Free Taking Stock by C J West Page A

I was looking forward to seeing her naked.”
    “What’s your point ? ”
    “We know even more about Fletcher. She’s nothing to worry about.”
    They pulled to a stop on Devonshire . All three men got out.
    Brad took back his bag feeling lucky they hadn’t looked inside.
    A fist to the kidney from nowhere dropped him to his knees. Before he knew what happened they hauled him up and had both hands clasped behind his back. The guy behind him hadn’t looked that big, but Brad couldn’t break his grip. The other guy punched away at his ribs, punishing him in a place that would never show.
    “That’s for making us chase you. That’s about enough of that bullshit. Do your job and stop whining.”
    They left him flat on the curb, tires squealing away. He dragged himself upstairs and started hunting for microphones and miniature cameras.

Chapter Fifteen
     
    Eric a slipped into class fifteen minutes early and took the best seat in the room. Up in back against the wall she plugged her laptop into the only power outlet within reach of the student desks. Paying her own way instilled a drive to get her money’s worth that was uncommon in her fellow students. She devoured newfound knowledge like a starving animal, but this last course she’d taken solely for credit. She needed three to complete her master’s degree and didn’t have the time or energy to put into something new. Eric a programmed .Net twelve hours a day, six days a week. The professor couldn’t teach her anything she didn’t already know.  
    She still couldn’t believe she’d abandoned the team to come here. Not that their work would come to a halt when she left. It was more a statement of solidarity, eeking out every last minute before go-live on Monday. Everyone was putting their life aside for the next four days and she’d come simply to show her face and placate Dr. Eisenstein. Two hours of email and bug list review weren’t a total loss, but working through class couldn’t assuage her guilt.
    The stirring in the aisles didn’t distract Eric a from her laptop as students dotted the middle rows of the classroom. She expected more competition for the back, but for the uninitiated .Net could be difficult. The muddy explanations from the windbag up front made mastering the language an even greater feat. Eisenstein and his comrades were the only link these kids had to the technology. Without him, they’d be sunk. Even so, he had to threaten deductions for poor attendance to fill the seats.
    “Hey, I thought you dropped out.”
    Eric a turned toward a blue tie adorned with white marble columns and fountains. Jim slipped into the seat beside hers and gave a broad smile. She’d come to this class three times and all three times he’d sat next to her. Jim didn’t look any older than the kids in T-shirts and torn jeans, but he was comfortable in his dark suit. There were half a dozen professionals in class, some lucky enough to have a company sharing the cost.
    “This stuff comes easier to some of us,” she said. “Maybe you should sit closer so you don’t miss anything.”
    “I like the view back here.”
    Why did she attract unattached guys everywhere she went ? She wasn’t advertising. Two women sat together on the opposite side of the room. Their tight jeans and clingy tops showed more than Eric a revealed at the beach, hence every seat around them was occupied. Even in the baggy pantsuits she wore for work, guys like Jim sidled up to her whenever she stayed in one place too long. She guessed that’s just what guys did.
    A wispy haired man shuffled across the front of the class to the lectern. From there he focused a pair of beady eyes up through the ranks of seats, prompting a flurry of books opening. Conversations ceased. He noted who came and who didn’t. He was one of the few inane professors who graded homework. Eisenstein touted his final project as the pinnacle of their educational experience. Students would develop a web-based