Price of a Bounty (Reliance on Citizens Makes Us Great!) by S. L. Wallace Page B

up his cards.
    I
walked over to Chrissy’s table and looked for an empty chair.
    “Oh,
here,” her friend said. “I was just leaving.” She
stood, then leaned down to give Chrissy a hug. “Congratulations!”
    I
sat in the vacated chair and ordered a beer.
    “I
saw you talking with Cole,” Chrissy said.
    “I
need a place to stay. I hope you don’t mind.”
    She
shrugged. “I figured that’s what you were talking about. I’ll
take the couch tonight.”
    “What’s
the good news?” I asked.
    “I’ve
replaced the Beckett’s nanny.”
    “Oh?
What happened to her?” My drink arrived, and I took a sip.
    “Rumor
is she’s expecting, and Lance Beckett is the father.”
    I
thought back to the other day when April and I had watched the
Beckett girls at play in the park. Was that the errand the nanny
needed to run?
    “You
be careful in that house. I wouldn’t put it past him to try that
again! Tell April to be careful too, won’t you?”
    “That’s
right! I saw her when I interviewed. I’ll tell her.”
    “You’ve
got an important job ahead of you now. You need to teach those girls
to respect and appreciate the Working Class because one day they’ll
be at the top. We don’t want them to end up like…” My
thoughts drifted back to what Guy had said about people just being
people, no matter what their station. “Well, like most of the
Elite.”
    “That’s
a good point. Why are you back, Keira? Anything you want to talk
about?”
    “No,
I’m not ready to talk about it just yet, but thanks for asking.”
    Chrissy
nodded. “Anytime.”
    “You
could help me out though. Would you pass along a message to April?”
    “Of
course!”
    “You
can tell her where I’m staying and that I’m okay, but remind her to
be careful what she says to Scott.”
    “All
right. Anything else?”
    “No.
Thanks, Chrissy.”
    “Sure.
Are you about ready? I’m beat.”
    I
tipped back my head and quickly downed the rest of the beer. Maybe
the alcohol would help me get through the night.
    Arm-in-arm,
Chrissy and I walked the few blocks to Cole’s house, a one-bedroom
bungalow. In the living room, I reached out and wiped a finger
across the coffee table. Chrissy had cleaned. I sat down on the
faded checkered couch in the living room and looked out the window at
the night sky. Chrissy went into the bedroom to pack.
    Now
that I had a place to stay where I knew exactly what was expected of
me, I could plan for the future. Tomorrow, I’d shop for some new
clothes and purchase a few other necessities. Then I’d lay low for a
few weeks. Once Elaine Ramsey believed she’d successfully killed me,
I would be free to move on.
    When
Chrissy returned to the living room, I said goodnight, entered the
small bedroom, removed my caterer’s uniform in the dark and climbed
into bed. I didn’t want to dwell on what I’d lost so I surrendered
myself to sleep.
    Cole
climbed into bed a couple of hours later. He caressed my shoulders
and back until I was fully awake. It was time to pay the rent. I
turned toward him and let him explore my body. I even reciprocated,
but there was no emotion. This was, after all, just a business
transaction. Afterward, I turned back to the wall and fell asleep.

-Keira-
    Picking
Up the Pieces

    The
next morning I climbed over Cole’s sleeping form. Sunlight seeped
around the edges of the old grey blanket that covered the bedroom
window but streamed full force into the living room. I squinted in
the sudden brilliance and noticed that Chrissy had already left.
    I
stumbled into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. Cold.
Jolted fully awake, I ran my fingers through my tangled mess of
hair. Green eyes stared back at me from the wavy mirror. This was
my world: cold, tangled and distorted. I shook my head. A previous
boarder, maybe Chrissy, had left some perfumed soap. It helped make
the cold shower bearable.
    While
I showered, I thought about recent events. When he’d realized who I
was, Guy had