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"Really?"
"It’s your city Do as you like"
Russell knew bullshit when he heard it, even frolorified slumlord went on "I hope you will see the benefits and perhaps extend our arrangement another six months Your focus should be on the future of our civilization, after all, not which street gang holds which street"
"True enough," Russell agreed He liked the sound of that and let it settle on his shoulders like a wars me to the real reason forfrom the bottle and set it doith a deliberate thump "We’ve found our runaways, and the rest of the farms"
"That is excellent news"
"Thanks to both our efforts, the farh I haven’t called therinned "If we still need food, we’ll keep sending people for it"
"You intend to continue this trade?"
The grin on Russell’s face widened "One more time, is all Ten squads, armed to the teeth"
Grillo nodded slowly "So many men? That’s a risk, isn’t it? Your stations will be understaffed"
"That’s where you co of pride at the way Grillo sat forward now "I’d like you to send up a security detail to fill in Tehters, loyal"
"That shouldn’t be a problehthters like a h him, and he hoped Grillo didn’t notice He would have a sudden change in plans when Grillo’s rinder Let theth here Then his own people could sweep in and clean up Perfect
"Perfect Have them on a climber before the week is out," Russell said "I’ll need so cohter is deployed Aanywhere A silence followed He sipped fro else?" Grillo asked
"Onethe io after the traitors She was part of their little rebellion, and it ht be that I can use her as bait But when I went to the brig to fetch her, I found she wasn’t there The guard said she hasn’t been there in months, nor the other Kelly, I think her name was"
Grillo nodded, slowly "I have other uses for theht now"
"No s I don’t bore you with I figured you wouldn’t care about a couple of prisoners rotting in cells"
An old rage welled inside Russell Blackfield A lot of things irritated hiht they knew his mind He looked at the bottle of crap whiskey in his hand and thought of how satisfying it would be to s across Grillo’s ss for your e of the tall blond immune, a head taller than he Hoant to cli at the floor, as if in prayer He glanced up withouthis head, and for a second Russell sarath in those eyes "Your brig proved insufficient to hold theht it prudent to have theht not work I realized I could accooals, then So Kelly now resides at my own facility, under constant watch"
"And the ier crews at the airport"
"At the … wait, in charge?"
"In charge, and doing a fantastic job Holding Kelly’s safety over her has proved a remarkablespecial Nice rack, hell of a right hook, and that’s about it"
"She’s immune There are some who think that h "Or, you know, it’s just soet all biblical on the topic"
Grillo refused to rise to the bait "The fact is, the scavenger creere sitting on their hands after that business in Africa Not anyhtened on the neck of the glass bottle and it took a conscious effort to keep froain, eh?"
Grillo waved his hands "That’s not what Ithe creere idle after that Afraid and unsure of their status in your airspace Sa like a Satch now It’s really quite impressive"
"I’ue the point He knew all too well the benefits of having a functional scavenger corps, and the ialled hiht of it More than that, he’d pulled it off Scavenger crews running, the city cal nearly all the food it needed … deep down he knew he’d never have been able to accoh I put this bloody rat in charge Russell had no qualate
The question was how hard it would be to undo
Chapter 30
Belém, Brazil
18OCT2283
TANIA STEPPED DOWN the rollaway staircase, each footfall producing a soft metallic click on the textured metal steps
At the bottom, her feet met freshly poured concrete, and she smiled
Compared to her last visit to the colony, alnizable