Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (17 page)

A
plane zoomed overhead as we neared the edge of the city.

“We’re
going to a safe house near the airport. We’ll talk more there, and
April, you’ll have a chance to get cleaned up and changed before
meeting your escort. I think I can get you out of the realm today.”

“If
I’m leaving Terene, I want Keira to be my escort.”

“Keira
cannot be your escort. She wouldn’t be able to get you overseas
safely. Don’t worry. I’ve contacted someone you can trust.”

“No,
I wouldn’t trust anyone else. I don’t have the right paperwork
anyway.

“Your
escort will bring your new identification documents. You’ll be
leaving soon, under a new name.”

“A
new name isn’t enough. You’ll need recent photos.”

“It’s
all been taken care of.”

“There’s
a lot more you’re not telling me,” April said flatly. She sat
back and coughed, then rode the rest of the way in silence.

I
parked the car in front of a small yellow house with a white wooden
swing on the porch. I turned and looked back at both of them.
“We’re here.”

A
man with a black bag stood on the front step.

“April,
this is Dr. Ross. He’ll need to examine you.”

“Why?”
asked Keira. She put her arm around April.

“We
want to cover all our bases, just in case,” I explained.
“Please, Keira. I know what I’m doing. I’ve done this
before.”

She
looked at me and then nodded.

“Are
those the clothes you were wearing at the time of the incident?”
Dr. Ross asked April.

She
looked a little confused, so I said, “He means your uniform.”

“Oh,
yes.”

“It’s
good you thought to bring it along.” Dr. Ross opened a plastic
bag. “It could help your case.”

Keira
stayed right next to her sister all the way to the bedroom door.
Then April turned to her. She looked down at the knives in Keira’s
hands. “I don’t want you to come in during the exam.”
April entered the room and closed the door behind her.

Keira
turned to me. Hurt emanated from her eyes. “We need to talk.”

“I
agree. What happened back there?”

“He
attacked us from behind. He grabbed me by the neck. I tried to get
his attention off of April so she could get out. She surprised me
by rushing at him instead. She stabbed him in the back. I think she
pierced a lung.”

“You
indicated that he was dead.”

“Yes,
I slit his throat.” She held up the larger of the two knives.
“He can’t have survived that.” Keira looked down at all
the blood, and then walked over to the kitchen sink where she
scrubbed first the knives and then her hands.

“What’s
that?”

“What?”
She turned to look at me.

“That
blood on your shirt. Were you hurt?” I hurried over and
indicated the blood near her waist.

She
looked down and lifted her shirt just a bit, to get a better look.
“He must have nicked me during the scuffle. It’s all
right though. It’s just a scratch. See?” She wiped
away the blood with her shirt.

She
was right, but it looked like a lot of blood for such a little
scratch. Keira turned back to the sink and finished washing up.

I
shook my head and sighed. “You shouldn’t have killed him. We
could have taken him down legally, and made a statement at the same
time.”

Keira
looked over her shoulder. “Made a statement? By putting April
through a trial? No, thank you! I’m okay with the doctor getting
any evidence he needs, just in case, but that’s it. We’re not going
to trial.” She dried her hands on her jeans as she turned to
face me fully.

“I
decide where we go with this.” I spoke quietly.

She
glared at me. “I disagree.”

“Do
you trust me or not?”

“Yes,
I trust you, but this really isn’t about trust. Nobody hurts my
sister and gets away with it. She’s been through enough.”

“Did
anyone see you?”

“Lewis…the
chef. And the butler knew I called earlier asking for April.”

“Are
they loyal?”

“I
don’t know. I think the butler is. I know they value their jobs.”

“I’ll
have someone contact them, see if we can’t pay them off. I can’t do
it myself.” I continued to think aloud. “They’d
recognize me as Ashton, and as far as we know, he’s in the clear
regarding the robbery. We’ll also need to dispose of those knives.”

“If
you’ll trust me, I can take care of that.” Keira suddenly
changed the subject, “You said you’ve done this before. You
implied that you’ve done this before a lot. Do you always help
pretty girls?”

“I
help whoever I can.” I spoke slowly. Surely she wanted me to
help April.

“Why
did you give me an apartment? What about the money? Am I just
another damsel in distress to you?”

“You’re
no damsel in distress.” I closed the distance between us and
gently placed my hands on her shoulders. “I gave you an
apartment because you needed a place to stay, and I know how much you
liked that whirlpool bath.” I noticed the start of a smile
toying at the corners of her mouth. “I’m paying you a stipend
because you’ve chosen to work for the Resistance. You should be
compensated fairly for your work, everyone should. I just wish you
were a little better at following directions.”

“Does
everyone who works for you receive regular payments, or do they get
paid by the job?”

“A
little of both.” I shrugged. “It depends on their
situation such as whether or not they have another source of income.”

Keira
nodded, apparently satisfied with my explanation. “Is anything
going on between you and April?”

I
bent down and brushed her warm lips with mine, then said, “No.
When I realized what was happening, I only wanted to help her.”

Keira
leaned in for another kiss, and I wrapped my arms around her. When
we finally pulled apart I looked deep into her eyes. “Keira,
I’ve been wanting to ask you something.”

Just
then the door opened. Keira turned to look and cried, “Scott!”

-April-

Truths
Revealed

After
Dr. Ross took photos of the welts on my back and my battered eye, he
gave me ointment and eye drops to help with the healing process and
an injection to ease the pain. He was thorough yet professional.

When
he left, I took a shower. Later, Keira knocked on the bedroom door.
I was drying off with a fluffy blue towel.

“May
I come in?” she asked.

“I
guess,” I shifted the towel to cover the welts on my back.
She’d already seen enough.

Keira
sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s my turn next.” She
nodded in the direction of the bathroom.

It
looked like she had already washed her hands, but there were blood
stains at her waist and on her right sleeve. That was the hand she
had used to…I didn’t want to think about that.

“The
doctor left. He said he thinks he has plenty of evidence to make a
solid case, if we need to.”

“That’s
good,” I replied. “Does that mean I don’t have to
leave?”

“April,
leaving has to be your choice. No one can make you go. Rick has
done all that he can to provide an opportunity. It’s my opinion that
you should take it. Scott will go with you. He’s waiting in the
living room.”

“Scott’s
here?”

“Yes,
he’s your military escort.”

“Does
he know about…about what happened to me?”

“A
little. I’m sure Rick told him something, or he wouldn’t be here.
The doctor didn’t share anything, in case you’re wondering.”

I
sat next to her. “Keira, please be honest with me.”

“About
what?”

“About
everything. Can’t you tell me what’s going on? If I decide to go,
where will Scott take me? When he leaves me there, what will I do?
How will I survive without either of you?”

“You’ll
be going to Mediterra, and you’ll stay there until your training is
complete. I don’t have all the answers, but I’m sure Scott won’t just
leave you. He’ll help you get settled in. Then you’ll come back and
get a job right here in Tkaron.”

Keira
put her arm around me, and I leaned my head on her shoulder.

“You
should finish getting dressed and ask Rick and Scott the rest of your
questions. They promised me they’d be completely honest with you,
and they’re the ones who know the details. They’re waiting for you.”

Keira
stood and opened the closet. It was full of a variety of styles and
sizes of clothing for both men and women.

“Wear
something light, but finish your look with layers. Go for a young
rich girl look and pack a suitcase of clothes to take along too.”

After Keira closed
the bathroom door, I dressed in a pair of soft beige slacks and a
periwinkle blouse. I grabbed a white cardigan to hide the rest of my
injuries and returned to the living room. I would pack if I decided
to go.

Scott and Rick fell
silent when I appeared in the doorway. Then
Scott
hurried over and hugged me tightly. I flinched. Even with the
ointment, my back felt like it was on fire. He brushed some loose
strands of hair back from my face, then took my wrists and gently
turned my arms so he could see the bruises.

“If
Keira hadn’t already, I would kill him,” he said.

“Is
that what you do too?” I asked.

“Only
under orders, but for this, I would make an exception.”

“No,
don’t change who you are, Scott. I don’t like that a man is dead
because of me, no matter how much he hurt me.” I looked over
at the man I knew as Ashton, “Rick, right?” He looked at
Scott and nodded.

“April,
I’d like to introduce you to my best friend, Guy.”

“Guy?
Not Richard or Rick? Does Keira know about this?”

“Yes,
she does,” he said. “My name is Richard Burke, as you’ve
been told, but people I trust call me Guy Bensen. I’m one of the
leaders of the Resistance.”

“But
that’s just an urban legend! It’s not real.”

“I
assure you, it is real,” said Scott. “Guy and I formed a
partnership when we were 16, and the Resistance was born. Keira just
got involved recently. Now we’d like you to join too. It’s a way to
help people, but there are risks.”

“You
and Keira?” I asked Scott. I felt like I’d fallen down the
rabbit hole. Ashton not being who he appeared – that I could
handle – but my own brother and sister? And now they wanted me
to help, but what could I do? I’d only finished high school, and all
I’d been trained to do was clean and run errands. I turned my
attention to Guy. “You offered me a job. It’s not like what
Keira does, is it?”

“Not
at all. I’d like to send you to the Art Institute of Parisio to
train as an art dealer. The training would take about a year, but
then you could move back here and work in one of the galleries
downtown or even open one of your own.”

“How
does this benefit you?” I asked. “How does it help the
Resistance?”

“You
have a good eye for art,” Guy said.
He
reached out and lightly touched the bright orange beaded necklace I’d
found in a box on the dresser.
“You focus on the
colors, the lighting, the details. I could use someone close to home
who can tell me the fair asking price for the artwork I steal.”

“Why
do you steal anyway? I thought you were wealthy. What do you need
the money for?”

“I
steal because I believe the people who cause problems should be the
ones to finance solutions. The money provides salaries to key
members of the Resistance and helps keep safe houses like this clean
and stocked. Some of the money is used to help people get out of
tough situations and back on their feet. It also covers the cost of
travel, job training and false IDs.”

“How
does Keira fit in? How does she help the Resistance?”

“You
know what she does for a living.”

I
nodded, my eyes wide.

“Do
you think I can convince her to stop?” he asked.

I
raised my eyebrows. “Good luck!”

Guy
smiled ruefully. “Thank you, I think.”

“No.”
Scott shook his head. “Smart aleck.” He smiled.

“What
about you?” I turned to face my brother. “Other than
creating the Resistance when you were 16, I mean. How exactly do you
help? What part do you play?”

“I’d
like to know the answer to that too.” Keira stood in the
bedroom doorway. How long had she been listening?

Scott
looked at Keira. “I’m a Shepherd. I use my connections and
rank to provide safe transport and false documentation.” Then
he returned his attention to me. “Whatever it takes to keep
people safe.”

“Where
will you be going?” Keira asked me.

“Parisio.”

Scott
said, “You’ll learn from one of the best, Danielle Bellami.
She’s Guy’s art dealer.”

“Why
would she help me? Won’t I be taking away her job?”

“Not
at all,” said Guy. “Danielle will still be our contact
in Parisio and will continue to sell our goods overseas. Having you
on staff here guarantees we won’t be sending her lesser quality
items. She’ll appreciate that.” He looked at the kitchen then
and asked, “Is anyone else hungry?”

***

A
couple of hours later, I said goodbye to Keira, but first I turned to
Guy. “You treat my sister right. It’s what she deserves.”

“It’s
what you deserve too.” Guy leaned over and kissed me on the
cheek.

Why
couldn’t I have found him first?
I was happy for Keira though.
I turned and hugged her tightly. I didn’t want to let her go.
Everything was about to change! I just couldn’t say it; I couldn’t
say goodbye to her.

“I’ll
see you soon,” she said as we let go of each other. I climbed
into the car next to Scott and refused to look back.