Free A Borrowed Man by Gene Wolfe

you’d pay a human employee over ten years. When your human gets sick, the government pays. When your ’bot gets sick, you pay. There was a cleaning company that came in once a week; I don’t know the name. Now don’t tell me that this argument was what you didn’t want those people who tied us to chairs to overhear.”
    She had me. I shook my head.
    â€œAll right, what was it?”
    â€œSimply this. You’re afraid our enemies will visit us again. Understandably so.”
    Colette nodded.
    â€œI’m afraid they won’t. We need to make them show their hand. That’s why I gave you K. Justin Roglich’s name aloud and even spelled it. We might like to kill them, but that isn’t really necessary. Even if all we can do is draw their fangs, that will be enough. But the worst thing we can do, the thing that would increase our danger tenfold, would be to discover the secret while they’re still intact, listening, and waiting to pounce.”
    â€œI see what you mean. You may be right.”
    â€œYou think I may be right. I devoutly believe I am. Can you show me why I may be wrong?”
    Colette nodded. “I think so. The money. My father was a minor executive without a job. He became a wealthy investor very quickly. I told you how his little newsletter, just one page of advice a week, was an overnight success. Not literally, but in just ten or twelve weeks. A lot of that was his personal reputation. When I tell people who my father is—was, I mean—some of them are awed.”
    â€œYou would have a great deal of money with which to defend yourself, in other words.”
    â€œRight!”
    â€œFrom what you’ve told me, you have at least two million now, and probably more than that.”
    Slowly, Colette nodded again.
    â€œRent a combat ’bot and hire four human bodyguards. The ’bot will be there all day and all night, every day. With four humans, you can have at least one on duty at all times—Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Day and night, twice around the clock.”
    Colette sighed. “And if the people who killed Cob were able to corrupt them, they would be right on the spot, overhearing anything I said to you and anything you said to me. Ready to turn on us whenever Cob’s killers gave the signal.”
    â€œWhy wouldn’t that be so if you had ten times as much money as you have now?”
    â€œDon’t bully me!”
    â€œI don’t intend to bully you, I’m trying to save your life and my own.”
    â€œYou think the two who tied us up are all there are! Those two men!”
    I shook my head.
    â€œThat’s it! Or at least, that’s a part of it. We don’t even know how many there are.”
    â€œYou’re right, we don’t; and because we don’t, we’re prone to think their numbers are infinite. Once I read a quote from a wise old general that has stuck with me. He said there’s always a temptation to believe your enemy commands an infinite army with infinite munitions, but it’s never true. As far as we know for certain, we face only two individuals. There may be more, possibly five or even six; but have you any idea how difficult it is to keep a conspiracy secret? It’s terribly hard, and each additional conspirator increases the risk.”
    â€œThere could also be a dozen,” Colette said, “and there’s one number I’m absolutely certain of. There are only two of us.”
    â€œYou’re wrong,” I told her. “The law is on our side. We’re committing no…”
    I shut up because Colette had clearly thought of something; or if I finished the thought, she didn’t hear it. To tell the truth, I did not either.
    I rose, stretched, and walked a dozen steps down one of the little paths that wandered away from the fountain. When I had returned and resumed my seat, I asked why she looked so happy.
    â€œBecause you’re