Canvas Skies (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) (15 page)

Keira looked up and smiled at me. Then she
reached under her hair and removed two wireless earbuds.

“Oh Richard, you're here!”

She looked back and forth at the three of
us.

“Are these some of your friends?” she asked,
her voice saturated with innocence.

I shook my head slightly. “No.”

She pushed into a standing position, looked
curiously at the two men and said, “Excuse us.” She pocketed the
earbuds as we walked down the track.

“That was mean,” I whispered, “but thank
you. I wanted to slug them.”

She grinned. “You're welcome. The one on the
right is married.”

I gave her a sideways glance and asked, “How
could you tell?”

She shrugged. “Easy. He had the indent of a
band on his finger.”

We began with a gentle jog around the track.
By the second lap, we'd settled into a comfortable pace.

“Did you find a dress for the benefit?”

“Yes, Aimee too. They're beautiful and
expensive.”

She picked up the pace. I'd obviously hit a
nerve.

“Vid crews will be there. You should go to a
salon the day of. I recommend the Davis.”

We stopped talking as we approached and
passed a small group of runners.

“Okay.” She ran even faster.

I began to feel winded, so I stopped talking
and focused on my breathing. After the next lap, I left the track
and walked over to the weight room. Keria followed about 10 minutes
later.

I was at the leg curl machine when she
rejoined me. I stopped and indicated an open bench press. Keira
simply nodded. First, she spotted me, and then I returned the
favor. Next, I moved to an open leg press machine, and she went to
a nearby mat to do stomach crunches followed by push ups. She was
listening to her music again. We continued to work out silently,
yet in close proximity, for another 20 minutes.

Finally, we moved toward the locker rooms. I
hadn't worked out like this in years and knew I would be sore
tomorrow. I put my hand on Keira's arm. She removed the ear buds
and turned to look at me.

“Miss James, would you join me for dinner?”
I noticed a few people paused to listen to our exchange.

She smiled warmly. “I'd like that. I'll meet
you in the lobby?”

I nodded. Keira pushed open the door to the
women's locker room and disappeared inside.

After we'd both showered and dressed,
Eberhardt brought the car around. Keira had taken to dressing semi
formally whenever we were out in public. Tonight, she wore a long
black skirt with a trendy lavender blouse, a diamond bracelet and
black high heels. The diamonds were fake. Keira didn't want me to
buy her real ones.

“You look stunning,” I whispered. Behind the
tinted windows, we could finally be ourselves. “I've missed you.” I
placed my hand gently on the side of her face and tilted her lips
toward mine. “And I've missed that,” I said when we pulled
apart.

“Me too.” She leaned in for more.

Eberhardt coughed. “Do you want me to lose
them?”

Keira and I both looked out the back window.
A news crew van was on our tail.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked.

She sighed and leaned back against the
seat.

I looked at Eberhardt's reflection in the
rear view mirror. “Take a detour. We need about five minutes.” I
returned my attention to Keira. “Is there something on your
mind?”

“Lots. Aimee, for starters. She'll need a
date for this weekend, right?”

“How could I have forgotten? Yes, all of the
young ladies will have escorts. It's the men who provide financial
support for the auction. Perhaps someone from Burke Investments
would do? I'll find someone.”

“It's not that, it's just...” She touched my
hand lightly. “She's having trouble choosing.” My eyebrows shot up,
and Keira laughed. “Would you recommend Brody or Hisoka? They're
both into her, but did Eberhardt tell you about the other day?”

“Yes, I did.” Eberhardt's tone proclaimed,
'I'm right here!'

Keira turned in surprise, and I smiled at
his reflection.

“Either would be fine.”

I looked out the front window. The
restaurant wasn't far. We didn't have much time. If we circled
around again, the news crew would grow suspicious. We could not
afford a field day of speculation at our expense. How could I
explain quickly?

“I've been coordinating efforts between
Brody and Harlow.”

“Brody?” Keira's eyebrows scrunched up like
they always did when she was concerned.

“Yes. We're preparing for a coup, but we
need to up our numbers. Can you think of others who might be
interested in joining the Resistance?”

“And have a way to stick it to the Gov with
support? Oh yeah!” She nodded.

“Alright then, I want you to work on that.”
I hugged her tightly. “Just be careful. We've learned that people
are being held right here in Tkaron, in secure facilities inside
the Justice Center.”

She drew in a breath. “Does Hisoka know
about all this?”

“Yes, he does.”

“Time's up, kids!” Eberhardt pulled to a
stop in front of the restaurant.

A man in a burgundy uniform stepped forward
and opened Keira's door. He held out his arm. I exited close
behind, and stepped forward to take his place at Keira's side.
Vid'recorders pointed from every direction, capturing every
movement, every word.

At the entrance, another man in a matching
uniform opened the door. Reporters called out, but we only smiled
and waved. During dinner we would have time to process their
questions, and later, as we left, we would respond.

I led Keira down a short hall to the hostess
stand. Marie looked surprised as she studied her list. “Mr. Burke,
I didn't realize you were coming tonight. I'm so sorry. I don't see
a reservation.”

“Will that be a problem?” I asked, glancing
over my shoulder at the reporters who were now talking to the
doorman.

“Just give me a minute.” She leaned through
the door and signaled to someone.

Keira tugged at my arm. I leaned close, and
she whispered, “You have some explaining to do.”

I nodded and replied under my breath, “Not
now.”

“Right this way.” Marie ushered us
inside.

Our waiter also addressed me by name. I was
friendly with everyone here, and Keira played her part well, being
gracious and lighthearted through dinner and dessert.

Although the vidcrew was kept at bay by the
doormen and waitstaff, I knew that somehow Everyday Elite would
give an accurate report on our dinner choices and conversation, all
the way down to picking apart my facial expression as I responded
to one of Keira's jokes. They would know and share every
detail.

When we left, my suspicions were confirmed.
In addition to the typical questions, one reporter called out, “How
was the tiramisu?”

Keira charmed the crew as well as the small
crowd that had gathered. She looked directly into the vid'recorder
and said, “It was delicious, the perfect ending to a perfect
evening.”

Back in the car, she let out a breath of
air. “That was exhausting! I wonder who tipped them off.”

“I did.”

“What? When?”

“When I asked you out in public,” I
said.

“Oh. Have you done this before?”

“Not exactly, but when my father first set
up business here, they interviewed him. And then there was my 20th
birthday when Dad officially announced I would follow in his
footsteps. It's been quiet ever since. I try to stay out of the
spotlight. Don't want to draw unnecessary attention.”

She grabbed my hand. “How about we ditch
them?”

I put my other hand over hers. “Not now.
Tonight, we want to be noticed. We'll be together soon. I promise.
After the benefit, alright?”

“How will the benefit change anything?”

“Trust me. Sneaking off now would give the
media an unflattering impression of you. We don't want that.”

Keira curled up against me and leaned her
head on my shoulder. “Tell me why everyone at the restaurant knew
you.”

“You know I've been dating other women.”

“Yes, to keep our cover.” She sounded
sleepy.

“Exactly. It's like a job, and when people
go to work, they generally follow patterns: sticking to a schedule,
going to the same places...”

“Well, not in my line of work, but yes, I
can see how that's true for most.”

“So that's where I take my dates for
dinner.”

Eberhardt pulled over and stopped the
car.

“Come on. I'll walk you to the door.”

She turned to look over my shoulder and out
the back window. “I think that's a good idea.”

I looked too. The news van pulled up behind
us. I grabbed Keira's gym bag and helped her out of the car. She
kept hold of my hand as we walked to the door together.

In full view of the vid'recorders, I raked
my fingers through her hair. As I leaned forward to kiss Keira in
the moonlight, a gentle breeze teased at her skirt. I was certain
it looked terribly romantic, and if I could have ignored the fact
that thousands of people would soon be sharing this very special
moment with us, it may have felt romantic as well.

When we pulled apart, Keira smiled and
winked at me. “I'll see you soon!” Then she was gone.

By the sixth ring, I'd just about given up
when Raquelle answered.

“Sh...I have to take this. Keira? What's
up?” She turned on the vidscreen. Her dark eyes sparkled.

“I need you for a job tomorrow. Can you meet
me at Art Fantastique at say, 11:00?”

“AM?”

“Yes.”

“That's early. What's the job?”

“Recruitment.”

“Really? On whose orders?”

“Guy's.”

Although I was technically her superior,
Raquelle had been with the Resistance longer, and I just didn't
feel right giving her orders. I sensed that she trusted me more
because I held back and deferred to her expertise.

“Stop it, Joe! Give me a minute,” she hissed
to someone off-vid.

“Is that the same Joe who built your
car?”

She froze and gazed off-screen. Then she
looked into my eyes. “Yes, why?”

“He doesn't just build cars, does he? I mean
he knows a lot of people, other technicians and such, right?”

“Right...”

My thoughts were going a mile a minute.
“He's not, I mean, does he know what you do, what we do?”

“That I'm a Freelancer? Yes.”

She was choosing her words carefully and so
would I. I'd let her decide whether or not to tell Joe about the
Resistance.

“We're recruiting from all sectors now, so
if you want, bring him along.”

***

The next day at Art Fantastique, Raquelle
marched straight to the back room. I followed close behind. She
pulled out a black handheld device and quickly scanned for bugs.
When she was confident no one was listening, she shoved it into her
pocket and turned to me. I closed the door to the main room.

Raquelle crossed her arms. “Where's
Eberhardt?”

“It's just us.”

“And we're recruiting? For real?”

“Yes. It's about time, don't you think?”

“No, I don't actually! I think we're better
off laying low. I rather like being, well, alive!”

“Will you just hear me out?”

Raquelle leaned against the table and glared
at me, but she listened.

“It might work,” she said when I'd finished.
“Okay, we'll drive you over to Tony's. If they like what you have
to say, we'll move on to some of our haunts. We'll even introduce
you and back you up. But, if it doesn't look good, you're finding
another ride home.”

“Fair enough. Where's Joe?”

“She's waiting in the car.”

“She?”

“Yeah, my girlfriend, Jo.” Raquelle stood up
straight; her arms dropped to her sides.

“Damn, girl! You're even less trusting than
I am!”

Raquelle tried to fight a grin, then simply
let it shine. “Well, maybe I should have told you.”

I shrugged. “And now you have.”

“Keira, there's something else...Jo's a car
thief.”

“Then she'll fit right in, as long she
avoids sleek silver automobiles from the late 21st century.”

Raquelle laughed. “Don't worry. I told her
to stay away from Guy's wheels, and after your call last night, I
finally told her why.”

***

“I'm Keira Maddock.”

I climbed onto the bar and spoke loudly
enough to get everyone's attention.

“Is anyone here interested in helping me
bring down the Gov?”

People turned and stared at me.

“I've got some powerful friends, and we'd
like you to join us.”

Raquelle and Jo stood straight and alert,
side-by-side, halfway across the room. Jo's short blond hair
contrasted nicely with Raquelle's. Tony's was busy today, a good
thing for us.

A brief silence was broken by one lone
voice. “You mean, you're not undercover?”

“What?” I asked.

“I've seen you on Everyday Elite.”

I recognized the woman who was speaking.
Marti had been a regular at Tony's since before I started coming
here.

Others murmured in agreement.

“We thought you were playing him.”

“Or maybe switching sides.”

I shook my head. “You know that's not
possible.”

“Richard Burke knows who you are and what
you do?” asked Marti.

“Yes, he does. He was my ticket into the
Resistance, and now I can be yours.”

“The Resistance?” someone scoffed. “That's
just a fairy tale.”

“Where's your proof?”

A familiar voice. I latched onto Cole's
gaze. “Proof?”

“Yeah, proof. Are we just supposed to take
you at your word?”

“Isn't my word good enough?” I
challenged.

“For me it is.” He hopped up next to me.
“But what about everyone else?” He addressed the crowd. “Many of
you know Keira by reputation, but do you trust her?”