Fish Swim in the Lake

Part 7.4 | As his conscience seems to be

"You're a cop," alphaDana called as Colin turned on the bath water. "You must know resourceful people who don't work with Vlad."

"If I use them he'll find out," Colin said. "Maybe that's all this is about. A loyalty test. Maybe the drugs are even OK. Can you tell? Can't you search up what real phionine is supposed to..."

"Supposed to what? Look like? I'm no doctor. Even if I got the information about what it's supposed to be like I couldn't be sure. Don't you know any doctors that could verify it, or lay their hands on the right stuff?"

"Vlad'll be watching," Colin said. "I'm not exposing her to Vlad. Please."

alphaDana pulled off Vas's boxers. He has a long black scar running from his navel to his thigh. It looked like a partigun burn; it twisted and crimped over the top of his leg. She ached around a cold little core inside and thought angrily that Nemoros was everywhere today. An accident, it was an accident, an accident she still woke up from with a throat full of grit.

"Her?" she said, touching her adrenaline so that she could lift Vas and carry him to the bath.

"No," he said. "I'm not telling. Please."

"He could die. If he dies you killed him and I'll kill you."

"I can't. I can't!" His voice was shrill and tremulously crumpled. He sounded like he was about to cry.

alphaDana lowered Vas into the warm marble tub and adjusted the harness around him to make sure his head stayed loosely afloat. "If not her then somebody else. Come on, Colin, think of something!"

She bent over to tuck in Vas's feet and saw Colin, saw his face reflected in the bathroom mirror, with the corner of her sight. His tone was agitated but his face was smooth. He looked terribly calm and a bit pleased. He was selling.

He was lying.

She splashed Vas's feet in the water and wondered if she would have to kill again.

Posted by gtaylor at May 23, 2002 08:25 PM