Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (13 page)

“Tonight,
I can stay here if you’d rather not be alone. Then I’ll be at my
apartment downtown.”

“Well
come in! How much is the rent?”

“It’s
a gift.”

Keira
hesitated. “Why are you doing this?”

“Why
not?”

She
turned and noticed a painting on the wall. “The Degas! What’s
it doing here?”

“Oh
that. It arrived the same day as the “accident” at the
Ramsey estate, along with a card. Just so we’re clear, Eberhardt
never admitted to planting the bomb. This was his way of letting me
know what he’d done for you.”

“What
did the card say?”

“It
had a symbol on it – a serpent in the shape of an S striking at
a gold coin with a G imprinted on it.”

“A
gold coin representing the Elite and a snake representing?”

“A
serpent representing the common man,” I said. “Disliked
and mistrusted by many. It’s a creature that will strike back with
full force when pressed into a corner.”

Keira
continued thoughtfully, “An ‘S’ and a ‘G’.”

“The
letters stand for the founders of the Resistance,” I explained.

She
was quiet for a long time. “He didn’t tell me,” she
said. “Not even during our last conversation. Why wouldn’t he
tell me something that important?”

“Secrecy
is our way of life. It’s the only way the Resistance can thrive.”

“Maybe
it’s the way for the Resistance, but it’s not the way between family
and friends. He shouldn’t have kept something that important a
secret.” She looked at me. “Please don’t keep secrets
from me, Guy. Can you promise me that?”

“I’m
sorry, I can’t. I won’t tell you other people’s secrets, and I would
never tell anyone something that could compromise another person’s
safety. But I won’t keep any unnecessary secrets from you. That’s
the best I can promise.” Would it be enough?

Keira
returned her attention to the painting. “Can you get rid of
it?”

“But
it’s worth a fortune!” Then I noticed her expression and said,
“I’ll make it my second priority.”

“What’s
your first priority?”

“You.”
I reached for her hand. “There are some things I promised to
do for you, and I always follow through on my promises.”

“What
promises?”

“Well,
Scott says you’ve never been on holiday. We can leave in a couple of
weeks. Before that, I should have time to take you to a museum and
to the ballet, as promised.”

“Where?”

“To
a museum and to the theater.”

She
grinned. “No, I mean where would we go on holiday?”

I
smiled back. “The lake.”

“The
lake? As in away from the city?”

I
nodded. Her smile was the only response I needed.

-Keira-

Who
Do I Want to Be?

Guy
wasn’t like other men I’d known. He said the apartment was a gift,
but was he really giving it to me without expecting anything in
return? I wanted to trust him. Guy had demonstrated trust in me by
telling me about the Resistance, and I would never betray that
confidence. But trusting him completely…well, that would take more
time. What was important was that I wanted to give it time, wanted
to give us time.

Again,
he asked, “Do you want me to stay tonight?”

“Yes,”
I said.

In
the darkening bedroom, I removed my jeans and shirt and hung them in
the closet. I dug through my pack and hung up my other pants and
shirts as well. After pulling a simple white tank top over my bra
and panties, I decided I was ready for bed. I climbed under the
comforter.

Guy
waited in front of the mirror that hung over the dresser. Then he
followed my example and climbed into bed wearing only his boxers.

He
caressed my shoulders and back. At first, my muscles tensed.
Is
this what he’s been expecting? Then why didn’t he…that
night? No matter, it’s a fair exchange for giving me a place to
stay.
When I tried to roll over, he nudged me back and continued
the massage. Eventually, I began to relax, and I fell asleep.

When
I woke, sunlight streamed in through the open window. Guy was gone,
but I found a note on the dining table.

Keira,

I
had to go to work. Buy whatever you’d like for our trip to the lake.
You can reach Eberhardt at 55-53-75-30. Call him for a ride when
you’re ready to leave. I’ll stop by tonight. Dinner’s on me.

Love,

Guy

Love?
I picked up the pile of gats that had been left near the note and
studied them. Then I took Guy’s suggestion to call Eberhardt and go
shopping. At noon, we stopped for lunch.

I
wasn’t very hungry, so I picked at my salad while Eberhardt
enjoyed a triple-decker sandwich. He hadn’t said much today,
so I began. One of us had to.

“Thank
you.”

He
waved his hand. “It’s nothing. I drive Guy around all the
time.”

“No,
I mean thank you for everything else. For being my backup, for
saving my life, for pulling me out of the bushes that night, and for
that thing you’re not admitting to.” I sighed. “How
can I ever repay you?”

He
looked up in surprise. “You’ve got it all wrong. You don’t
owe me anything. This is my way of paying off my debt.”

I
shook my head. “I don’t understand.”

“I
owe them: my wife, my children. When they needed me, I wasn’t
there.” He set down his sandwich. “The people who did
this to me.” He indicated his scar. “They went after my
family to get to me. Someone within the ranks…someone told them
when I’d be gone. They went after my family when I was on a mission.
I wasn’t there to protect them. My children are gone now. They
didn’t survive the attack. My wife…well, everything I earn goes to
pay for her care, but it isn’t enough. It’s never enough! That’s
why I helped you. That’s why I do what I do. You don’t owe me
anything.”

***

That
evening, I sat on the sofa and waited for Guy. I began to sing
quietly:

Yes,
it’s only a canvas sky

Hanging
over a muslin tree

But
it wouldn’t be make-believe

If
you believed in me.

I
was willing to open up and try this wholeheartedly. Guy had helped
Eberhardt when he was in a tough spot. He’d helped many others too,
I was sure of it.
Who is Guy Bensen? How is it that he’s
always giving, without expecting anything in return? Could I ever be
that selfless?
I realized then that Guy might be able to help me
answer the question I’d been asking for so long.
Who do I want to
be?

-April-

A
Dark Secret

Mrs.
Beckett asked me to polish the windows in the sitting room today. It
was another bright and sunny day, which meant I’d have to be careful
or streaks would be noticed. As I worked, I watched Ashton pace back
and forth across the side lawn with the push mower.

I’d
heard somewhere that people used to ride mowers. It must have been
nice when techno like that was available to everyone. I bet the
Becketts could afford to have a riding lawn mower that worked, but
they’d never allow their servants to have access to techno like that!
I tried to think of a good excuse to go talk to Ashton.

I
finished quickly and hurriedly put away the supplies, eager to get
outside. That’s when the butler approached.

“Mr.
Beckett requests your presence in the study.”

“Am
I to bring anything?”

He
shook his head, no. My sunny day clouded over. When Lance Beckett
called for me, I never knew what to expect. Sometimes he wanted me
for a simple cleaning job and other times… I felt a knot tighten in
my stomach.

Today,
it was as I’d feared. The master of the house was stressed. It was
as simple as that. As he undid his zipper, I bit the inside of my
cheek and willed myself not to cry. Over Mr. Beckett’s shoulder, I
could see Ashton mowing the back lawn. Could he be my ticket out of
this madness? I closed my eyes and pretended I simply didn’t exist.
After what felt like forever, Mr. Beckett dismissed me.

I
retired to the servants’ quarters in the basement and curled up on my
bed. I hated my secret. I wondered if Scott’s secrets were as dark
as mine. What about Keira? I knew she had secrets too. Some had
even left visible scars.

I
never made it outside to talk to Ashton that afternoon. I didn’t
feel like talking with anyone. Later, I was called to the kitchen to
clean up after dinner. As usual, Lewis had prepared a plate of food
for me. I thanked him but couldn’t eat. I began the dishes
while Lewis leaned back in his chair and pretended to read a
magazine. I knew he just enjoyed watching me. At least he’d never
touched me.

When
I finished, I returned to my room and changed into a pair of pale
pink sweatpants and a white t-shirt. Then I climbed the stairs to
the first floor and crossed the kitchen to the back porch. That’s
where Chrissy found me. I sat on a white wicker chair and gazed at
the sunset.

“Edrea
and Vanessa are finally asleep. How was your day?”

“Oh,
typical,” I responded. “Do you like working here?”

“So
far, yes. The girls keep me busy, but they’re fun.” She
sounded sincere.

“That’s
good.” Lance Beckett must not have gotten to her yet.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Nothing.
I’m just tired,” I said as I rubbed my shoulder. “I
think I’m going to turn in early.”

I
returned to my room, but I didn’t sleep. Why couldn’t I stop him?
Was this job so important that I would do anything to keep it? What
if I just left? What would happen to me then? I could stay with
Cole again, for a little while. Of course, that wouldn’t be much of
an improvement. However, the last time I’d run away and stayed with
Cole, when I returned, things had gotten better for a few months.

No.
I needed to be honest with myself. It hadn’t really gotten better.
Mr. Beckett had merely shifted his attention to the nanny. Then her
“situation” had changed, and she’d left. Was I destined
to suffer the same fate?

I
looked around my room and remembered another bedroom, about the same
size, from my childhood. After Scott had left, things hadn’t changed
much. Keira and I still went to school and kept house for Aunt Cady.
We were together. Keira was more than a sister to me. She was also
my best friend.

Then
Keira had to go. Neither of us had wanted that. I wasn’t ready to
be an only child, and she wasn’t ready to leave. She didn’t even
know what she wanted to do with her life, and she hadn’t finished
school yet. Her birthday was in November. The streets were already
cold, and she was turned out with no money and no prospects. I tried
to give her the money Scott had saved up for us, but she refused to
take it. For about three weeks, Keira continued to go to school
during the day, and at night, she sneaked through my window and slept
on the floor. It was all she could think to do.

Finally,
I talked to Aunt Cady and pleaded on Keira’s behalf. I tried to
convince her to let Keira move back in, just until the end of the
school year. That’s when I learned that it’s a really bad idea to
share secrets. My window was nailed shut and Aunt Cady made sure
that when I went to bed, I stayed there. Keira no longer had a way
in.

I
remembered the look on her face when she stood outside my window that
night. We’d held our hands up to each other. It looked like she
said, “I’ll come back.”

She
disappeared for about a month. I was worried sick, wondering what
had happened to her. Then one day, she did come back. She found me
at school, and we talked. She carried herself differently and had a
look I’d never seen before, more wary maybe? She also had cuts and
bruises and a black eye.

When
it was my turn to leave, it hadn’t been quite so bad. By that time,
Keira had an income and an apartment of her own. We’d lived together
for three and a half years. I was able to finish school, and
eventually, I’d been hired at the Beckett estate.

Although
I asked many times, Keira refused to tell me how she made a living.
She also never told me what had happened to her when she was gone for
that month. Those were her first secrets from me, I was sure of it.

When
Keira told me she was going out and advised me not to wait up for
her, she expected me to believe she was dating. I knew it wasn’t
true though. She would return in the morning silent and withdrawn.
Sometimes, her clothes had bloodstains on them even when she didn’t
have any fresh wounds. By next laundry day, those clothes would be
gone.

Over
time, I figured out what Keira really did. She was angry at the
world. When I finally confronted her with what I’d guessed, she no
longer tried to hide it from me. My sister, the Freelancer. I’d
once asked her if she was driven by hatred. She’d said no, she
said she was making the world a better place. Did she really believe
that?

I
didn’t hate anyone. I figured everyone just tried to do their best
with what they’d been given. I tried my best to fit in, to
find my place and a respectable job. Now, with more life experience,
I wondered if there was such a thing as a respectable job for a
woman, or were we all wearing masks?

At
least I still believed there were some men around who knew how to
treat women with dignity and respect. The challenge was to find one
who wasn’t already taken and who would accept a woman with little
money and no status.

-Ashton-

The
Resistance

The
mower in front of me caught on some weeds. Today, it was not working
like a well-oiled machine. I bent down to unclog the blades. When I
looked up, I saw something disturbing, though it came as no surprise.
I’d been informed about Mr. Beckett’s hobby. It was why I was here
today.