trotting through their property's not going to send up any warning flares."
"Point taken. But you look like a couple of kids playing Halloween."
"If you're not here to help," Elzie tells him, "you should just go away."
He shrugs and turns his attention to me. "Do you remember what I told you about keeping a low profile? And alliances? Are you sure this is the choice you want to make?"
"This isn't about politics," I say. "It's about stepping up when someone's in a jam."
He looks from her to me. "So which one of you's in a jam?"
Elzie mutters, "Loser," and turns her attention back to our target.
"I'm serious," he says, "because Danny Reed doesn't need rescuing."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elzie says.
I can hear an angry growl in her voice.
"Well," Cory drawls. "Right now he's sitting in his brand new apartment waiting to start his brand new government job in the morning."
"Bullshit."
"I have it on good authority."
"Yeah? And whose would that be?"
"Auntie Min's."
"You know I can check that out."
"Be my guest. She says the whole charade of him getting taken down was so that nobody would start sniffing around asking questions. I guess they didn't figure on you going all hero to bust him out."
"Who's Auntie Min?" I ask.
"Queen of the street cousins," Cory says. "She's over in the cardboard city under the Santa Feliz Boulevard overpass."
"How does she know?" Elzie asks.
"She said she's seen it coming for awhile."
"Why wouldn't she have told me?"
Cory shrugs. "You know how it is. That's a pretty serious accusation. Nobody's going to come right out and say it, based only on a feeling."
"Except she's Auntie Min. Everybody knows she's a mojo woman."
"I know," Cory says. "All the more reason for her to be sure first."
Elzie seems to shrink inside herself for a moment. I wonder what her face looks like behind the mask.
"Crap," she finally says.
"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you," Cory tells her.
"And that's why you came all the way out here?"
Cory shakes his head. "This is a holding facility for those of us who don't want to play the Feds' game. I'm here for the same reason you are, scouting a way in. The difference is, the cousins I'm looking for are actually in there."
"And you're going to break them out. Some low profile you're keeping."
"Oh I'm going to remain invisible," he tells her. "Like you, I'm just doing some recon for them. It's only natural that they'd break themselves out, but they need to know the lay of the land. Speaking of which ..."
He tips a finger against his brow and points it at me. Then he's up and over the fence so fast I can hardly register the movement.
"Top wire's got juice," he says when he lands on the other side.
Then, just like that, there's a coyote in his place. It turns away from us, loping toward the buildings.
"Aren't we going with him?" I ask.
"He doesn't need our help."
She turns and starts to walk fast, back the way we came. I look across the big empty space, trying to spot Cory, but even my night vision can't penetrate that far into the darkness.
"I'm sorry about how things worked out," I say when I catch up to Elzie.
She looks at me, but keeps on walking. I don't have to see her features to know she's upset.
"No biggie," she says. "I'm getting used to it. Wasn't your fault anyway."
"I know that. But it must be hard to find out that somebody you thought you knew really well turns out to be somebody you didn't know at all."
"Yeah, that pretty much sucks. I'd never have thought it of him. He always seemed so committed to the cause."
That makes me think of something else.
"I guess he'll have told his new bosses all about us," I say. "You, me, the rest of your group."
"I thought about that, but I don't think anything's changed. I was already on their radar. And I doubt you have to worry. Danny never got close enough to you to know for sure if you're a Wildling or not. And even if he did finger you, there's nothing they can do unless
"Point taken. But you look like a couple of kids playing Halloween."
"If you're not here to help," Elzie tells him, "you should just go away."
He shrugs and turns his attention to me. "Do you remember what I told you about keeping a low profile? And alliances? Are you sure this is the choice you want to make?"
"This isn't about politics," I say. "It's about stepping up when someone's in a jam."
He looks from her to me. "So which one of you's in a jam?"
Elzie mutters, "Loser," and turns her attention back to our target.
"I'm serious," he says, "because Danny Reed doesn't need rescuing."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Elzie says.
I can hear an angry growl in her voice.
"Well," Cory drawls. "Right now he's sitting in his brand new apartment waiting to start his brand new government job in the morning."
"Bullshit."
"I have it on good authority."
"Yeah? And whose would that be?"
"Auntie Min's."
"You know I can check that out."
"Be my guest. She says the whole charade of him getting taken down was so that nobody would start sniffing around asking questions. I guess they didn't figure on you going all hero to bust him out."
"Who's Auntie Min?" I ask.
"Queen of the street cousins," Cory says. "She's over in the cardboard city under the Santa Feliz Boulevard overpass."
"How does she know?" Elzie asks.
"She said she's seen it coming for awhile."
"Why wouldn't she have told me?"
Cory shrugs. "You know how it is. That's a pretty serious accusation. Nobody's going to come right out and say it, based only on a feeling."
"Except she's Auntie Min. Everybody knows she's a mojo woman."
"I know," Cory says. "All the more reason for her to be sure first."
Elzie seems to shrink inside herself for a moment. I wonder what her face looks like behind the mask.
"Crap," she finally says.
"I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you," Cory tells her.
"And that's why you came all the way out here?"
Cory shakes his head. "This is a holding facility for those of us who don't want to play the Feds' game. I'm here for the same reason you are, scouting a way in. The difference is, the cousins I'm looking for are actually in there."
"And you're going to break them out. Some low profile you're keeping."
"Oh I'm going to remain invisible," he tells her. "Like you, I'm just doing some recon for them. It's only natural that they'd break themselves out, but they need to know the lay of the land. Speaking of which ..."
He tips a finger against his brow and points it at me. Then he's up and over the fence so fast I can hardly register the movement.
"Top wire's got juice," he says when he lands on the other side.
Then, just like that, there's a coyote in his place. It turns away from us, loping toward the buildings.
"Aren't we going with him?" I ask.
"He doesn't need our help."
She turns and starts to walk fast, back the way we came. I look across the big empty space, trying to spot Cory, but even my night vision can't penetrate that far into the darkness.
"I'm sorry about how things worked out," I say when I catch up to Elzie.
She looks at me, but keeps on walking. I don't have to see her features to know she's upset.
"No biggie," she says. "I'm getting used to it. Wasn't your fault anyway."
"I know that. But it must be hard to find out that somebody you thought you knew really well turns out to be somebody you didn't know at all."
"Yeah, that pretty much sucks. I'd never have thought it of him. He always seemed so committed to the cause."
That makes me think of something else.
"I guess he'll have told his new bosses all about us," I say. "You, me, the rest of your group."
"I thought about that, but I don't think anything's changed. I was already on their radar. And I doubt you have to worry. Danny never got close enough to you to know for sure if you're a Wildling or not. And even if he did finger you, there's nothing they can do unless
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