Page 37

I wait until after breakfast, after Ape and Duncan leave on their first runs of the day, before I pigeonhole Gig in the Control Center.

He looks a little hung-over this morning, but since he doesn’t smell of sex or of ethanol, and there was no sign of Sylvie at breakfast, I think that’s just the result of the thunderbolt.

He settles gingerly onto one of the couches, fidgets. “Should I get the boss?” he asks.

Kez has just disappeared in the direction of the bathroom. Since she was in and out in five minutes before breakfast, I suspect she’s gone to shower, which gives me a few minutes alone with Gig.

I shake my head. “She’s busy. This is between you and me.”

Gig sinks back into the couch. Rubs his hand through his hair. “Am I in trouble?”

“Not with me.”

“Then, uh, what’s going on?”

“What I’m gonna tell you now will hurt. No way around that. But I don’t think it’ll bother you as much as it’ll bother Kez.” I gauge his reaction. Still open, still a little nervous. “I get the feelin’ you don’t like Duncan much.”

Gig shrugs. “He doesn’t like me much.”

“Why not?”

“It’s ancient history,” Gig says, but he starts wriggling on the couch again.

I fold my arms across my chest and wait.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.” He shrugs.

“I knew how Kez felt about the thing with Chain. I mean, I knew about what happened between Chain and Nev and I knew how much that upset Kez. She wouldn’t have wanted to get together with Duncan after he’d been with Nev.

So when I saw Dunk making moves on her, I told her about them.

Duncan and Nev, I mean. Maybe I shouldn’t have. ” He shrugs again.

“She thank you for it?”

He nods.

“Then you did the right thing. Duncan hold it against you?”

“Yeah. Toxic fucking grudge.”

I nod. I’ve noticed. “He ever try t’get back at you?”

“All the time. In little ways. Nothing big. Nothing I can take to Kez.”

She sees it, though. “First time I saw you all together, I thought Duncan was new and still on probation. But he’s not, is he? Kez just doesn’t trust him.”

Gig nods.

“You don’t either, do you?” When he shakes his head, I continue. “Then it won’t surprise you to hear he’s sold her out.”

Gig shoots upright like I’ve poked him with a zap stick. “What?!”

Maybe it is a surprise. I wave him back into his seat.

“Reg Bale gave him up. Duncan’s been feedin’ information to Jaxon, about where Kez would be an’ when.

If I hadn’t taken out the Bale boys, they’d have caught her as she passed through Red territory.

On that run she has to Hemos. They were gonna rape her and then kill her. An’ Duncan gave her to them. ”

“Cocksucker!” Gig’s face twists; he looks like he’s about to cry.

I nod.

“He’s the one that burned her,” Gig whispers brokenly. “Jaxon. He hates Kez.”

“I know. What I don’t know is where Duncan is gonna be and when. I want you to tell me. And I want you to know why.”

“I’ll give you all his runs, that cocksucker ... wait. What, uh, what are you going to do?”

“Whaddo you think?” I ask. I want to make sure Gig understands what I’m asking him to do. And what the ramifications will be.

Gig digs himself down into the couch. Puts his hands over his head. “Are you going to kill him?” he whispers from beneath his arms.

“Yes,” I say distinctly. I want this to be very clear. So there’s no misunderstanding later.

“Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck. This is so fucked up.”

“Yeah.” I reach out and squeeze his shoulder. “I don’t know what he’s given up already. So we gotta be extra careful for a while. Shuffle Kez’s runs. Break her routine. No one can know where she’s gonna be and when. Just you, me, and Kez.”

“She shouldn’t stay here,” Gig mutters. “Duncan’s been in her room. He’s been all over this place. He’s seen her skylight. He knows all kinds of shit.”

“It’s okay, kid.” I’ve also been all over the Warren, too. “I’ve already secured Kez’s skylight. Anyone trying to climb down into her room will get a high voltage surprise.”

“Really? You didn’t tell me that.” He looks a little hurt for a moment. Takes in my stony expression and reddens. “You were right not to tell me. I never would’ve guessed about Duncan.”

“So, first order of business, Duncan’s schedule. Second is an evac plan.”

“An evac plan? What for?”

“In case shit goes south. I want you to be able to pack up and clear out in a half hour. Essentials only. Rabbits, too.” It’d kill Kez to leave them behind. Even if we can’t take them into deep space with us.

“Are we leaving?”

“Not immediately. But if we need to on short notice, you and me, we’re gonna be ready.”

“This is all fucked up,” Gig sighs.

“Yeah. Let’s work on un-fuckin’ it.”

When Gig brings me Duncan’s runs a few minutes later, I’m back in Kez’s bedroom, dressing.

He hands me two strips of clear flimsy. I hold them up to the skylight.

In the light, the white-on-white printing is legible.

In the dark, the characters will luminesce slightly.

The first strip is a short list. Dunk has four runs today, all in Nock.

The second strip is an address about ten minutes away on foot.

Duncan’s place, at a guess. “Can you cover his two runs this afternoon?” I ask.

“Yeah, I’ve got it. Snow—” Gig hovers near the door, shifting from foot to foot. His usually pale skin has gone a pasty shade of green. Poor kid. He might not have liked Duncan much, but the betrayal has come as a shock. “I don’t, uh, I don’t know about killing Duncan.”

“What don’t you know about it?” I ask. There’s not much to know or not know. He’s a danger to Kez. My job is to eliminate dangers to Kez. I even get paid for it now.

“Have you talked to the boss about it?”

“Do I need to?” I tuck the flimsy away and finish stamping my foot into my boot.

The pile of rabbits on the bed watch with avid interest, both because any vibration attracts them and because I usually find them a treat or two after I finish dressing.

Anything that results in food is the subject of intense scrutiny .

“I, uh, I don’t know. Maybe I shouldn’t say anything.”

I cross the few steps to him, put my hand on his shoulder and give it a squeeze. I can see why Acker likes this gesture. “You can tell me anythin’. Whatever’s botherin’ you. Ain’t gonna go further.”

Gig sags under my hand. “Kez is crazy about you. I mean, you know that. Whatever you do, she’ll back you. That’s how she is. But killing Dunk without telling her?” He shakes his head. “On the outside, she’ll say it’s the right thing. But the inside... I think it’ll fuck her up.”

“You do, huh?”

“I shouldn’t have said anything.”

“Never hesitate to tell me anything you’re thinkin’,” I tell him with another squeeze. “Kez values your opinion more’n she does her own brother’s. So do I. You think I need to tell Kez before I move on Duncan, I will.”

“You will?”

“Yeah.”

Gig smiles sheepishly. “It’s not like you’re asking permission, or anything. I just think she might want to know. ‘Cause her opinion is important to you. If it is, I mean.”

“It is.”

Gig lets out a long breath. “I wasn’t sure, you know, about you and Kez. ‘Specially with everything going on. This isn’t really the best time. I mean, it’s all crazy. Kez isn’t usually like this. None of us are.”

“There’s never a best time, kid. There’s only now.”

“Yeah, I mean, I guess.”

“Let’s get to work.” He’s taken two runs today to cover for Kez, and now he’s got two more to cover for Duncan, so we all have places to be.

When I return to Kez’s room with a handful of rabbit treats – dried sawrin slices – Kez is dressed and packing her backpack.

She’s wearing genSkin again: pants and her steel-toed boots.

No halter this time, which is a shame because I liked the halter.

Sexy. Instead, she’s wearing a metallic silver tank that bares her arms and gives her skin a sheen like the argenté neither of us drank last night.

Pretty but hard-edged. “Still sendin’ a message, kitten? ”

She glances at me. Sniggers. “And you’re not?”

I shrug. I usually wear fatigues. Today I’m wearing a Biosteel vest as well, in case Duncan runs armed. I’m also wearing a full complement of knives. Although Kez probably can’t see them. “I’m not wearing a sword.”

She reaches over and taps the empty sheath on the top of my cubby.

I shrug again. “When don’t I have a couple of knives?”

“Ten.” She lifts an eyebrow. “Where do you put them all?”

“Here-n-there.” I kneel by her bed and offer my handful to the rabbits. It’s like a furry APC charge. Two of the babies overshoot the mark and end up scrabbling around in my lap. “Dopes,” I tell them. “You can’t even eat this yet.”

Kez extricates Mix and Slinky. Sets them on the bed and tickles their backs with her fingertips until they go into the babies’ squashed pet-me position. “They just get excited when the others do,” she says.

Once the sawrin is gobbled, Chalk flops heavily across the arm I’ve got propped on the bed.

Blinks up at me sleepily. Bunny-speak for I adore you, but don’t pet me .

It took me a while to interpret this one.

When they’re this close and looking this cute, my natural urge is to cuddle them.

But petting is only welcomed in the pet-me posture.

Attempted cuddling in other poses just earns the offender a glare and foot-flicking.

I blink back at the rabbit and wait for her to either go into pet-me or get off my arm.

“I’m ready,” Kez says.

“Grab your helmet,” I tell her. “We’ll take my trike. ”

“Ooo.” Kez’s eyes light up. She likes riding the trike. Then she tilts her head at me. “Are you sure you’re up to it? You were all—” She splays her fingers.

I lift an eyebrow. “Exploded?”

“A mess. Not even a day ago.”

I like my interpretation better. “Don’t worry about me, kitten. Just make sure you hang on tight.”