Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (11 page)

“Huh,” I said. “Today is full of surprises.
Look who just walked in!”

Guy surveyed the room. He hid it well, but
he was just as surprised to see us as we were to see him. He
greeted the man and motioned toward our booth. I slid over to make
room. The stranger looked at me and then at Eberhardt. He chose the
seat next to me.

“Mr. Watanabe, these are my associates,
Eberhardt and Kendra James. I hope you don't mind them joining us
today. I figured it's about time you all met.”

I smiled warmly. Guy certainly seemed to
know what he was doing.

“Hello.” Mr. Watanabe nodded at me and then
at Eberhardt.

“Eberhardt, Kendra, this is Hisoka Watanabe.
He's a lawmaker.”

He's Gov? I tensed. I hoped Mr. Watanabe
hadn't noticed. I took a couple of deep breaths and forced my
muscles to relax. Then I picked up my cup of soup and took a
sip.

“How are you?” Guy stared at me.

I stared back until I realized what he
wanted. “Fine, thank you for asking,” I replied, as I reached for
the bloody napkin and knife. I cleaned the blade and set it aside.
Then I crumpled the napkin so my blood was no longer visible.

Hisoka shifted away from me.

“What do you have for us?” Guy turned his
attention to Mr. Watanabe.

Does Guy really have an insider? Can we
trust him? I tuned in to hear his report.

“Do you trust these people, Mr. Burke?” Mr.
Watanabe asked.

“With my life.”

Hisoka Watanabe nodded, apparently
satisfied. “Certain factions have grown stronger since our last
meeting. They're pushing for a decrease regarding genetics
regulations.”

I looked at my soup and asked quietly, “In
what way?”

“Pardon?”

I took a breath and spoke a little louder.
“In what way?” I looked up at him. “What exactly are they
proposing?”

He seemed taken aback by my question and
looked to Guy for direction. When Guy nodded, he continued. “They
want the law behind them when they begin cloning, starting with
rats, pigs and rhesus monkeys.”

“That all?” This time it was Eberhardt who
voiced the question.

“That's all, officially speaking.”

“But you don't think they'll stop there,”
said Guy.

“They won't. They'll just deny it or find a
scapegoat if word leaks.”

“Have they already started?” I asked.

“What?” Again he looked at me, and again he
seemed surprised that I was speaking to him.

“Have they already begun testing?” Guy
repeated.

“Officially, no.”

“But unofficially?”

Mr. Watanabe took a deep breath.
“Unofficially, yes. They've begun preliminary testing, starting
with checking greater numbers of more varied populations for
certain predispositions.”

That didn't sound like rats, pigs, or
monkeys. “And where are they getting their test subjects?” I
asked.

This time he responded immediately. “I'm not
at liberty to say.” He shook his head. “And I'm afraid I've said
too much already. Excuse me.”

“I'm sorry,” I said, as we watched Mr.
Watanabe walk out the door. “I didn't mean to scare him off.”

“It's because you're a woman. Remember what
I taught you? Elite women don't speak during business
meetings.”

“You're sure it wasn't because of the
knife?”

Guy stared again. “Maybe, but Mr. Watanabe
is always on edge. He wants to be involved, but he's worried he'll
be caught. You can't really blame him. Look who he works for.”

Eberhardt caught my eye. Was he thinking the
same thing I was, that we could trust Hisoka's information but not
his actions? If anyone grew suspicious, it wouldn't take much to
crack him.

“Why so many questions?” Guy reached across
the table and gently squeezed my hand.

“I think Working Class citizens are being
abducted by the Gov.”

“Abducted? That's not how they usually do
things.” I kept a hold of Keira's hand as I moved around to sit
next to her. “You're sure you're feeling alright?”

She nodded. “I'm fine, completely healed.
Look, I don't have proof, but a reliable source told me that a lot
of people have gone missing lately. And what do you mean by, 'It's
not how they usually do things?' We both know the Gov can't be
trusted.”

“I mean they create laws to make what was
once illegal, legal. I don't doubt they would take people but not
by breaking their own laws. They'd find another way.”

“Maybe you should do some more digging,”
Eberhardt suggested.

“Mr. Watanabe said they've already begun
checking more varied populations,” Keira said.

“And you think they're taking Working Class
citizens.”

She nodded.

“But why? They already have their pick.
Harlow's been in touch. About a dozen soldiers have gone missing,
all from Special Ops.”

Keira and Eberhardt silently watched me.

“Alright. I'll make some additional calls
when I get back to the office and see what else I can learn.” My
stomach grumbled. I looked at Keira's empty plate and bowl. “Is the
food here any good?”

She raised her arm and waved in the
direction of the bar. A man behind the counter, Tony perhaps,
immediately sent a waitress. Keira placed an order for me without
consulting a menu.

“You've been here before.”

She shrugged. “This is my part of town.”

The man behind the bar continued to watch
us. I scanned the room. A lean yet muscular fellow was looking at
us too. When my gaze lingered on him, he turned away, back toward
his drink. Apparently, Eberhardt wasn't the only one watching out
for Keira today. Although Tony's was a seedy tavern, I sensed that
Keira was safe here, with or without backup.

“Who's he?”

Keira followed my gaze. “Oh, that's Cole.
Excuse me.”

I stood and helped her from the booth. When
I sat back down, I noticed Eberhardt was staring at me, but I
couldn't read his expression.

“What is it? Do you know who he is?”

He nodded. “He's a drug dealer – has
connections with the military and the Elite. At least, I assume
it's the same Cole. I didn't realize Keira was involved in all
that.”

“She's not.”

We watched as Cole reached out and gave her
a hug. Keira leaned in and returned his affections. Eberhardt
looked like he wanted to say more, but I shook my head.

Keira returned to our booth. “Something is
definitely wrong. Cole knows a lot of important people. Some of his
military contacts have stopped calling, not just from Special Ops
either. And some of his friends and neighbors have disappeared too.
It backs up what my other source said.”

“What about his Elite customers?” Eberhardt
asked.

She raised her eyebrows. “You know
Cole?”

He nodded. “I know of him.”

“No change there.”

I threw out an idea. “Maybe they're not
being abducted. It's possible they're choosing to go in for
testing.”

“And why would they do that?” Keira
asked.

“Well, we know how it's done with the
military. Soldiers have to sign all those waivers just to join, and
once they're in, there's no going back. So as far as the Gov is
concerned, it's legal to test soldiers, even if we believe it's
unethical.”

“But it's not just us!” Keira interjected
before I'd had a chance to finish. “By worldwide standards it's
unethical! That's why it's illegal.”

“I agree, but by passing laws, signing
treaties and using other official means, the Gov attempts to make
the unethical, legal. Do you see what I mean?”

She nodded slowly.

“So if they're cutting a deal,” I continued
with my original thought, “it wouldn't take much to get some people
to sign on, would it?”

“You mean if they think they don't have
anything to lose?” she asked.

“Or money to gain.” She was catching on. I
hesitated and then asked, “How do you know Cole?”

She didn't answer. Instead, she picked up
her apple and twisted the stem this way and that.

Eberhardt stood. “I need another drink.” He
left just as the waitress arrived with my food.

I thanked her and returned my attention to
Keira. “I wouldn't think less of you. Sometimes people do whatever
they can to escape, and you've had plenty of reason.”

“I've never used drugs. I already told you
that.” Her focus remained intent upon the apple. “When I needed an
escape, I couldn't afford them, and once I could, I no longer
needed them.”

“Then how do you know Cole?”

“You shouldn't be asking me that.”

But I needed to know. I reached for her
hand, and she finally looked into my eyes. “He's from your
past?”

She nodded, and her jaw clenched.

“Did he ever hurt you?”

“No, never.” Her voice was breathless. “Why
do guys always assume that?”

So that's who he was, but I still needed to
hear it from her. “Keira, nothing you share about your past will
change how I feel about you. You know that, right?”

She closed her eyes. “Cole is who I used to
run to when I needed a safe place to stay.”

And she'd paid him in the only way she
could. I took a breath and steadied my voice. “You told me he
didn't love you.”

Her eyes flew open. “He doesn't.”

“He cares about you. It's obvious.”

“Maybe so, but it's more about image.”

“Image?”

“Look, nothing is going on between me and
Cole. Until today, I hadn't even seen him since last year.”

Last year, when I pushed her away. Keira
leaned against me and rested her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my
arms around her. I would have liked to have stayed that way just a
little longer, but my food was getting cold, and my stomach started
to complain. I let go and picked up a spoon. The soup was
delicious, an interesting mix of spices, so why couldn't I enjoy
it? I glanced at the bar. Cole was gone.

When I'd nearly finished my soup, I reached
into my inside coat pocket and pulled out two invitations to an
upcoming benefit: Redemption for Orphans.

“What's this?” Keira asked, as I handed them
to her.

“A charity fundraiser. You and Aimee should
attend.”

“You want me to go to this, as what, another
way to practice being Elite?”

I shook my head. Most charities were really
just a way to keep Elite women occupied. In most cases, one of the
husbands handled the business end, and most of the money was
filtered right back to the Elite.

“Another way to be Elite,” I corrected. “My
mother recently accepted the lead board position so I'll be there
to support her. I'd like you to go with me, as my date.”

“Oh.” Keira hung her head and mumbled, “Of
course. We'll be there.”

I traced my finger along the edge of her jaw
until she smiled. “And I'll see you on Thursday night.” Thursday
was Aimee's Grand Opening. I focused my attention on the rest of my
food. I was finally able to enjoy it.

Eberhardt noticed the more relaxed
atmosphere at our booth and drifted over.

“So what brought you two here this
afternoon?” I ventured to ask.

“Brody,” Keira said. “I know how to keep him
alive now, but I'm afraid it's going to kill him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he's part of our team now, part of
the Resistance, in a way that he wasn't before. We've become real
friends.” She grew quiet again.

“And?”

“They're after me, and that's not just
speculation. Because the wanted posters aren't working, they think
they can get to me through him. We must have been spotted together.
The only way to keep Brody safe is to let him go. It's gonna kill
him.” She shook her head sadly. “And he can't help us with air
travel anymore. It's too risky, for him and for us. You'll have to
put Raquelle back to work getting people through.”

I nodded. We could work with that. “Do
what's necessary to keep him safe. Then toss that red wig, and let
me take care of the rest.”

“Who's he?” Guy asked.

I leaned over to look. “Oh, that's Cole.
Excuse me.”

I'd hoped I'd run into him today. Guy helped
me from the booth.

“What's he doing here?” Cole asked when I
hopped onto the barstool next to him. He kept his back to the
room.

“Working. Do you have a problem with
that?”

“Nope. I saw your picture.”

The tabloid photo. “Yeah, I wanted to talk
with you about that.”

Cole turned to look at me. “You playin'
him?”

“No, I'm with him. He's asked me to marry
him and,” I took a deep breath, then finished in a rush, “I've said
yes.”

Cole's gaze drifted around the room. “He
knows what you do, where you come from. He knows you're not Kendra
James.”

“Yes, he's known since the beginning.”

“That where you been for the past year?”

“Yep.”

He nudged me with his elbow and grinned.
“Way to go!”

I blushed, recognizing high praise from
Cole. “Thank you.”

“I saw you talking to Jenna before. What'd
she have to say?”

I shook my head. “You know I can't, but have
any of your clients gone missing lately?”

“Missing? Yeah!”

“Who?”

“Some of my military contacts, high up
officers.”

“Special Ops?”

“Some, not all. And my neighbors, the ones
in the blue house. The loud music has stopped. I kinda miss that.
Some of my poker buddies have stopped coming around too. Jenna tell
you what's going on?”

“She doesn't know.” We stared at each
other.

“Hey, think you could help me with something
before you head back?”

“Depends. What'd you have in mind?”

“See the guy in front of the window?”

I quickly glanced over my shoulder.
“Yeah.”

“He delivers goods for me. Now he tells me
something went wrong, the client never showed. Only he's not
returning the goods, and he's not giving me the money either.”