was she doing in a bar?”
Sterling dropped his pack, patting his pockets to ensure he had
his lockpicking tools. Then he said to his teammates, “Get to the
truck and stand by for pickup.”
He was gone before Marco or Alec could reply, racing back to the
fire escape and taking the stairs three at a time on his way to the
ground.
Transmitting on the run, he replied to Blair, “I’m coming for you.
Let me know if the truck starts moving.”
As he hit the alley and began threading his way between
buildings, he considered the lunacy of this situation. Sterling was
disguised in much the same manner as Blair—different hair and eye
color, wardrobe accessories he could don or ditch as needed—but in
the end, none of that could withstand an up-close examination.
Turning right onto East 4th, he began running south, pushing
past the drunken crowds around him. Sterling felt exalted as he
caught sight of the paddy wagon, still parked just off the curb
ahead.
To his dismay, though, it began rolling forward.
Blair transmitted a moment later, “Truck is moving.”
Sterling didn’t reply—he was reviewing a mental map, assessing
the route the LAPD truck would take toward the nearest police
station on East 6th. They’d turn right on Los Angeles Street, and his
only chance now was to catch them at the stoplight with Winston
Street.
There was a single alley between buildings to his right, blocked
by a seven-foot cast iron fence. Sterling was up and over the top
with a leap and two resets of his foot placement, touching down on
the far side to a smattering of applause from the drunken civilians
he’d just left behind.
Then Sterling was running down the long alleyway’s misshapen
brick surface, the buildings on either side covered in murals and
graffiti as he weaved between parked vehicles, dumpsters, and piles
of trash, heading toward the gate standing between him and
Winston Street. Before he reached it, the building to his right opened
up to a gated parking lot, and he registered a security guard
shouting for him to stop.
No luck there, he thought—he was already vaulting onto the final
iron gate, planting a foot on the top to send himself into freefall on
the far side.
He cut left, racing down the sidewalk toward Los Angeles Street
just in time to see the light ahead turn green; and after an SUV and
two sedans slipped by his view, so too did the LAPD truck.
Sterling cut right into the street behind it, charging toward the
rear panel marked with LAPD, POLICE, and red text spelling out
KEEP BACK 200 FT.
A conveniently located rear step bar hovered a foot off the
pavement, probably a useful accessory when loading and unloading
prisoners from the elevated cargo space. Sterling located a single
latch handle on the rear door, the only other purchase to be found
on the otherwise flat truck backside, and with three sprinting steps,
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
se començo la çena a seruir, la
qual era tan sumptuosa y
opulenta de viandas y aparato de
oro, plata, riqueza y seruiçio que
no hay injenio que la pueda
descreuir en particular.
Miçilo.—Alguna parte della nos
falta agora aqui.
Gallo.—Fueron alli seruidos en
oro y plata todos los manjares
que la tierra produçe y los que el
ayre y el mar crian, y los que ha
inquirido por el mundo la ambiçion
y gula de los hombres sin que la
hambre ni neçesidad lo
requiriesse. Seruian a las manos
en fuentes de cristal agua rosada
y de azahar; y el vino en perlas
cabadas muy grandes, y no se
preçiauan[438] alli de beuer uinos
muy preçiados de Castilla; pero
traidos de Candia, de Greçia y
Egipto. Eran las mesas de çedro
coxido del Libano, y del çipres
oloroso asentadas sobre peanas
de marfil. Los estrados y sillas en
que estauamos sentados al
comer eran labradas a manera de
taraçes de gemas y jaspes finos;
los asientos y respaldares eran de
brocado y de muy fino carmesi de
Tiro.
Miçilo.—¡O gallo! qué sabroso
me es este[439] tu canto: no me
pareçe sino que poseo al
presente el oro de aquel rico
Midas y Creso, y que estoy
asentado a las opulentas mesas
del emperador Eliogabalo.
Querria que en çien años no se
me acabasse esta
bienaventurança en que agora
estoy. Mucho me entristeze la
miseria en que pienso venir
quando amanezca.
Gallo.—Todos aquellos
caualleros entendian con sus
damas en mucho regoçijo y
palaçio, en motejarse y en
discantar donayres y motes y
sonetos de amores: notandose
vnos a otros de algunos graçiosos
descuydos en las leyes del amor.
La mi diosa puesta en mí su
coraçon me sacaua con fabores y
donaires á toda cortesania. Cada
vez que me miraua, agora fuesse
derecho, agora al traues, me
encantaua y me conuertia todo en
si sacandome de mi natural.
Sentime tan preso de su gran
valor que no pudiendo disimular le
dixe: ¡O señora! no más. Piedad,
señora, que ya no sufre paçiençia
que no me dé a merçed. Como
fueron acabadas las viandas y
alçadas las mesas, cada qual se
apartó con su dama sobre tapetes
y coxines de requamados de
diuerso color. Donde en el entre
tanto que se llegaua la hora del
dormir ordenaron vn juego para
su solaz. El qual era: que cada
qual con su dama muy secreto y á
la oreja le[440] preguntasse lo que
más se le antoje; y la primera y
mas prinçipal ley del juego es:
que infalibremente se responda la
verdad. Fue este juego gran
ocasion y aparejo para que entre
mí y mi diosa se declarasse[441]
nuestro deseo y pena: porque yo
le pregunté conjurandola con las
leyes del juego, me diga en quien
tuuiesse puesta su fe, y ella muy
de coraçon me dixo, que en mí.
Con la qual confession se çerró el
proçeso, estando ella segura de
mi voluntad y amor; y ansi
conçertamos que como yo fuesse
recogido en mi camara en el
sosiego de la obscura noche, ella
se yria para mi. Con esta
promessa y fe se desbarató el
juego de acuerdo de todos, y ansi
pareçieron muchos pajes delante
con hachas que con su lunbre
quitauan las tinieblas, y hazian de
la noche dia claro, y despues que
con confites, canelones, alcorças
y maçapanes y buen vino
hezimos todos colaçion: hecha
por todos vna general reuerençia,
toda aquella graçiosa y exçelente
corte mostrando quererme
acompañar se despidio de mi; y
hecho el deuido cunplimiento á la
mi bella dama, dandonos con los
ojos á entender la palabra que
quedaua entre nos, me guiaron
las dos damas que me metieron
en el castillo hasta vna camara de
entoldo y aparato çelestial, donde
llegado aquellas dos diosas con
vn agraçiado semblante se
despidieron de mí. Dexaronme vn
escudero y vn paje de guarda que
me descalçó, y dexando vna vela
ençendida en medio de la camara
se fueron, y yo me deposité en
vna cama dispuesta á todo
deleyte y plazer, entre vnos
lienços que pareçia auerlos hilado
arañas con todo primor. Olia la
camara á muy suabes pastillas: y
la cama y ropa á agua de angeles
y azahar; y quedando yo solo
puse mi sentidos y oreja atento
todo á si mi diosa venia. Por muy
poco sonido que oya me alteraua
todo creyendo que ella fuesse, y
como me hallase engañado no
hazia sino enbiar sospiros que la
despertassen y luego de nueuo
me recogia con nueua atençion
midiendo los passos que de su
aposento al mio podia auer.
Consideraua cualquiera
ocupaçion que la podia estorbar;
lebantauame de la cama muy
pasito y abria la puerta y miraua á
todas partes si sentia algun
meneo o bulliçio, o via alguna luz:
y como no via cosa alguna con
gran desconsuelo me boluia
acostar. Deshaziame de zelos
sospechando por mi poco
mereçer, si burlandose de mí
estaua en los brazos de otro
amor, y estando yo en esta
congoja y fatiga estaua mi diosa
aparejandose para venir con la
quietud de la noche: no porque
tiene neçesidad de aguardar
tiempo, pues con echar en todos
vn sueño profundo lo podia todo
asegurar. Pero por encareçerme á
mí más el preçio de su valor, y la
estima que de su persona se
deuia tener, aguardaua
haziendoseme vn poco ausente,
estando siempre por su gran
poder y saber ante mí; y quando
me vi más desesperado siento
que con vn poco de rumor entre la
puerta y las cortinas me comiença
pasito á llamar, y yo como la oy,
como suele aconteçer si alguno
ha peleado gran rato en vn hondo
pielago con las malezas que le
querian ahogar, y ansi afanando
sale asiendose á las espadañas y
ramas de la orilla que no se
atreue ni se confia dellas porque
se le rompen en las manos, y con
gran trabajo mete las uñas en el
arena por salir, ansi como yo la oy
á mi señora y mi diosa salto de la
cama sin sufrimiento alguno: y
recogiendola en los[442] braços
me la comienço á bessar y
abraçar. Ella venia desnuda en
vna delgada camisa: cubiertos
sus delicados mienbros con vna
ropa sutil de çendal, que como las
rosas puestas en vn vidrio toda se
trasluzia. Traya sus hermosos y
dorados cabellos cogidos con vn
graçioso y rico garbin, y dexando
la ropa de acuestas, que avn para
ello no le daua mi sufrimiento
lugar, nos fuemos en vno á la
cama. No te quiero dezir más sino
que la lucha de Hercules y Anteo
te pareçiera alli. Tan firmes
estauamos afferrados como
puedes imaginar de nuestro amor:
que ninguna yedra que á planta
se abraza podia compararse á
ambos á dos. Venida la mañana
la mi diosa se leuantó: y lo más
secreto que pudo se fue á su
aposento, y luego con vn su
camarero me enbió vn vestido de
recamado encarnado con vnos
golpes sobre vn tafetan azul,
tomados con vnas cintas y clauos
de oro del mesmo color; y quando
yo senti el palaçio estar de
conuersaçion me leuanté y atauié
y salí á la gran sala donde hallé
vestida á la mi diosa de la mesma
librea, que con amoroso donayre
y semblante me reçibió; á la qual
siguieron[443] todos aquellos
cortesanos por saber que la
hazian mucho plazer; y ansi cada
dia mudauamos ambos dos y tres
libreas de vna mesma deuisa y
color á vna y otra vsança, de
diuersidad de naciones y
prouinçias; y luego todos nos
fuemos a ver muy lindos y
poderosos estanques, riberas,
bosques, jardines que auia en la
casa para entreternos hasta que
fue llegada la hora del comer. La
qual como fue llegada y el
maestresala nos fue a llamar
boluimos a la gran sala: donde
estaua todo aparejado con la
mesma sumptuosidad que la
noche passada; y ansi
conmençando la musica començo
el seruiçio del comer; fuemos
seruidos con la mesma magestad
y aparato que alli estaua en
costunbre, y despues como fue
acabado el yantar y se leuantaron
las mesas quedamos todos
hablando con diuersas cosas, de
damas, de amores, de fiestas,
justas y torneos. De lo qual
venimos a hablar en la corte del
Enperador Carlos Quinto deste
nonbre nuestro Rey y señor de
Castilla. En la qual platica me
quise yo mostrar adelantandome
entre todos por engrandeçer su
estado y magestad, pues de mas
de ser yo su vasallo, por lleuar
sus gajes era mi Señor. Lo qual
todos aquellos caualleros y
damas oyeron con atençion y
voluntad, y algunos que de su
corte tenian notiçia proseguian
comigo en la prueba de mi
intento; y como mi diosa me
conoçió tan puesto en aquel
proposito, sin darme lugar a
muchas palabras me dixo. Señor,
porque de nuestra corte y
hospedaje vayas contento, y
porque ninguno deste parayso
sale desgraçiado, quiero que
sepas agora como en esta
nuestra casa se honrra y se
estima ese bienauenturado
prinçipe por Rey y Señor. Porque
nuestra progenie y deçendençia
tenemos por derecha linea de los
Reyes de Castilla; y por tales nos
trataron los reyes catholicos don
Fernando y doña Ysabel, dignos
de eternal memoria; y como
fuesse de tanto valor ese nieto
suyo por los buenos hados que se
juntaron en él, esta casa siempre
le ha hecho gran veneraçion, y
ansi vna visabuela mia que fue en
esta tierra la más sabia muger
que en ella nunca naçió en las
artes y buen hado, se empleó
mucho en saber los suçesos
deste valeroso y inclito prinçipe, y
ansi edificó vna sala muy rica en
esta casa y todo lo que con sus
artes alcançó en vna noche lo
hizo pintar alli; y porque en
ninguna cosa aquella visabuela
mia mintió de quanto alli hizo a
sus familiares pintar conforme a lo
que por este feliçissimo prinçipe
pasara, te lo mostraré hecho por
muy gran orden doçientos años
ha. Alli verás su buena fortuna y
su buen hado de que fue hadado,
por las grandes vatallas que en
tiempos aduenideros vençerá, y
gentes belicosas que traera a su
subjeçion; y diziendo esto se
leuantó de donde estaua sentada,
y con ella yo y toda aquella corte
de damas y caualleros que por el
semejante lo deseauan ver, y ansi
nos fuemos todos donde nos
guió, que como con vna cadena
nos lleuaua tras si. Y porque ya
pareçe, Miçilo, que es tarde y
tienes gana de dormir, porque
siento que es ya la media noche,
quiero por agora dexar[444] de
cantar; y porque pareçe que nos
desordenamos cantando a prima
noche, nos boluamos a nuestra
acostunbrada hora de nuestra
cançion, que es quando el alua
quiere romper, porque es mas
conforme a nuestro natural; y ansi
para el canto que se sigue
quedará lo demas.
Miçilo.—¡O gallo! quan fuera de
mi me has tenido con esta tu
sabrosa cançion de comida y
aparato sumptuoso; y nosotros no
tenemos más de cada quatro
habas que comer oy. Solamente
quisiera tener el cargo de limpiar
aquella plata y oro que alli se
ensuçió, por gozar alguna parte
del deleyte que reçiben estos
ricos en lo tratar. Ruegote que no
me dexes de contar lo que en el
fin te suçedió; y agora, pues
quieres, vamonos a dormir.

Fin del quinto canto del gallo de

Luçiano.
 NOTAS:
[405] Tachado: Siguesse el quinto canto del Gallo de Luçiano,
orador griego, contrahecho en el castellano por el mesmo autor
prete.
[406] G., trabajo.
[407] G., musicos.
[408] G., por.
[409] G., quanto.
[410] G., hagais.
[411] G., Taxo.
[412] G., ofreçen.
[413] G., con.
[414] G., dexemos.
[415] R. (Tachado): quatrocientas.
[416] G., començamos a caminar por.
[417] G., montaña.
[418] G., y mandele.
[419] G., del.
[420] G., los.
[421] Lançamos.
[422] G., la qual.
[423] G., que tiene la mesma costumbre que yo en.
[424] G., buena dueña.
[425] G., os digo.
[426] G., esta.
[427] G., hermoso.
[428] G., auia musayco y muçaraues muy perfectos.
[429] G., entiende.
[430] G., en otra.
[431] G., sino en.
[432] G., se ocupan.
[433] G., juuenil.
[434] G., pareçeria.
[435] G., de inestimable valor.
[436] G., jazmines.
[437] G., el.
[438] G., contentauan.
[439] R., ese.
[440] R., se.
[441] R., declare.
[442] G., mis.
[443] G., siguiendo.
 ARGUMENTO
DEL SEXTO
CANTO

En el sexto canto que se sigue el

auctor descriue por industria
admirable de vna pintura las
victorias que el nuestro
inuictissimo Emperador Carlos
quinto deste nombre obo en la
prision del Rey Francisco de
Françia en Pauia, y la que obo
en Tunez y en la batalla que
dio a Lansgraue y a Juan
duque de Saxonia y liga de
herejes alemanes junto al rio
Albis en Alemania[445].

Gallo.—Si duermes, Miçilo,

despierta.

Miçilo.—Di, gallo; que despierto

estoy y con voluntad de oyrte.
Gallo.—Deseo mucho oy
discantar aquella facunda historia
que alli descriuio aquel pintor.
Porque era de tanta exçelençia,
de tanto spiritu, y de tanta
magestad; de tanta extrañeça el
puesto y repuesto de todo quanto
alli pintó que no ay lengua que
pueda llegar allá. Dezian los
antiguos que la escriptura era la
Retorica sin lengua; y de aquella
pintura dixeran que era la
eloquençia hablada. Porque tanta
ventaja me pareçe que lleuaua
aquella pintura a lo que
Demostenes, Tullio, Esquines, y
Tito Liuio pudieran en aquel
proposito orar, como lo verdadero
y real lleua differençia y ventaja a
la sonbra y fiçion. Veras alli los
honbres vibos que no les faltaua
sino el spiritu y lengua con que
hablar. Si con grande affecto
hasta agora he hablado por te
conplazer, agora en lo que dixere
pretendo mi interes; que es
descriuiendo la sunptuosidad de
aquella casa y el gran saber de
aquella maga discantar el valor y
magestad de Carlos medio Dios;
porque sepan oy los honbres que
el gallo sabe orar.
Miçilo.—Pues de mí confiado
puedes estar que te prestaré la
deuida atençion.
Gallo.—Pues como al
mouimiento de la mi bella Saxe
toda aquella corte diuina se
leuantó en pie, tomando yo por la
mano a mi diosa nos fuemos a
salir a vn corredor; y en vn cuarto
dél llegamos a vnas grandes
puertas que estauan çerradas,
que mostrauan ser del parayso
terrenal. Eran todas, avnque
grandes, del hebano mareotico
sin mezcla de otra madera; y
tenia toda la clabazon de plata; y
no porque no fuesse alli tan façil
el oro de auer, sino porque no es
el oro metal de tanta trabazon.
Estauan por las puertas con
grande artifiçio entretexidas
conchas de aquel preçiado
galapago indio, y entresembradas
muchas esmeraldas que variaban
el color. Eran los vnbrales y
portada del marmol fino y marfil,
jaspe y cornerina; y no solamente
era destas preçiosas piedras lo
que pareçia por los remates del
edefiçio, pero avn auia tan
grandes piezas que por su
grandeza tenian fuerça bastante
para que cargasse en ellas parte
del edefiçio. La bella Saxe sacó
vna llaue de oro que mostró
traerla siempre consigo, porque
no era aquella sala de confiar, por
ser el secreto y vigor de sus artes,
encanto y memoria; y como
fueron las puertas abiertas
hizieron vn brauo ruydo que a
todos nos dió pabor. Pero al
animo que nos dió nuestra diosa
todos con esfuerço entramos. Era
tan sunptuoso aquel edefiçio
como el templo mas rico que en el
mundo fue. Porque excedia sin
comparaçion al que descriuen los
muy eloquentes historiadores de
Diana de Effeso y de Apolo en
Delphos quando quieren más
encareçer su hermosura y
sumptuosidad. No pienso que
diria mucho quando dixesse
exçeder a los siete edefiçios que
por admirables los llamaron los
antiguos los siete milagros del
mundo. Era el techo de artesones
de oro maçiço, y de mozaraues
cargados de riquezas. Tenia las
vigas metidas en grueso canto de
oro: y el marmol y marfil, jaspe,
oro y plata no tenia solamente la
sobrehaz y cubierta del preçiado
metal y obra rica, pero la coluna
era entera y maçiça, que con su
groseça y fortaleça sustentaua el
edefiçio; y ansi auia de pedazos
de oro y plata grandes piezas de
aquellas entalladuras y molduras.
Alli estaua la agata, no solo para
ser vista, pero para creçimiento
de la obra; y la colorada sardo
está[446] alli que a todo daua
hermosura y fortaleza; y todo el
pabimento era enladrillado de
cornerinas y turquesas y jacintos;
yua quatro palmos del suelo por
la pared por orla de la pintura vn
musayco de piedras finas del
Oriente, que desbaratauan todo
juizio con su resplandor.
Diamantes, esmeraldas, rubies,
zafires, topazios y carbuncos; y
luego començaba la pintura, obra
de gran magestad; y ansi luego
començo la mi bella Saxe a
mostrarnos toda aquella diuinada
historia, cada parte por si,
dandonosla a entender. Dixo:
veys alli ante todas cosas cómo
viendo el Rey Françisco de
Françia las alteraçiones que en
Castilla leuantaron las
Comunidades por la ausençia de
su Rey, pareçiendole que era
tiempo conueniente en aquella
disension para tomar façilmente el
Reino de Nauarra, enbió su
exerçito. El cual apoderado en la
çiudad de Pamplona y en todas
las villas y castillos della han
corrido hasta Estella y puesto
çerco sobre la çiudad de Logroño:
la cual çiudad como valerosa se
ha defendido con gran daño de
françeses. Agora veys aqui como
los gouernadores de Castilla
auiendo paçificado las
disensiones del reyno, auiendo
nueua del estado en que al
presente está el reyno de Nauarra
determinan todos juntos con su
poder venir a remediar el daño
hecho por françeses y restituir el
reyno a su rey de Castilla que al
presente estaua en Flandes: lo
qual todo que veys ha doçientos
años que se pintó; y quierote
agora, señor, mostrar lo que desta
tu guerra, a que ybas agora
suçederá. Ves aqui como
sintiendo los françeses venir los
gouernadores de Castilla leuantan
el çerco de Logroño, y retiranse a
la çiudad de Pamplona por
hazerse fuertes alli. Ves aqui
como el Condestable y todos los
otros Señores de Castilla,
ordenadas sus batallas los siguen
en el alcançe a la mayor furia y
ardid que pueden; ansi ves aqui
como los atajan el camino junto a
la çiudad de Pamplona[447],
donde el miercoles que verna,
que seran quinze deste mes,
todos con animo y esfuerço de
valerosos prinçipes los acometen
diziendo: España, España,
Sanctiago: y ansi veslos aqui
rotos y muertos mas de çinco mil
françeses sin peligrar veynte
personas de Castilla. Dexote de
mostrar las brauezas que estos
capitanes en particular hizieron
aqui conforme a lo que se pintó:
las quales no ay lengua que las
pueda encareçer. Entonçes le
demandé a mi diosa liçençia para
me hallar alli: y ella me dixo: no te
hago, señor[448], poco seruiçio en
te detener: porque yo he
alcançado por mi saber el peligro
en que tu persona auia de venir: y
ansi proueyeron tus hados que yo
te aya de saluar aqui. No quieras
más buenauentura que poseerme
a mi. Yo me le rendi por perpetuo
basallo y juré de nunca me
reuelar a su imperio. Y ansi luego
prosiguio diziendo: Veys aqui
cómo con esta vitoria quedó
desenbaraçado de françeses todo
el reyno de Nauarra, y los
gouernadores se bueluen en
Castilla dejando por virrey deste
reyno al conde de Miranda. El
qual va luego sobre el castillo de
Maya y le combate con gran
ardid, y le entra y mata a quantos
dentro estan. Veis aqui cómo
siendo Carlos auisado por los de
su reyno la neçesidad que tienen
de su venida y presençia,
despedidos muchos y muy arduos
negoçios que tenia en Alemania
se embarca para venir en España
en diez y ocho de julio del año de
mil y quinientos y veynte y tres
con gran pujança de armada.
Veys aqui cómo se viene por
Ingalaterra por visitar al rey y
reyna su tia, de los quales será
reçevido con mucha alegria, y le
hazen muchas y muy solenes
fiestas. Las quales acabadas y
despedido de aquellos
cristianissimos Reyes se viene a
España aportando a la villa de
Laredo, donde es reçibido con
plazer de los grandes del reyno
que le estaran alli aguardando.
Veis aqui cómo viendo el Rey
Françisco de Françia no auer
salido con la empresa de
Nauarra, y visto que el
Prinçipe[449] de Castilla Carlos
está ya en su reyno, determina en
el año de mil y quinientos y
veynte y quatro emprender vn
acometimiento de mayor interes,
y fue que acuerda con todo su
poder y muy pujante exerçito
tomar el ducado de Milan y
teniendo gente de su valia dentro
de[450] la çiudad de Milan su
mesma persona estando presente
poner[451] çerco a la çiudad de
Pauia, en que al presente está
por teniente el nunca vençido
capitan Antonio de Leyua con
alguna gente española y ytaliana
que tiene para en su defensa.
Veys aqui cómo teniendo el rey
de Françia çercada esta çiudad
acuden a su defensa todos los
capitanes y compañías que el
Rey de Castilla tiene en aquella
sazon por la Italia y Lombardia, y
todos los prinçipes y señores que
estan en su seruiçio y liga. Viene
aqui en defensa Carlo de Lanaya,
o Charles de Limoy que entonçes
estara por visorrey de Napoles, y
el marques de Pescara, y el