Read Online A Dragon at the Gate (The New Aeneid Cycle Book 3) by Michael G. Munz - Free Book Online
Authors: Michael G. Munz
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I said it better.”
“At least give me the email address he contacted you from. Maybe Holes can get some info on it.”
The clack of Jade’s boots along the sidewalk punctuated her silence for what must have been another twenty yards. “Fine. We get somewhere safe and I’ll give it over. Just tell Holes not to let whoever it is know I gave it to you.”
“What about your email address?”
“To quote your little computer friend: nope.”
“I’d trust you a little more if you’d—”
“Let you read my email?” she finished. “Life’s rough all over, guy.”
“Fair enough.”
Michael felt the first sprinkles of rain brush his face and remembered he ought to be looking for a cab. He cast about for one and found his eyes lingering a moment on hers. “Cool flash thing your eyes did, by the way. Nice effect.”
“Mm. They do that on their own with the right trigger. Blood pressure, adrenal spikes and such. Gotta have style, you know? Oh, hey: taxi!”
She flagged it down. Once it pulled up, Jade checked the cab’s interior and then, apparently satisfied, held the door to watch the area while he got in. He let her.
He’d need to find a moment in private to tell Holes to find Jade’s email address and, regardless of her protests, check her account to make sure she was on the level. Could the A.I. manage that? Marc had seemed confident in its abilities whenever he talked about it. Michael’s gut was telling him nothing on her; with all that was going on, he had to try, just to be careful.
She clambered in beside him. The door clapped shut.
The driver didn’t bother to turn his head. His voice filtered through the holes in the bulletproof glass between them. “Where to?”
Michael considered the question. Get somewhere safe, Jade had said. Where was safe now?
VIII
“FUCK IT, HE’S BLOCKING the screen. Let me move around and—”
Caitlin put a hand on Rue’s shoulder to hold her back. “He’ll see you.” The man they were trailing had his back to them. It blocked their view of the ticket kiosk at which he stood.
“Not all-up-in-his-shit close, just enough to see past him.”
Rue’s eyes were artificial; she could zoom in from a distance. Yet given the kiosk’s position in the crowded, Romanesque train station . . . “There’s nowhere to see around him without getting too near. We’ll keep following. See which platform he chooses.”
Rue scowled, adjusted her jacket, and pulled her jet black hair out from under the back of its collar. “You’re the boss.”
“I’m not the boss, I just—” Caitlin turned to Rue, still watching the kiosk out of the corner of her eye. “Thanks for helping with this, Rue.”
Rue flashed a crooked smile that made her silver lip piercing twinkle. “We’re both Scry, Cait.”
“Aye.”
Their quarry completed his ticket purchase and Caitlin ducked behind a stone pillar as he turned. She waited for Rue to motion that the coast was clear. For likely the fifth time in as many minutes, Caitlin swallowed her guilt for stalking Felix this way. Yet what choice did she have? It was for his own good.
She caught sight of the back of Felix’s head as he passed. He was making for the southbound platforms and she ducked back farther. Rue began to tail him anew a few moments later. She waived Caitlin forward with a motion behind her back. Caitlin let her vanish into the crowd as much as she dared—Rue was only a few inches taller than she and neither were blessed with height—and then emerged from her hiding spot.
What if he spied her? Or recognized Rue? “Well, then, Caitlin,” she whispered to herself, “I guess you’ll just have to have it out in the train station, won’t you?”
She could no longer see him. Ahead, Rue turned down the tunnel toward Platform 2.
Caitlin’s phone rang. She dove into her jacket to silence it before Felix picked up the distinctive Celtic tune. Bollocks, she should have thought of that! Though likely too
“At least give me the email address he contacted you from. Maybe Holes can get some info on it.”
The clack of Jade’s boots along the sidewalk punctuated her silence for what must have been another twenty yards. “Fine. We get somewhere safe and I’ll give it over. Just tell Holes not to let whoever it is know I gave it to you.”
“What about your email address?”
“To quote your little computer friend: nope.”
“I’d trust you a little more if you’d—”
“Let you read my email?” she finished. “Life’s rough all over, guy.”
“Fair enough.”
Michael felt the first sprinkles of rain brush his face and remembered he ought to be looking for a cab. He cast about for one and found his eyes lingering a moment on hers. “Cool flash thing your eyes did, by the way. Nice effect.”
“Mm. They do that on their own with the right trigger. Blood pressure, adrenal spikes and such. Gotta have style, you know? Oh, hey: taxi!”
She flagged it down. Once it pulled up, Jade checked the cab’s interior and then, apparently satisfied, held the door to watch the area while he got in. He let her.
He’d need to find a moment in private to tell Holes to find Jade’s email address and, regardless of her protests, check her account to make sure she was on the level. Could the A.I. manage that? Marc had seemed confident in its abilities whenever he talked about it. Michael’s gut was telling him nothing on her; with all that was going on, he had to try, just to be careful.
She clambered in beside him. The door clapped shut.
The driver didn’t bother to turn his head. His voice filtered through the holes in the bulletproof glass between them. “Where to?”
Michael considered the question. Get somewhere safe, Jade had said. Where was safe now?
VIII
“FUCK IT, HE’S BLOCKING the screen. Let me move around and—”
Caitlin put a hand on Rue’s shoulder to hold her back. “He’ll see you.” The man they were trailing had his back to them. It blocked their view of the ticket kiosk at which he stood.
“Not all-up-in-his-shit close, just enough to see past him.”
Rue’s eyes were artificial; she could zoom in from a distance. Yet given the kiosk’s position in the crowded, Romanesque train station . . . “There’s nowhere to see around him without getting too near. We’ll keep following. See which platform he chooses.”
Rue scowled, adjusted her jacket, and pulled her jet black hair out from under the back of its collar. “You’re the boss.”
“I’m not the boss, I just—” Caitlin turned to Rue, still watching the kiosk out of the corner of her eye. “Thanks for helping with this, Rue.”
Rue flashed a crooked smile that made her silver lip piercing twinkle. “We’re both Scry, Cait.”
“Aye.”
Their quarry completed his ticket purchase and Caitlin ducked behind a stone pillar as he turned. She waited for Rue to motion that the coast was clear. For likely the fifth time in as many minutes, Caitlin swallowed her guilt for stalking Felix this way. Yet what choice did she have? It was for his own good.
She caught sight of the back of Felix’s head as he passed. He was making for the southbound platforms and she ducked back farther. Rue began to tail him anew a few moments later. She waived Caitlin forward with a motion behind her back. Caitlin let her vanish into the crowd as much as she dared—Rue was only a few inches taller than she and neither were blessed with height—and then emerged from her hiding spot.
What if he spied her? Or recognized Rue? “Well, then, Caitlin,” she whispered to herself, “I guess you’ll just have to have it out in the train station, won’t you?”
She could no longer see him. Ahead, Rue turned down the tunnel toward Platform 2.
Caitlin’s phone rang. She dove into her jacket to silence it before Felix picked up the distinctive Celtic tune. Bollocks, she should have thought of that! Though likely too
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