[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
said after making a face and rubbing gently at her right shoulder. "I
like the way he apologizes, but when he's hitting me he doesn't hold
back much."
"He's a good agent and knows how to stick to a role," I said with an
inner sigh for her unplanned field exercise. "When you have more
experience you'll know what to expect from another agent who's
playing a part, and then you'll be able to decide how you should act.
It'll save you some bruises."
"I'd better get that experience fast," she muttered darkly. "I didn't
have to become an agent to get beaten. I could have stayed home for
that."
I let the comment go by the way she undoubtedly wanted me to, and we
just drove on. Hours went by and Teddy slept for a while, but I was
too keyed up to nap even if I could have. But when I saw a rundown
diner in the distance I headed for it, needing a break to stretch out
the stiffness driving so long had caused. Teddy woke up when the
sound of the engine changed as I began to slow down, and she glanced
around blearily.
"What's that?" she asked, finally peering at the diner. "It looks
like it's about to fall apart."
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (12 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
"It ain't much, but it's home," I said, pulling up next to the only
other car in front of it. "Or at least it's home temporarily. There
aren't so many of these places that we can afford to pass it up.
Let's see what we can scrounge, sister."
We got out of the car, and climbed the three broken steps to the
door. I'd disconnected the ignition wires to turn off the car, then
had put them back where they belonged. Anyone looking in would assume
we had the keys with us, or at least they should. The door creaked
when we opened it, and we stood just inside the doorway for a moment
to let our eyes adjust to the gloom. There was a sloppy-looking woman
in her late twenties standing behind the counter staring at us, and
she snorted when she saw us looking around to find the rest of the
place empty.
"Too bad," she sneered in a lazy voice as she picked up the
suggestion provided by the skimpy clothes we wore again. "If ya want
anythin', y'll have t' pay fer it yerself."
"That's life," I answered with a shrug. "What've ya got that won't
poison us?"
"If y're fussy ya c'n head fer the next place," she said, wiping at
her nose with the back of her hand. "It's only 'bout a hunnert miles
away."
"Thanks anyways, but we'll take a chance," I told her dryly. "Trot it
on out."
Teddy used the bathroom while I waited at the counter, then I used it
while she waited. When I came out, I found that I could have waited
longer. The mess on the plate the woman shoved at me would have made
Pete's cooking look good. I ate the mess anyway and so did Teddy, but
we had to stop breathing while we did. Then we paid up with the local
currency we'd gotten at Blue Skies and left, glad to get out of there.
Once we were rolling again, I decided it was time to talk about
Flowerville. Putting it off any longer would be foolish, and Teddy
had already had a nap.
"I know you were out hunting while you were at 2," I said to draw her
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (13 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
attention, and incidentally to ease into the subject. "What I don't
know is how much information you have on Flowerville people."
"Aside from what you said about them the other day, not very much,"
she admitted in distraction while trying to get air rather than dust
through her open window. "Why does everyone get so tight when they
talk about Flowerville? They tried to ambush us, but we got them
instead."
"You're not very impressed because you were armed and had other
agents around to back you at the time," I said, paying only half
attention to the road. "And you weren't in the middle of their own
town, either. Teddy & how much rough treatment do you think you can
take? Without any help from me and without showing off your 5 rating
in hand to hand?"
"I don't know," she said, and I could feel her stare as well as
glimpse it out of the corner of my eye. "Why won't I be getting any
help from you?"
I pulled off the road and stopped the car so I could turn in the seat
to look at her.
"Do you remember when we were dragged in front of that man Jake back
in Wheatley?" I asked. "Who did he speak to first?"
"He spoke to me first," she answered with a frown when I seemed to
have gotten off the subject. "What are you getting at?"
"He spoke to you first because you look like the older one of us," I
explained with a calm I wasn't feeling. "You'll get the same
attention in Flowerville, and that's just the way I want it. They'll
concentrate on you and I'll be too scared to help, but that will
leave me free afterward to look for that vial. Their attentions
aren't gentle and I won't be getting away with it entirely, but I
can't afford to take the chance of something serious happening to me.
You don't know Flowerville, and even if you happened to locate the
vial you might not be able to get to it."
"What will they do to me?" she asked in a toneless voice, staring at
nothing.
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (14 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
"Everything a bunch of warped men can do to a woman," I told her with
a sigh, not about to pretty it up. "They consider it an initiation
rite when you join their club, but if you don't push too hard it
ought to be just bearable. Tell me now if you think you can't handle
it, and I'll try to come up with something else. Once we walk into
that place there's no backing out."
She thought about that in silence for a time, and the obvious - but
false - conclusion finally came to her.
"Is that why you brought me?" she asked, bitterness heavy in her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl akte20.pev.pl
said after making a face and rubbing gently at her right shoulder. "I
like the way he apologizes, but when he's hitting me he doesn't hold
back much."
"He's a good agent and knows how to stick to a role," I said with an
inner sigh for her unplanned field exercise. "When you have more
experience you'll know what to expect from another agent who's
playing a part, and then you'll be able to decide how you should act.
It'll save you some bruises."
"I'd better get that experience fast," she muttered darkly. "I didn't
have to become an agent to get beaten. I could have stayed home for
that."
I let the comment go by the way she undoubtedly wanted me to, and we
just drove on. Hours went by and Teddy slept for a while, but I was
too keyed up to nap even if I could have. But when I saw a rundown
diner in the distance I headed for it, needing a break to stretch out
the stiffness driving so long had caused. Teddy woke up when the
sound of the engine changed as I began to slow down, and she glanced
around blearily.
"What's that?" she asked, finally peering at the diner. "It looks
like it's about to fall apart."
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (12 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
"It ain't much, but it's home," I said, pulling up next to the only
other car in front of it. "Or at least it's home temporarily. There
aren't so many of these places that we can afford to pass it up.
Let's see what we can scrounge, sister."
We got out of the car, and climbed the three broken steps to the
door. I'd disconnected the ignition wires to turn off the car, then
had put them back where they belonged. Anyone looking in would assume
we had the keys with us, or at least they should. The door creaked
when we opened it, and we stood just inside the doorway for a moment
to let our eyes adjust to the gloom. There was a sloppy-looking woman
in her late twenties standing behind the counter staring at us, and
she snorted when she saw us looking around to find the rest of the
place empty.
"Too bad," she sneered in a lazy voice as she picked up the
suggestion provided by the skimpy clothes we wore again. "If ya want
anythin', y'll have t' pay fer it yerself."
"That's life," I answered with a shrug. "What've ya got that won't
poison us?"
"If y're fussy ya c'n head fer the next place," she said, wiping at
her nose with the back of her hand. "It's only 'bout a hunnert miles
away."
"Thanks anyways, but we'll take a chance," I told her dryly. "Trot it
on out."
Teddy used the bathroom while I waited at the counter, then I used it
while she waited. When I came out, I found that I could have waited
longer. The mess on the plate the woman shoved at me would have made
Pete's cooking look good. I ate the mess anyway and so did Teddy, but
we had to stop breathing while we did. Then we paid up with the local
currency we'd gotten at Blue Skies and left, glad to get out of there.
Once we were rolling again, I decided it was time to talk about
Flowerville. Putting it off any longer would be foolish, and Teddy
had already had a nap.
"I know you were out hunting while you were at 2," I said to draw her
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (13 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
attention, and incidentally to ease into the subject. "What I don't
know is how much information you have on Flowerville people."
"Aside from what you said about them the other day, not very much,"
she admitted in distraction while trying to get air rather than dust
through her open window. "Why does everyone get so tight when they
talk about Flowerville? They tried to ambush us, but we got them
instead."
"You're not very impressed because you were armed and had other
agents around to back you at the time," I said, paying only half
attention to the road. "And you weren't in the middle of their own
town, either. Teddy & how much rough treatment do you think you can
take? Without any help from me and without showing off your 5 rating
in hand to hand?"
"I don't know," she said, and I could feel her stare as well as
glimpse it out of the corner of my eye. "Why won't I be getting any
help from you?"
I pulled off the road and stopped the car so I could turn in the seat
to look at her.
"Do you remember when we were dragged in front of that man Jake back
in Wheatley?" I asked. "Who did he speak to first?"
"He spoke to me first," she answered with a frown when I seemed to
have gotten off the subject. "What are you getting at?"
"He spoke to you first because you look like the older one of us," I
explained with a calm I wasn't feeling. "You'll get the same
attention in Flowerville, and that's just the way I want it. They'll
concentrate on you and I'll be too scared to help, but that will
leave me free afterward to look for that vial. Their attentions
aren't gentle and I won't be getting away with it entirely, but I
can't afford to take the chance of something serious happening to me.
You don't know Flowerville, and even if you happened to locate the
vial you might not be able to get to it."
"What will they do to me?" she asked in a toneless voice, staring at
nothing.
file:///C|/Downloads/Diana-Santee/Tanderon/Tanderon13.html (14 of 16)18/09/2005 15:01:22
Tanderon by Sharon Green - Chapter 13
"Everything a bunch of warped men can do to a woman," I told her with
a sigh, not about to pretty it up. "They consider it an initiation
rite when you join their club, but if you don't push too hard it
ought to be just bearable. Tell me now if you think you can't handle
it, and I'll try to come up with something else. Once we walk into
that place there's no backing out."
She thought about that in silence for a time, and the obvious - but
false - conclusion finally came to her.
"Is that why you brought me?" she asked, bitterness heavy in her [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]