Price of a Bounty - By S. L. Wallace Page 0,60
be writing something in a notebook.
Without a sound, I crept inside the room and lowered myself against the wall. I needed a minute to think. Who else wanted those codes? There weren’t too many companies in the line of security. Had someone else also hired a Freelancer? What were the chances? What are my options? I could just wait and then retrieve the codes for my client too.
When the shadow closed and locked the safe, I got a good look at it. Damn, it’s one of the high techno kinds. I don’t think I’ll be able to crack it.
The shadow turned toward the door. From this angle, I could see that she was a young woman. Chances were good that she had the codes I needed. I would have to follow her and…
She reached the door and was just about to step into the hall when she hesitated. Then she turned and looked directly at me. I stood. We studied each other for a moment.
“You’re good,” she said. “I didn’t hear you come in.”
“So, what are we going to do about this?” I asked. “Are you willing to share?”
“Well, we don’t want to draw any attention.”
“I agree.”
“But I can’t let you take anything.”
“Why not?” I looked at the papers in her hand. “You did.”
“If we leave quietly now, no one will know that anything was stolen. That’s the way it needs to be.”
“I believe we’ve come for the same thing. What would be the harm in both of our clients gaining access to the codes?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think my client would like that.”
“He wouldn’t need to know, and we’d both get paid.”
She began to move, to circle around me. I moved with her, keeping her in front.
“Who hired you?” she asked.
“Who hired you?” I responded in kind.
Suddenly, she stopped. I realized a fraction of a second too late that I’d been played.
A meaty hand clamped onto my wrist, spun my arm behind me and put me in a neck hold. Just. Like. That. It was embarrassing.
I was dragged down the hall and outside. I wondered why the alarm didn’t go off, and then realized they must have disabled it. Two blocks later, we stopped, and I was shoved into the backseat of a car, a car I recognized instantly.
I snorted. “I’ll drive.” I turned my head toward the man and the woman. “No names,” I suggested.
Eberhardt nodded and surprisingly, let me drive. The woman deferred to his judgment.
“Where to?” I asked.
“You can drop me off at A Shot in the Dark,” she said. “Do you know where it is?”
I nodded and started the car. I put it into gear and gently pulled away from the curb. My mind was reeling, but my business in this matter was with Guy, not with the girl.
After we dropped her off, Eberhardt turned on me. “What the hell were you doing back there?”
“The same thing you were, apparently.”
“But why? You work for the Resistance now.”
I turned my head away from the road and stared at him just long enough to make my point. “Work for the Resistance? What work have I been given to do exactly? It’s not like I haven’t asked! I need to keep my skills sharp. I need to keep in practice. What would you have me do?”
“Train with me,” he suggested.
“What?”
“I know what you’re going through. Do you think I just sit around in the car all day?”
I shook my head, surprised at his outburst.
“I get it. You’re bored. You want to be where the action is. So come train with us.”
“Us?”
“Yes, the other Raiders and me. We practice regularly, to keep our skills sharp.”
I pulled into the garage beneath Guy’s apartment and stopped the car. Then I turned to face Eberhardt completely.
“What about keeping everyone’s identity a secret?”
“Yes, that’s important too, but it’s also important to practice working together. Remember what I said about backup?”
I nodded.
“We practice in small groups,” he continued. “None of the Raiders know all of the other Raiders, and most of them have never met Guy, but we do form networks. To start, you can work with me and the girl you met tonight.”
“Thanks, I guess. I might just take you up on that. But…”
“What?”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before?”
“I should have. It’s just…Guy didn’t want it that way. I’ve got your back now though.” He exited the car, and then walked around to open the door for me.
What a strange thing for him to say. I thought he already