The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)

by Eoin Colfer

“Hey, don’t worry about me. The building hasn’t been built that Mo Digence can’t crack. I just hope Loafers is man enough for the job.” Loafers grabbed the dwarf by the lapels. “What’s that supposed to mean, Digence?” Mulch generally avoided insulting people who were likely to kill him, but it might be useful to establish Loafers as a hothead now. Especially if he was going to blame him for things going wrong later. “It’s one thing being a midget monkey, but a midget metal man? How good can you be at close quarters?” Loafers dropped the dwarf, ripping open his own shirt. His chest was a rippling tapestry of tattoos. “That’s how good I am, Digence. Count the tattoos. Count ’em.” Mulch shot Carla a loaded look. The look said, You’re going to trust this guy? “That’s enough!” said Carla. “The testosterone in here is starting to stink worse than the walls. This is a very important job. If you two can’t handle it, I’ll bring in another team.”