“Like?” Raym scowled.
“That's all I'm prepared to give you.” Leo gave him a cold smile. “Suffice to say, what I'm doing interfered with some of the Cores' plans, and they've come to the conclusion it's best if I go away. But my guess is they want to have a little chat with me first.”
“Except, tonight they tried to kill you, not grab you,” Sofie pointed out.
“Perhaps after The High Flyer, they decided it would be easier to just get rid of me.” Not a happy thought.
“Where do we go from here?” Zyr asked him. “We obviously aren't prepared to put everything on the table with each other, but if you're telling the truth, we might be able to coordinate some things.”
Leo gave a slow nod. “Sofie can be our intermediary. If something comes up I think you can help with, I'll let you know.”
He realized he'd made a mistake when Sofie went very still, and Zyr sent her a quick, nervous look.
“Would that be all right with you, Sofie-girl?”
“It'll be hard for me to be an intermediary as I don't have anything to do with Leo any more.” Sofie turned to Leo as she spoke, and Leo winced.
“I said good bye because I wanted you to be safe. I thought if we didn't see each other again . . .” He closed his eyes, tipped back his head and rubbed his forehead. “I'm sorry. What I really want is for you to come live in my house, where no one can get you.”
She looked genuinely startled. “And how will I pay my bills? And how will I be an intermediary if I'm not coming and going from Felicitos? Staying with you will trap me in your house. They'll know I'm definitely linked to you after that.”
He had sort of hoped her staying with him would trap her in his house, where she would be nice and safe, out of the hands of oppos and the Cores. Where she wouldn't be put in a situation where she thought jumping from hover to hover over a chasm that dropped one hundred thou to the planet below from the upper atmosphere was a reasonable response.
He drew a deep breath in through his nose. “What do you suggest?”
“I'll sneak out the hidden tunnel, go home, and wait to hear if you have any news. You can ask your guy to knock on my door like a normal person. And then, if all is well, I'll go into work tomorrow, just like I usually would. I think the more I deviate from my schedule, the more visible I start to become.”
“We'll keep a watch on you,” Zyr said.
“My people will, too.”
Sofie shook her head in frustration. “Be careful you don't bump into each other.”
“I'll do you a deal.” Zyr looked over at him. “While she's in Felicitos, we'll take care of her. While she's outside in Tether Town, she's all yours.”
Leo gave a nod. That worked for him. It seemed the resistance had back doors in the tethered way station he knew nothing about. They'd infiltrated the maintenance crews, and obviously knew the place better than the Cores did.
Whereas when it came to Tether Town, just his name was enough to make the oppos run and hide.
“Ever find the kill switch while you were crawling around in these tunnels?” he asked.
There was a short moment of silence, and everyone shifted uncomfortably.
Everyone except Sofie. She gave him a stony look.
Then Sunny darted a quick, guilty look at Sofie and cleared his throat. “That would be sweet. I've kept my eyes open for it, ever since I heard the story.”
“The story is bullshit, Sunny.” Sofie's tone brooked no argument.
“Sorry, Sofes, but you weren't there when Fadal died and you didn't hear what that nurse heard.”
Zyr sent Sunny a furious look. “No, she wasn't there when he died.”
Sunny seemed to realize his mistake, and looked down at his feet.
“What am I missing?” Leo asked.
“Nothing. Except that we all knew Ronald Fadal a little. We worked the construction crews,” Zyr said, his tone dour. “He was a brilliant engineer and architect. Not once did he ever let on he'd built a kill switch into Felicitos's design.”
“I heard he did it when he realized the Cores weren't going to stop shielding the smugglers from the Verdant String. They kidnapped his own people after Halatia was destroyed, and the Cores did nothing to stop them taking refuge on Garmen.” Leo had followed all the rumors--after all, he wouldn't be the wealthy man he was today without Ronald Fadal.
“It would have been a bit late to add in a kill switch right at the end.” Raym shook his head. “They murdered him when it was finished, rather than have him walking around, bitter and with the plans in his head. But he didn't know that's what they'd planned until he fell ill from poisoning, two days before he died.”
“The thing is, the Cores execs knew that what the smugglers had done to the Halatians was a hot button for him. They told him they would round the smugglers up and he went on believing their false promises right until the end.” Sofie's mouth was turned down in a sneer. “He gave them everything. He would never have put his precious tower in jeopardy with a kill switch.”
There was so much more here than he understood. Every instinct in Leo was screaming at him. He turned to Sunny, the weak link among them when it came to this. “What did he say on his deathbed that makes you think there's a kill switch?”
“He said, 'I built it, and I can bring it down'.” Sunny's voice held the suppressed excitement of a treasure hunter.
Zyr shook his head. “Then he tried to slit his own wrist with a knife from his dinner tray. The poison had obviously driven him mad.”
“Give it up, Sunny.” Fallia's mouth formed a hard line of disapproval. “This tethered way station is an engineering marvel. Fadal was proud of what he'd done for its own sake. Did he love the Cores at the end? No. Did he want to bring down what he'd spent eight years of his life building? No again.”
“You got that right.” Sofie seemed to have shaken off the fury that had burned in her earlier. Now she exuded calm. “He gave everything to Felicitos, and then died with nothing. But he loved it like he loved nothing else. He would never have wanted it harmed.”
“I worked on the crew building this place at the end, and I never saw anything that looked like a kill switch.” Zyr's voice was matter-of-fact.
“There still could be one,” Sunny said stubbornly. “If he was hiding it, he wouldn't make it obvious. The Cores had to be watching him.”
Zyr shook his head, and Sofie said nothing, her face a blank page.
“You need a guide to get you to your floor?” Zyr suddenly asked Leo, and Leo realized this little meeting was over.
He nodded.
“Sofie . . .” He hadn't touched her once since he'd left her apartment two days ago, and he really wanted to, even with the disapproving audience around them. “Will you play intermediary? Please?”
It would at least be a way to keep the connection between them open.
She lifted her gaze to his. “How? Will there be a signal between your watcher and me?”
He didn't want that. Didn't want to hear from her via someone else. He suddenly thought of an amazing solution.
“Come work for me in my office. The Cores already know you've got some link to me. This way, you'll be able to pay your bills, and you won't be sitting in a Cores office, putting yourself in their hands every day.”
She angled her head. “Doing what?”
“Whatever it is you do for them would work. Although I'd prefer it if you didn't pass on my company information to Zyr. If you don't mind.”
Her lips quirked in a quick smile. “I have to give one day's notice. And it means I won't be able to help Zyr anymore.”
“You'll be helping as an intermediary,” Zyr pointed out. “And I'd rather you work in a place where you'll be protected, rather than on your own in a Cores office.”
She nodded slowly. “All right. I'll see you the day after tomorrow.”
It wasn't the relationship Leo'd envisioned when he'd entered the Upper Reaches bar and stumbled at the sight of her. But he'd
take anything he could get.
Chapter 12
“Which exit are we using?” Fallia asked as Sofie bypassed the small pad and swiped her finger through the activated laser lock to open the lift hidden at the back of the maintenance tunnel.
“The bottom one. I used it two days ago.” She had only used it once before, nearly a year ago. Now she was using it twice in almost as many days.
Life had most definitely gotten more interesting since she'd met Leo.
“After the first attempt on lover-boy's life?” Fallia asked as she stepped in after her.
Sofie nodded, punched in the code for the level below the water tank, deep underground. “He was hit. I couldn't carry him out, and we needed to leave. It was the best option.”
“So he knows where it is?”
Sofie looked across at her sharply, and Fallia lifted her hands, palm up.
“I just need to keep track of who knows, that's all. Basic security.”
Sofie considered, gave a nod of acceptance as they hurtled downward. “He was unconscious almost the whole time. I don't think he'd be able to find it again. And he was definitely unconscious when I opened the tunnel door.”
“So he knows it's there, but not where to find it?” Fallia tapped her finger to her lip. “What are the chances he'll go looking for it?”
“I'd say pretty high. He now knows first hand what a handy exit it is.” Sofie had no illusions about Leo. His relentless focus was one of the most attractive things about him.
“You going to show him?” Fallia leaned back, arms crossed over her chest.
Sofie thought about it. “Depends.”
“On?”
“On whether it's to use for his business, or whether it's to help someone.”
“He could lie about that.” Fallia's lips formed a thin line.
“He could, but I don't think he will. Not to me.” She was aware she sounded like a fool when she said that, and wasn't surprised to see Fallia roll her eyes.
“You don't think he will?” Fallia didn't hide her sarcasm.
Sofie sighed. “I won't tell him, unless it's life or death. Happy?”
“No,” Fallai shot straight back. “But I trust you, even if I don't trust him. He's a parasite, Sofes. Just like the parasites we used to watch when we were kids. Sucking the life and the blood out of this place, getting fat on the gen-pop's hard work.”
“I don't think he's the same as those leeches. There's more to him.”
“That's what you want to think.” Fallia looked at her with pity.
She shrugged. “Maybe. But he makes my heart do double time and I feel a thrill just thinking about him, like I'm hover hopping over the hoverway.” She reached out and gently touched Fallia's hand. “It's been a long time since anything touched me. And he does.”
“I'm scared for you. Scared it'll end really badly.” Fallia's gaze bore into hers. “You're a special case. You could help someone like him a lot with your access to Felicitos. Are you sure he didn't set out to find you?”
Sofie shook her head. She didn't, but she couldn't prove it. Didn't want to try.
The semi-circle that was the lift door pivoted open, and they stepped out, both subdued.
Rach had been the link that bound her and Fallia together, and Sofie wanted that connection to continue. She didn't like feeling Fallia was disappointed in her, but she hadn't done anything wrong.
“He's seen and done some bad, bad things.” Fallia wouldn't let it go. “It's in his eyes.”
“And your point is?”
“Can't go against the Cores and not get your hands dirty.”
Sofie scoffed. “And you're going to tell me that bothers you?”
“No.” Fallia drew the word out. “I agree with going against the Cores. But that kind of thing, it leaves a mark on the soul.”
“So far, I haven't seen his soul.” She shot Fallia a deliberately bawdy look, and despite the tension between them, Fallia let out a laugh.
“And what have you seen?” She was smiling for the first time.
“Never you mind. Just understand that it was all prime.” No need to say everything she'd seen had been covered in clothing of some sort--this was definitely helping calm the waters.
“That, I did notice.” Fallia fanned her face with her hand.
They looked at each other for a moment, and then burst out laughing.
“It's really good to see you, Sofe.” Fallia gave her a one-armed hug as they walked down the long, echoing passageway. “You should have come back to us sooner.”
Sofie sighed. “There were too many who did nothing while Veld pushed his horrible little plans on Rach. I can't be in the same room with them. They didn't say anything, they didn't protest. They had to know it was all kinds of wrong.”
Fallia nodded. “Some of them have dropped off. Zyr thinks they may have turned on us, or were with the Cores all along.”
“Like who?” Better she knew, in case she saw them. She'd passed many of her old friends on the street or in Felicitos this past year, and the rules about not acknowledging each other in public had worked in her favor.
Fallia named a couple of people, but Sofie couldn't remember seeing them since she left. So maybe Zyr was right, maybe they had gone with Veld, to meddle somewhere else in the name of the Breakaways.
She did not wish them well.
They were approaching the end of the passageway. Sofie could heard the thump of the pump next to the secret tunnel entrance.
“What's your end game in all of this?” Fallia asked. “You still want to leave Garmen?”
Sofie hesitated for the first time in a while. “That was the plan. To leave. To find a way off, and get to Arkhor.”
“It's not anymore?”
“I don't know.” She hated that things had become so much less clear of late. It was easier in black and white. When Rach had died, there had been no gray. She wanted to be gone with every fiber of her being. “Everything is wrong with this place. It needs to change. If I could leave, would I just be a coward, saving myself, and leaving everyone else to rot?”
Fallia stood back as Sofie tapped the code into the keypad on the pump and then pulled the wall back so they could step through.
“It's hard, caring too much, is it?”
As the wall snicked closed behind them, Sofie nodded in agreement.
It was so much easier not to give a damn.
Chapter 13
She had slid through work the day before like a curn, one of the gilled, snake-like fish from the river, twisting and weaving through the obstacles in her way as she tendered her resignation, kept her head down, and did her full day's work without a word to her colleagues.
Leo's watcher had knocked on her door the night before and told her there was no indication anyone was looking for her, but it didn't hurt to keep her head down and look innocuous.
In her experience, the left hand of the Cores didn't know what the right hand was doing. They made money in spite of themselves, not through sharp management or logical processes, but simply because they controlled everything.
Her resignation was logged without question, and it didn't appear anyone informed her manager. She stayed late, handing off the balance of her workload to him after he'd already gone home.
Then she'd taken a gen-pop hover down, waiting in line like a good worker, giving no one any cause to look at her twice.
Today she'd come in to Felicitos the same way for her first day at work with Leo, blending with the crowd, submitting to the push and shove without question or reaction.
When she reached Leo's floor, she stepped from the hover onto the platform and forced herself not to look down.
She'd had nightmares two nights running where she slid across the hover roof, but instead of shoving the assassin over the edge and crouching down safely, he'd grabbed her and pulled her over with him.
She woke before she hit the bottom, both times.
Finkle stood waiting for her just beyond the
platform, and she walked toward him.
“Problem?” she asked when she was close enough.
He shook his head. “Just keeping the boss happy.”
“You don't approve?” There was nothing in his tone to suggest it, but she sensed a reticence in him. And Leo's interest in her had to have complicated Finkle's life.
She bet he wished Leo had never laid eyes on her.
He sent her a quick glance as he turned to lead the way to the office. “I have no opinion.”
Sofie grinned. Like hell he didn't.
She let it go. Finkle had put himself in front of the assassin to protect Leo. He could disapprove of her if he wanted to.
The passage curved and then ended in an open area with seating and a circular jah bar. A massive window looked out into Garmen's upper atmosphere.
Far below, thick clouds swirled and no doubt rained on Tether Town. Up here, just above the stratosphere, light from the sun was harsher, more intense, and the window was tinted. It cast everything in a lavender glow.
She hadn't been in this part of Felicitos since it had been finished. The independents were on the lower floors of the Upper Reaches, and they'd made their surroundings a lot nicer than the Cores had done for their offices on the floors above.
Those had no lounges, no jah makers, and no windows.
No unnecessary money had been spent.
Finkle swept his arm toward a set of double doors, and held one open for her.
She stepped into an oasis of calm.
A woman with silver-streaked hair looked up from her desk and gave Sofie a thorough once-over.
“Sofie Erdo.” Sofie extended her hand.
“Eunice Daly.” Eunice took her hand in a firm grasp. “Leo said to send you straight in whenever you arrived.”
Sofie nodded and Finkle led her down a corridor and past a series of open doors containing numerous people murmuring into comm sets. He rapped on the door at the end of the corridor, opened it, and stood aside so she could go in first.
He followed her in, which surprised her.
Leo was standing by a big window, looking out at Garmen far below him, talking on his comm set. He turned, his gaze jumping to her face. He seemed to relax.
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