Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) by S. L. Wallace

black
except for a white apron, hurried over to greet me. I removed my
raincoat and threw it over my arm.
    “Keira, it's been a while.” Tony's dark eyes
sparkled in the candlelight as he looked me up and down. “I like
the new look.”
    “Thank you, Tony.” I leaned over and kissed
him lightly on the cheek. “May I have a cup of vegetable soup and a
cheese sandwich please?” I handed him 40 gats, more than enough for
the meal I'd just ordered.
    “So polite!”
    I smiled. “I'm practicing a new role.”
    He gave a low whistle. “It works for you!
I'm guessing you don't want change for this?”
    “No. I'm looking for information, trying to
find out who ordered a hit on Brody Delaney. Do you know anything
about that?”
    “Be careful. They're not after him.”
    They were after us. “Who's looking?”
    “Jenna's the one to ask.”
    “Jenna. I should have known.”
    He tilted his head toward the back. “I'll
bring your food to her table.”
    I turned around, leaned against the bar and
surveyed the room. There she sat, at the large square corner booth,
by herself for the moment but clearly set up for business. The tall
wooden backs of the booths created an ideal “office” space for her
business dealings.
    I walked over and sat across from her. Jenna
smiled through her long brown bangs. I reached into my purse,
withdrew my silver hair clip and handed it to her, opening
negotiations.
    She accepted it, studied the intricately
woven design and clipped back her hair. Now I could see her dark
brown eyes. Jenna's trade was the collection, concealment and
dispersal of information.
    “Hello, Keira. So tell me, are you Elite
now, or are you still one of us?”
    I shrugged. “Somewhere in the middle, I
guess.”
    “There's no such thing.”
    “Maybe there should be. You know why I'm
here.”
    “And why is that?”
    “I want the bounty on Brody Delaney
dropped.”
    “Really? That's not what I was expecting. I
would think you'd want the bounty on your head dropped.”
    “Let's discuss Brody.”
    “Alright. I'll cut you a deal.” A smile
toyed at the corners of her mouth.
    I didn't smile in return. “Name your
price.”
    “Your friendship.”
    I shook my head in confusion. “You want to
be my friend?”
    “No. You break off your friendship with him.
No more Tuesday drinks, no more dancing, no more free passes
through the airlines for you and your friends.”
    My heart sank. How did she even know about
all that?
    “Who else knows?” I whispered.
    She didn't answer.
    “What about the others? The people we're
helping?”
    “They and their escorts may continue
through, only in the traditional way. Make Ricky earn her keep,”
she said, referring to Raquelle's technological expertise.
    “Why? Why is that your price?”
    “I'm not as cold hearted as you think.” She
paused. “They want you, not Brody. If I can convince them that the
link has been severed, they'll stop pursuing him.”
    I nodded. They wanted me. No surprise there.
“So I'll need to publicly end the friendship.”
    “Nah, I'll know when it's done.”
    “Irene,” I whispered.
    Jenna's smile grew. “Anything else?”
    “The bounty on me, is there a new one?”
    “No.” She leaned back against the booth.
“They're just going through other channels now. The posters weren't
having the effect they'd hoped for.”
    Had she recommended the high bounty? If so,
she was playing an incredibly dangerous game. “What about Scott and
April?”
    “Oh, they'd still like to get their hands on
all three of you. You and Scott specifically.”
    I didn't even bother to ask who “they” were.
I knew Jenna never revealed sources. “Can you do anything to change
that?”
    “It'd be a huge risk. I have the feeling
that you may be more valuable to them than I am.” Then she
whispered, “I know who you are.”
    “You know who I am?”
    She nodded. “Yes, I was hoping you'd join. I
knew you'd be a tremendous asset to the cause.”
    The last time we'd