Free Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) by S. L. Wallace Page B

well
done.”
    He
then indicated the third pile. “For the Resistance.”
    I
reached out and pushed most of my pile toward Guy. “I’ll just
keep enough for living expenses. Use the rest to help someone.”
    “You’re
certain?” He raised his eyebrows.
    “Yes.
I may not agree with you all the time, but like I said before, I’m
in. I meant that,” I assured him. “Guy?”
    “Yes?”
    “When
we first met, you asked me if you could trust me. The answer is yes,
you can.”
    “I
believe you.” He paused. “Keira…”
    “Yes?”
    “You
can trust me too.”
    I
got the feeling that Guy wanted to say more, so I waited for a
minute. When he didn’t continue, I said, “I’m tired.”
I turned my gaze to Eberhardt. “Would you mind driving me
home?” We needed to talk.

-Guy-
    Killing
Is Never Good

    I
closed the door behind Keira and Eberhardt and went to the front
window. Tonight went better than expected. I watched them walk to
the car together. If anyone could convince her of the benefit of
team operations, it would be him.
    I
was glad Keira had not killed Elaine Ramsey. Killing was never the
best option. And Ramsey was too high profile. Removing her was too
risky.
    We
would have to do something to make her lose interest in Keira though.
Probably the best way would be to get Keira a new identity, whether
she wanted one or not. If Keira Maddock couldn’t be found, Elaine
Ramsey would not be able to control her and could not use her as
leverage against Scott.
    Keira
had also demonstrated her loyalty to the Resistance tonight, in more
ways than I had anticipated. She was definitely an asset. Scott
should have told her a long time ago.
    I
had to admit, I was starting to like her. Keira had a spark, an
energy that I was drawn to. She forced me to think about situations
from different perspectives, and she kept me on my toes. I smiled
and turned away from the window.

-Keira-
    My
Apartment!

    As
Eberhardt pulled the car away from the curb and accelerated, I turned
and glared at him. It was one thing to keep secrets, yet another to
lie. “You told me you’d never met Scott,” I accused.
“Why?”
    He
raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I haven’t met Scott.”
    “What?
When you walked me home that day, you told me he wasn’t part
of the Resistance.”
    “No,
I didn’t.”
    “Well,
you implied it. Do you keep secrets too?”
    “It
really is for the best. You don’t need to know all the facts to
follow orders.”
    “I
don’t follow orders. If I wanted to do that, I would have joined the
military.” I thought for a minute, and then said, “If
you had met Scott before, you still wouldn’t tell me. You would
probably even lie to protect that secret, right?”
    Eberhardt
turned his head and gave me a steady look. “I haven’t met him,
but I know who he is. I’ve only ever seen him from a
distance.” He returned his attention to the road.
    I
sat back in my seat and mumbled under my breath, “I hate
secrets,” even though I knew very well that I had many of my
own.
    When
we arrived in my neighborhood, the streets were nearly deserted, and
it was very dark. Streetlights didn’t work around here, so the
unexpected light was almost blinding, and the noise left my ears
ringing.
    My
heart jumped to my throat.
    Eberhardt
swerved to the side of the road and pulled to an abrupt stop.
    My
apartment! I pushed open the door and leaped out of the car. The
sky was aglow. I pushed forward into the heat to witness the
devastation that had been my apartment building.
    My
mother’s locket, her music! I moaned and fell to my knees. My
stomach reeled. Elaine Ramsey was still one step ahead of me. I
stood and stumbled blindly to some low bushes. I threw up again and
again, until there was nothing left.
    Strong
hands on my shoulders pulled me away from the bushes. Eberhardt
turned me around so that I was looking him in the eyes. He held my
gaze until I was steady. Then he guided me back to the car. I
collapsed onto