Twenty-Eight and Panora? I need some idea of where exactly we're going."
"To the lake," Treakness said without hesitation. "Though I'm obviously not expecting the drainage system to get us that whole distance."
"You got that one right, anyway," Koshevski said with a grunt, his eyes narrowing with concentration.
Lorne looked at Nissa, noted her compete lack of expression, and adjusted his own face accordingly. Of course they weren't going to Crystal Lake--that area with its expensive houses and rolling parklands was a good thirty kilometers past the spaceport. But Treakness obviously had no intention of giving a total stranger their actual destination. Especially a total stranger who'd already hinted that he might prefer making a deal with the Trofts.
"Okay, here's what I can do," Koshevski said. "I can get you about nine kilometers west through the system, to somewhere around Ridgeline Street. Past that point, with the lower water table and better drainage, they put in smaller conduits that you won't be able to get through."
"Nine kilometers will be a good start," Treakness said, nodding. "What do you want in return?"
Koshevski pursed his lips. "My brother's family lives in an apartment building on West Twenty-Third, between Toyo and Mitterly," he said. "It's a residential area, not very fancy, about four kilometers southwest of here. From the way you were talking earlier, I'm guessing their block's going to end up in one of the unfenced zones."
He folded his arms across his chest. "Here's the deal. You get them to one of the safe areas, and I get you to Ridgeline Street."
"Can we get close to their building through the drainage system?" Treakness asked.
"I can get you practically to the front door," Koshevski said. "But Danny's wife has Jarvvi's Disease and won't be able to get through the conduits. You'll have to get them to the safe zones at street level."
"Fair enough," Treakness said. "Very well, you have a deal."
"Uh . . . sir?" Poole spoke up hesitantly. "Are you sure--?"
He broke off at an almost casual glare from his boss. "We'll want to leave as soon as possible," Treakness said. "How do we get in?"
"There's an access point right out there," Koshevski said, jabbing a thumb toward the rear of the restaurant. "Mid-block, about fifty meters north."
"Any special tools necessary for opening it?"
Koshevski shook his head. "All it takes is muscle." He looked Lorne up and down. "You got muscle?"
"We have muscle," Treakness confirmed, pushing back his chair and standing up. "Let's go."
The others followed suit, and as Lorne stood up he glanced one last time around the dining room.
And felt a shiver run up his spine. He'd been wrong earlier about everyone's attention being on the Trofts outside. One of them, the white-haired man who'd led the group retreat earlier at Koshevski's insistence, was sitting alone at one of the tables.
Watching them.
The man's gaze flicked to Lorne, and for a moment they locked eyes. Then, casually, the other turned away, as if there was nothing of interest there, that he'd just happened to be looking in that direction.
"Coming?" Treakness asked.
Lorne gazed at the white-haired man for another moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned away. "Yes," he told Treakness. Whether the other man had recognized Treakness, or whatever else his interest in the group might be, there was nothing Lorne could do about it now. At least the other had been too far away to eavesdrop on the critical parts of their conversation.
"Good," Koshevski said, taking Lorne's arm and pointing down the corridor toward the rear door. "After you."
There was a lone spine leopard wandering the street when Lorne eased the rear door open and stepped outside. The predator turned at the sound of the door, or possibly at the scent of fresh prey, and for a moment it eyed the rash human who had invaded its territory. But either it wasn't yet hungry, or else it hadn't finished staking out that part of the block as
"To the lake," Treakness said without hesitation. "Though I'm obviously not expecting the drainage system to get us that whole distance."
"You got that one right, anyway," Koshevski said with a grunt, his eyes narrowing with concentration.
Lorne looked at Nissa, noted her compete lack of expression, and adjusted his own face accordingly. Of course they weren't going to Crystal Lake--that area with its expensive houses and rolling parklands was a good thirty kilometers past the spaceport. But Treakness obviously had no intention of giving a total stranger their actual destination. Especially a total stranger who'd already hinted that he might prefer making a deal with the Trofts.
"Okay, here's what I can do," Koshevski said. "I can get you about nine kilometers west through the system, to somewhere around Ridgeline Street. Past that point, with the lower water table and better drainage, they put in smaller conduits that you won't be able to get through."
"Nine kilometers will be a good start," Treakness said, nodding. "What do you want in return?"
Koshevski pursed his lips. "My brother's family lives in an apartment building on West Twenty-Third, between Toyo and Mitterly," he said. "It's a residential area, not very fancy, about four kilometers southwest of here. From the way you were talking earlier, I'm guessing their block's going to end up in one of the unfenced zones."
He folded his arms across his chest. "Here's the deal. You get them to one of the safe areas, and I get you to Ridgeline Street."
"Can we get close to their building through the drainage system?" Treakness asked.
"I can get you practically to the front door," Koshevski said. "But Danny's wife has Jarvvi's Disease and won't be able to get through the conduits. You'll have to get them to the safe zones at street level."
"Fair enough," Treakness said. "Very well, you have a deal."
"Uh . . . sir?" Poole spoke up hesitantly. "Are you sure--?"
He broke off at an almost casual glare from his boss. "We'll want to leave as soon as possible," Treakness said. "How do we get in?"
"There's an access point right out there," Koshevski said, jabbing a thumb toward the rear of the restaurant. "Mid-block, about fifty meters north."
"Any special tools necessary for opening it?"
Koshevski shook his head. "All it takes is muscle." He looked Lorne up and down. "You got muscle?"
"We have muscle," Treakness confirmed, pushing back his chair and standing up. "Let's go."
The others followed suit, and as Lorne stood up he glanced one last time around the dining room.
And felt a shiver run up his spine. He'd been wrong earlier about everyone's attention being on the Trofts outside. One of them, the white-haired man who'd led the group retreat earlier at Koshevski's insistence, was sitting alone at one of the tables.
Watching them.
The man's gaze flicked to Lorne, and for a moment they locked eyes. Then, casually, the other turned away, as if there was nothing of interest there, that he'd just happened to be looking in that direction.
"Coming?" Treakness asked.
Lorne gazed at the white-haired man for another moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he turned away. "Yes," he told Treakness. Whether the other man had recognized Treakness, or whatever else his interest in the group might be, there was nothing Lorne could do about it now. At least the other had been too far away to eavesdrop on the critical parts of their conversation.
"Good," Koshevski said, taking Lorne's arm and pointing down the corridor toward the rear door. "After you."
There was a lone spine leopard wandering the street when Lorne eased the rear door open and stepped outside. The predator turned at the sound of the door, or possibly at the scent of fresh prey, and for a moment it eyed the rash human who had invaded its territory. But either it wasn't yet hungry, or else it hadn't finished staking out that part of the block as
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