brother, I told you, doesn’t like you. The others are a little afraid. They’ve heard some of the stories about the Fay. Are any of them true?”
“Most are exaggerations. But why doesn’t your brother like me?”
“ You’re foreign; no one knows your social status; you run a criminal organization.”
“Hardly an organization—a few people trying to get enough to eat and stay safe.”
“A few people? By your own reckoning, there have to be nearly a thousand of you. There’s more than food they’re after. You’re taking weapons from all the other gangs; you’ve hit the Wall guards; you’re still attacking the militia—that has to stop.”
“We did not attack them. We’re supposed to be working together and they hit us.”
“Father explained to me that was an accident.”
“I don’t trust what people say—more interested in what they do. Your father isn’t the sort I’d spend much time and energy trusting.”
“That go for me too?”
“Less every day.” Taking her around the waist then lifting her in his arms, Glenna squealed but did not resist.
There was, Titus was certain, a part of the woman that was utterly genuine, but there was at least one other part that was as bent as they came. How the two parts fit together was difficult to tell; she had to be, he was certain, experiencing the same with him. This was a dance that they continued to enjoy; one they were required to continue with; one they hadn’t quite figured out how to put aside. It was as well they only spent a couple of days a week at the apartment together. Also well, because though he had changed a lot since rowing ashore, he worried that Timog would figure out who he was—or hear the stories. Lots of reasons to be glad they’d not really moved in together, but Titus needed to put the constant bickering about trust behind them. How far behind the man managed to put these was an open question.
“Well, you will need to trust me a little now.” She lay beneath him, skin both cool and warm to the touch.
“Why is that?”
“The Wall wants another meeting.”
“They called you?”
“We still have phones in Makati—some still have them here too.”
“I know. What do they want?”
“Diamonds.”
“What for now?”
“The national government requires more bribes.”
“But we just gave them a pouch last week?”
“What happens when it’s learned that a large group of children of government members in the city have walked out of the gate? People are risking a lot to help us.”
“Or are appearing to risk a lot.”
“You do not believe them?”
“Glenna,” exasperation in the tone, “they’d turned you and your girlfriends into whores—of course I do not believe them.”
“You’ve stopped that.”
“For the moment, but all the Wall has to do is kill me and you and yours are back to where they were.” He didn’t beat the sentiment into the ground, but he wanted to be certain it was he, and he alone, which stood between herself and the guards.
“What happens if we do not feed the beast?” Glenna seemed to have taken the nature of the Wall to heart.
“That’s a good question. To be honest, and I hope we are both trying to be here, I’m not entirely sure.”
“I’d take a guess.”
“At first it would be difficult—blustering, some aggressive posturing, maybe minor acts of violence to help us see things their way. The last would be unpredictable.”
“Then we’d better have a meeting about this.”
“We can’t wait here forever.”
“Chrislann, he’s not taking a tram from a few blocks away. Getting here he’ll have to dodge a number of patrols then dodge the Cartel.” Chrislann Budiman had never accepted Titus, even though they’d never met. Glenna’s assessment of why had been accurate—Chrislann hated all men that came near his sister, and she’d known this a long time. She was never clear on why, but suspected. Though he had always been nothing but proper with his
“Most are exaggerations. But why doesn’t your brother like me?”
“ You’re foreign; no one knows your social status; you run a criminal organization.”
“Hardly an organization—a few people trying to get enough to eat and stay safe.”
“A few people? By your own reckoning, there have to be nearly a thousand of you. There’s more than food they’re after. You’re taking weapons from all the other gangs; you’ve hit the Wall guards; you’re still attacking the militia—that has to stop.”
“We did not attack them. We’re supposed to be working together and they hit us.”
“Father explained to me that was an accident.”
“I don’t trust what people say—more interested in what they do. Your father isn’t the sort I’d spend much time and energy trusting.”
“That go for me too?”
“Less every day.” Taking her around the waist then lifting her in his arms, Glenna squealed but did not resist.
There was, Titus was certain, a part of the woman that was utterly genuine, but there was at least one other part that was as bent as they came. How the two parts fit together was difficult to tell; she had to be, he was certain, experiencing the same with him. This was a dance that they continued to enjoy; one they were required to continue with; one they hadn’t quite figured out how to put aside. It was as well they only spent a couple of days a week at the apartment together. Also well, because though he had changed a lot since rowing ashore, he worried that Timog would figure out who he was—or hear the stories. Lots of reasons to be glad they’d not really moved in together, but Titus needed to put the constant bickering about trust behind them. How far behind the man managed to put these was an open question.
“Well, you will need to trust me a little now.” She lay beneath him, skin both cool and warm to the touch.
“Why is that?”
“The Wall wants another meeting.”
“They called you?”
“We still have phones in Makati—some still have them here too.”
“I know. What do they want?”
“Diamonds.”
“What for now?”
“The national government requires more bribes.”
“But we just gave them a pouch last week?”
“What happens when it’s learned that a large group of children of government members in the city have walked out of the gate? People are risking a lot to help us.”
“Or are appearing to risk a lot.”
“You do not believe them?”
“Glenna,” exasperation in the tone, “they’d turned you and your girlfriends into whores—of course I do not believe them.”
“You’ve stopped that.”
“For the moment, but all the Wall has to do is kill me and you and yours are back to where they were.” He didn’t beat the sentiment into the ground, but he wanted to be certain it was he, and he alone, which stood between herself and the guards.
“What happens if we do not feed the beast?” Glenna seemed to have taken the nature of the Wall to heart.
“That’s a good question. To be honest, and I hope we are both trying to be here, I’m not entirely sure.”
“I’d take a guess.”
“At first it would be difficult—blustering, some aggressive posturing, maybe minor acts of violence to help us see things their way. The last would be unpredictable.”
“Then we’d better have a meeting about this.”
“We can’t wait here forever.”
“Chrislann, he’s not taking a tram from a few blocks away. Getting here he’ll have to dodge a number of patrols then dodge the Cartel.” Chrislann Budiman had never accepted Titus, even though they’d never met. Glenna’s assessment of why had been accurate—Chrislann hated all men that came near his sister, and she’d known this a long time. She was never clear on why, but suspected. Though he had always been nothing but proper with his
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