The Exodus Towers Read Free Page A

neck and arms. “I’m not sure if that’s drink in your beard,” she said, “or drool.”
    He glanced down at her chest, then back. “Bit of both. C’mon, prisoner. If your owner don’t mind …”
    Vaughn gave the slightest of nods, and folded his arms. Sam knew where his wager would fall.
    They walked to the center of the crowd, where an open space formed the boxing ring. Samantha flexed her hands and then did a few quick jumps off her toes. The resulting bounce of her breasts caught the attention of half the room, though if Vaughn saw from his place at the back, she had no idea.
    Her opponent noticed, though. He licked his lips. “Nice big targets,” he said with a drunken grin.
    “Sorry, mate,” Samantha said. “If I can’t hit below the belt, you have to stay away from the twins.”
    Laughs went up from the audience.
    The big man tilted his head to one side, looking genuinely wounded. “Christ, woman. Wasn’t gonna punch them.…”
    Vaughn guided her by the arm through Nightcliff’s dreary yard.
    He hadn’t bothered to cuff her, a good sign, in her view. Still, he kept his black baton in hand. He would put up a hell of a fight if she picked one, and besides, there was still the issue of Kelly. Patience .
    “I’ll find you something to put on that eye,” he said after a time.
    “Don’t bother. It’s not that bad.”
    “It’s purple.”
    Samantha sighed and gave a terse nod. Her skull pounded. She had to keep her right eye closed for fear it might bulge right out of her head.
    He led her between buildings and through narrow, fenced-in spaces. Clouds kept an otherwise bright moon from providing much illumination, but it was enough that Vaughn didn’t bother with his flashlight. Their wet footfalls almost drowned out the loading work going on at the climber port.
    She took a chance and feigned a stumble. Righting herself, she groaned and stepped wide.
    “You okay?” he asked.
    “A little dizzy. It’s fading.” After a second she tried to rest her head on his shoulder, but her height made the position awkward, so she simply leaned on him.
    Vaughn caught the hint and slipped an arm around her waist.
    Perfect , she thought. A nice romantic stroll .
    “So,” she said, “what’s the news outside?”
    Vaughn shrugged. “I don’t pay it much attention.”
    “You must have heard something.”
    He fell quiet for a dozen steps. She imagined he must have orders not to share any news with her. The fact that he now wrestled with that she took as a very good sign indeed.
    “I heard,” Samantha said, “they tricked Russell into going to Africa, then dropped a bomb on his fleet.”
    “Wasn’t a bomb,” Vaughn said. “They pushed an old satellite out of orbit, or something.”
    “And missed? Well, obviously.” Russell had paid two visits to Samantha, peppering her with flirtatious small talk and vague threats. Mercifully he’d stopped coming a few weeks ago, finally convinced she did not know the whereabouts of the “traitors.”
    “Still took out a bunch of the scavenger planes Russell brought along.” Vaughn let that settle. He knew of her past, knew she might have had friends out there. “They also tried to drop a satellite on Nightcliff, but missed. The thing fell outside the aura over in Old Downtown, took a few landmarks with it.”
    Two misses? Skyler’s new friends either had horrible aim or Vaughn had things wrong. Sam couldn’t see what they’d gain by nuking Nightcliff anyway. Even if the alien cord of the Elevator survived, the infrastructure would be annihilated beyond hope of repair. No, it must have been a warning shot. Blackfield might not comprehend it, but she saw the angles.
    “Water plants are on strike,” the guard went on, opening up. “Platz people over there, you know. They’re the only ones who can work all that machinery.”
    “A strike, eh? What do they want?”
    He hesitated. “Doesn’t matter. Blackfield is sending in a few squads to put an end to