Read Online The Two Towers by Jamie A. Waters - Free Book Online Page B

system enough to find out what he was looking for. He’s looking for you. Cruncher did some checking and found out Ramiro’s put a price on you.”
    Kayla paused while she tried to wrap her mind around what he was saying. Her brow furrowed, and she gave a slight shake of her head. “That doesn’t make any sense. He might have gotten a little worked up the other day, but the Aurelia Data Cube incident happened a year ago. Why would he bother doing something now? Besides, he already knows he hurt…”
    She pushed away those thoughts and straightened her shoulders. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. It’s done. It’s in the past. I stay out of Ramiro’s way and he leaves me alone.”
    A look of guilt flashed across Carl's face but disappeared so fast Kayla wondered if she'd imagined it. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple anymore. Ramiro broke the rules. You may think that as a trader we can do whatever the hell we want, but that’s not the case. Based on his own admission, I petitioned OmniLab to have his trader status revoked.”
    Kayla’s eyes widened. “Why the hell would you do a thing like that? Shit, Carl, he’s going to blame me. If he didn’t already want to permanently dump my databanks, he definitely will now. If you wanted me out of your district so badly, you could have at least given me a head’s up to get the hell out of OmniLab territory.”
    Veridian ran a jerky hand through his hair, looking worried. “Can you call OmniLab and tell them you made a mistake?”
    “I can’t,” Carl said simply. “The other two traders have signed off on the petition and OmniLab is investigating. But even if I could call it off, I wouldn’t. As it is, you don’t trust us. The only way we’re ever going to be able to repair the relationship between traders and ruin rats is if we’re held accountable for our actions.”
    “At the risk of getting Kayla killed?” Veridian demanded.
    “Not if I can help it.” Carl turned to Kayla, holding out his hands in apology. “I wasn’t expecting Ramiro to respond this way. For that, I take full responsibility. I know what you think of traders, but I can protect you. Ramiro’s going to be throwing all of his resources into hunting you down. He seems to think if he gets rid of you, he’ll eliminate the threat of being removed as a trader. If you accept the offer I made, I can help you. I can keep you safe.”
    Kayla’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
    “If you join my crew, you’ll be in a secure base. You’ll have my resources backing you. Otherwise, you won’t last more than a couple of days on your own. Look how easy it was for me to track you down. It’ll be just as easy for Ramiro.”
    She gaped at him. Were they really back to that again? She didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in her voice. “Oh, isn’t that convenient? Forget it. I’ll take my chances with Ramiro. At least if he kills me, there’ll be some poetic justice in that.”
    “Kayla,” Veridian's voice was soft but insistent, his eyes full of concern.
    She shook her head. “Oh no, V, don’t you look at me like that. You know I can’t. I won’t do it.”
    Veridian walked up to her and took her hands in his. “Carl’s right. You need to do this. I’ve been trying to help you pick up the pieces for the past year, but I can’t help you with this. You owe it to Pretz to accept this offer. Don’t let Ramiro hurt you.”
    Kayla tried to pull away. “Don’t you dare bring him up.”
    Veridian gripped her tighter, not letting go. “I can’t lose you, Kayla. You’re the only family I have left.”
    His pained words tore through her and she bowed her head, closing her eyes tight. She wanted to scream in frustration. The thought of hurting Veridian was like a knife tearing through her, but she didn't know how she could possibly reconcile her emotions enough to work for OmniLab.
    As though sensing her need for movement, Veridian released her. She stepped away, feeling torn. Pacing around the