Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) Read Free Page A

the front door.
    That certainly wasn't the reaction I
expected. I saw him then, just before he pulled away from the
window. What is he doing here? I pulled out my wallet. 40 gats
should more than cover it. I threw the bills onto the table and
hurried after Keira. She had disappeared, but I spotted my car
halfway down the block. Perhaps Eberhardt had seen where they'd
gone.

 
     
     
-Keira-
Brody Delaney

    I grabbed Brody's coat sleeve and dragged
him into a dark alley next to the cafe.
    “What the hell are you doing here?” I shoved
into his gut with my left shoulder, pressed him against the wall
and held a knife to his throat. Granted it was a butter knife from
the cafe, but I'd had to improvise.
    His pale green eyes widened.
    “Are you following me?”
    “Yes...well...I just thought...” he mumbled
before he regained control. “What will it take for you to trust me?
I've put in enough time, haven't I? I've given you free rides out
of the realm whenever you've asked, not to mention whatever
fugitives and contraband you've been taking with you. I thought
maybe if I showed some initiative...” he faltered, but then spoke
up again. “I've seen that before.” He stared at my pendant.
    Just then we heard a trill.
    “Is that a duck?” he asked.
    “No, that's not a duck!” I snapped. “It's a
grey treefrog.” I had to remind myself that I too had wondered
about that sound less than a year ago. It was, in fact, my
transceiver, and that would be Guy.
    I sighed and pulled away. Brody dropped to
the ground. He wasn't going anywhere. I dug in my purse and lifted
the transceiver to my ear. Brody moved one hand to his throat as he
eyed the butter knife. Then he casually raked his fingers through
his dark brown hair.
    Without a word, I closed the connection and
gestured toward the silver automobile that rolled into view at the
end of the alley. As we approached, the back door swung open.
Without hesitation, Brody climbed in next to Guy. I had to admit,
he'd come a long way from the man I'd targeted a year ago. I sat in
front, next to Eberhardt.
    “Where to?” he asked.
    “Um, I don't know.” I closed my eyes and
leaned my head back against the seat. “Do any of you know somewhere
we can talk in private?”
    “How about my apartment?” Brody offered.
“You seem to know all of my secrets anyway. For all I know, you've
already been there.”
    My eyes snapped open, and I turned around.
Brody was looking at me, but it was Guy who answered. “It's
probably bugged.”
    I nodded in agreement but kept my eyes
trained on Brody. “I've never been there,” I said in an even
tone.
    “No?” he asked in surprise. “I just
thought... Wait, I wouldn't record our conversations.”
    None of us responded. We simply waited for
the realization to sink in. It took him less than 30 seconds.
    “You think my apartment is bugged?” Brody
turned toward Guy.
    “You're the head of CalTech. What do you
think?” Guy looked at me then. “Didn't you warn him?”
    “I warned him to be careful!” I stared at
Brody. “In fact, I specifically told you not to talk about any of
our arrangements.”
    He shook his head and stuttered, “I...I
haven't. I haven't told anyone anything about you.” He paused,
clearly trying to remember every conversation he'd had in his
apartment over the past year.
    Guy gave him some time before he asked,
“Have you said anything that could be used against you?”
    “I don't think so. Other than our meetings
at the Dry Martini, I know I haven't spoken a word about any of our
arrangements.” He emphasized the word arrangements.
    “Just keep driving,” I instructed Eberhardt.
“We'll talk in here.” I turned as far as my seat belt would
allow.
    Brody wasn't looking at me anymore. He
studied Guy, and Guy looked right back at him. “So you're her
boss?”
    We spoke simultaneously. “No!”
    He turned back to me. “Who should I be
talking to then?”
    Guy sighed. “Do you know what a