Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (11 page)

The
morning after she left, I instructed Eberhardt to drive around the
city searching for her. After four days with no leads, I called
Scott to arrange a lunch meeting. Our cover, as usual, was to
discuss his portfolio.

“Hello,
how have you been?” I placed a cloth napkin on my lap. Scott
sat opposite me in a fancy restaurant just off the base.

“I’ve
been better. You?” His voice was like ice. I’d never heard
him sound quite like that before.

“I’ve
been better too,” I confided. A waitress arrived to take our
orders. As soon as she left, I said, “Keira is missing, and
I’m worried sick.”

“She’s
not with you then?”

Was
that why he was angry with me? Because he thought she was with me,
and I hadn’t told him?

“No,
she’s not.”

“And
you don’t know where she is.” It wasn’t a question.

“No,
I don’t.”

“So
that’s why you didn’t call.” His voice had a warmer tone now.
“But, you do know what happened to her apartment, right?”

“Yes,
I know, but she wasn’t there when it…happened. You don’t know
where she is either?”

“She
doesn’t want to be found, but I’ll be seeing her in a couple of
days.”

“You’ve
been in contact with her! Is she all right?”

“I
didn’t say that. I haven’t spoken with her yet. She’s playing this
her way. I’m surprised she didn’t go to you though. If there was
ever a time for her to turn to the Resistance for help, this was it!”

I
dropped my gaze, too ashamed to tell him what had really happened.

“What
is it?”

“She
came to me, but I pushed her away. It wasn’t my intention,” I
quickly added. If I hadn’t walked out of the bedroom that night…if
I had instead…she definitely would have stayed. “Do you
think I can convince her to come back?”

“I’ll
talk with her, but I can’t promise anything.”

We
sat quietly, lost in thought, until our food arrived.

After
a few bites, Scott looked at me and said, “How do you feel
about her?”

I
looked right back. “Isn’t it obvious?” I heard the
intake of his breath.

“I
have an idea, something that may help.”

“What
do you have in mind?” I asked.

“I’ll
encourage Keira to see you, and I have something I’d like you to give
her. But if she decides not to see you, I’ll want it back.”
He reached into his bag and retrieved a thin book. “This
belonged to our father. It’s a book of poetry. It was a gift from
our mother. Each of us took something to remember them by. The
locket Keira had and some musical recordings that our mother
loved…well, she always kept them safe in her apartment. Anyway,
I’d like for her to have this book. I think she may need it more
than I do right now.”

“You
could give it to her yourself.”

“That
was the plan, but I think it may mean more coming from you.”
He handed me the book, and I gratefully accepted it.

“I
have something else.” He reached into his pocket and took out
a slip of paper with an address on it and a key. “I have a
week on holiday coming up. I was planning to go with…a friend, but
I’d rather you took Keira there instead, if she’ll let you. She’s
never been on holiday.” He tried to hand me the address and
key, but I waved them away.

“Well,
then it’s about time, but you should keep your week on holiday. I
can afford to take Keira anywhere she’d like to go.”

“I
know you can, but I insist that you take her here.” Again he
held out the key and address. “We’re partners, aren’t we?
Equals?”

“We
always have been,” I assured him as I accepted his gift.
“Thank you.”

When
I climbed into the car a half hour later, Eberhardt asked, “Did
we find her?”

“No,
but Scott said she’s all right.” Then I hesitated. Scott
hadn’t said that. He just said he would be seeing her. He didn’t
even know where she was. Where could she have gone? Not to Scott,
obviously. Was she with her sister? I realized I didn’t even know
her sister’s name. Probably not, Scott would have known if she was
with family.

More
than once, Scott had described Keira as independent. I tried to
think like her. What would she do now, after her most valuable
possessions had been destroyed?

Eberhardt
immediately noticed my expression in the rear view mirror. “What’s
wrong?”

“I
think she may be planning to take out Elaine Ramsey by herself,
whatever the cost.”

“That’s
no surprise,” he said. “It’s what I would do.”

I
looked at him in alarm.

He
looked back. “She hasn’t done anything yet.”

-Scott-

Liberty
Park

Several
days ago, I heard a news report about an explosion at an apartment
complex. They attributed it to outdated electrical wiring – 53
dead. I watched the reflection of the teleview in the mirror and set
down my razor. I recognized that neighborhood and immediately called
April. She hadn’t heard anything. We were both worried but refused
to accept the worst.

I’d
last seen Keira at Ramsey’s party. When I’d left, Elaine Ramsey was
still saying goodbye to her departing guests, and Keira was nowhere
in sight. I had a feeling she was hiding somewhere in the house
waiting for an opportunity. And the next morning, I saw the news.

Later
that day, I received a call. “Maddock here.” I turned
on the vidscreen.

April’s
image appeared, her brow furrowed. “Can we get together
sometime soon? I’m so worried about Keira.”

She
didn’t sound quite like herself. Keira must have contacted her
somehow. “I’ll be done at noon on Wednesday. Where?”

“By
the trees.”

“I’ll
be there.”

***

April
and Keira sat on a blanket in front of the apple trees. They stood
as I approached. Keira had cut her hair; short dark curls framed her
face. I leaned down to hug them both.

“You’re
late,” Keira said. “Is everything okay?”

“I
was followed, had to shake him. Where are you staying?”

“With
Cole.”

“I’ll
kill him.”

“No,
you won’t,” she said firmly. “This was my choice, Scott.
I went to him. Cole’s done nothing wrong, and he treats me way
better than most.”

“That
doesn’t make him a good person. Has he hurt you?”

“No!
He never has. See, no scratches or bruises.” She stood up
and spun around. “No new ones anyway.”

“Well,
that’s a start. You do know what he is, what he does? He’s very
well known in certain circles.”

“I
don’t partake. Besides he only sells to the Elite and the…”
She looked at me then with a question in her eyes. “You
don’t, do you Scott?”

“No,
I don’t do drugs,” I responded emphatically, even though that
wasn’t entirely true. Every soldier in Special Ops was
expected to take certain drugs to enhance performance in the line of
duty. “It’s likely he’s killed, you know. In his line of
work…”

“And
I’m a Freelancer. What do you think I do?” she countered.

“Cole
doesn’t love you.”

“Nobody
said he did. He’s just giving me a place to stay.” April
leaned over and gave her a hug.

“Really?
Is he helping a friend in need, or is he charging you?”

Keira
looked away, so it was as I’d assumed.

“His
price is fair,” she responded quietly, “and he honestly
hasn’t hurt me.”

“I
could give you money.”

“No,
I take care of myself. You know that Scott.” Yes, I knew.
Keira had never accepted money from me, not even when I’d worked so
hard just for them. At least April had accepted my help back then,
and I knew she made sure some of that money had benefited Keira too.

“Keira…”
I sighed and shook my head. I wished she’d let me help her, but I
had to be careful. If I said the wrong thing, she may run again. To
complicate matters, we couldn’t speak freely in front of April. As
far as I knew, she didn’t know anything at all about the Resistance.
“I’ve spoken with Rick.”

“What’s
he like?” April asked.

“Worth
it,” I said to Keira. “I think he has real feelings for
you.”

“No.”
She shook her head, and her eyes grew dark. “I went to him
first. He turned me down.”

“Oh
Keira!” said April. “That could be a good sign.”

“How
would you know?” she spat.

“Well,
I’ve met someone.” April sounded hurt.

Keira
and I both looked at her in surprise.

“It’s
the new groundskeeper.” April blushed.

“What’s
he like?” Keira asked.

“Oh
no! No distractions. Today we’re talking about you, not me.”

I
returned my attention to Keira. “I think you should see him,
at least one more time.” I paused. “There is something
else I wanted to discuss with you.”

“What
is it?”

“Have
you been paying attention to the news?”

“Not
much electricity where I’m staying,” she pointed out, “so
no.”

“There
was a… well an attack at the Ramsey estate.”

“Oh
yeah, the butler…”

“Not
the butler, the chauffeur.”

She
looked convincingly shocked.

“You
didn’t know?” I asked, my eyebrows raised.

“What
are you implying, Scott? No, I didn’t know. I’m not the one keeping
secrets,” she accused quietly.

I
held her gaze but didn’t speak. April looked back and forth between
us but didn’t say anything.

“How?”
Keira finally asked. “What happened?”

“It
was a car bomb. Her chauffeur was killed instantly. It happened a
couple of days ago.”

“Her
chauffeur? You mean her bodyguard.”

“Yes,
it was clearly retaliation for what she did to you. Don’t you
think?”

-April-

Ashton

When
I arrived at the park, Keira was already there, on a bench in the
shade. She smiled and stood as I approached.

“Would
you like to stay in the shade or enjoy some sun?” I held up the
blanket I’d brought along.

“Enjoying
some sun sounds perfect.” She smiled at me and took one end of
the blanket. We spread it on a grassy knoll.

“You’ve
cut your hair.”

“Will
you help me even it out?” She handed me the scissors.

“Are
you going to dye it too?” I asked.

“Maybe.”

“Would
you go back to red?”

“No,
not yet. Maybe I’ll try your color.”

I
smiled. “That would be nice. Then we might actually look like
sisters.”

We
sat down together and faced the three apple trees we used to climb
when we were children. I went to work on her hair. The birds
twittered in the trees, and the sun warmed my bare arms. I breathed
in deeply and felt the muscles in my shoulders begin to relax.

“Are
you all right, Keira? I mean really all right?” I’d been able
to help her in the past. Did she need my help again? “Remember
the first time you stayed with Cole? I was so worried.”

“I
wasn’t with Cole back then. It took me a long time to figure out who
was safe.” Keira turned and gave me a reassuring hug. “I’m
safe with Cole. Haven’t I always let you know where I’m staying, and
how you can reach me?”

“Ever
since those first few weeks, yes.” She was right. She had.
“If you need a place to stay though, I could sneak you in.
Here, I’m finished.” I handed her the scissors.

“And
jeopardize your job? That’s not a good idea, April.”

Losing
my job might not be so bad, but she was right to worry, then we’d
both be on the street. How would we survive? I didn’t have any
savings of which to speak. Live in help received payment mostly in
the form of room and board, and Keira’s accounts had been closed.

Just
then we saw Scott. I wondered if he could loan Keira some money, but
quickly dismissed the idea. I knew that Keira would never accept.
We stood and each received a warm hug from our big brother. Then we
sat again, the three of us together, like old times.

Our
parents used to bring us to this park. The apple trees were much
smaller then. They had grown and twisted with age. I thought about
how similar we were to those trees: beauty on the outside masked a
twisted and shady interior. Well, the trees reminded me of Keira and
me actually. Scott had been luckier; he’d had more opportunities.

“Where
are you staying?” Scott asked Keira.

I
watched the rest of their exchange with interest. Scott really
didn’t like Cole.

“Has
he hurt you?” he asked.

“No!
He never has. See, no scratches or bruises.” She stood up
and spun around. “No new ones anyway.”

We
both knew she’d been hurt before, but I trusted that Keira was
telling the truth about Cole. I’d stayed with him before too, but
Keira didn’t need to know about that. While I’d been lost in
thought, their conversation had continued.

“I’ve
spoken with Rick,” Scott said.

Now
that was an interesting topic! “What’s he like?” I
asked.

“Worth
it,” Scott said and turned back to Keira. “I think he
has real feelings for you.”

“No,”
she said, and her eyes grew dark. “I went to him first. He
turned me down.”

“Oh,
Keira! That could be a good sign.”

“How
would you know?” she asked harshly.

That
hurt! She didn’t think I knew much, but I knew a lot more than she
realized. She didn’t know that I protected her too. “Well,
I’ve met someone,” I revealed.

Keira
and Scott both looked at me. I read the surprise in their eyes. Was
it really such shocking news?

“It’s
the new groundskeeper.” A warm glow rushed to my cheeks.

“What’s
he like?” Keira asked.

“Oh
no, no distractions. Today we’re talking about you, not me.”
Today our focus should be Keira. Besides, I wasn’t ready to share
details just yet.