"Laura Anne Gilman - Retrievers 03 - Bring It On" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gilman Laura Anne)

have been an impressive view. Tonight, the river below glimmered darkly, black against black.

тАЬPlease, come inside and join us.тАЭ The woman who had spoken last came forward. A tiny, elegant
silver-haired woman, immaculately dressed in a gray wool suit and sensible heels, she made a welcoming
gesture that included everyone. Turning with the assumption that they would all follow her, she walked
through the door in the far wall. The stones underfoot were smoothed with generations of use, and as the
others followed, expensive suits and elegant dresses mingling in a casual dance of friendly power, one
might think it was the opening moves of an ordinary cocktail party, lacking only the waiters passing trays
of canap├йs and champagne.

As they left the courtyard, something sparked in the distance, over the river flowing below them.
Thunder, or an electrical fire on the other side, or something else. One of the participants turned to look,
barely a twitch in the middle of conversation, and frowned, as though suddenly reminded of a minor
chore left undone.

тАЬHas any of this been discussed with the Others?тАЭ he asked, the capitalization plain in his tone.

тАЬThose avenues were explored.тАЭ The response was smooth, cool, conciliatory.

тАЬIndeed?тАЭ He sounded surprised. тАЬI had heard nothingтАФodd, as my contacts on that side of the river
are usually quite vocal about everything.тАЭ

That got him some appreciative, and sympathetic, laughter. He went on, warming to the topic. тАЬI would
hope that each of thoseavenues was indeed thoroughly explored, as you say. I would not want to go
home and discover that anyone hadтАФтАЭ

The knife appeared between heartbeats, turned under the third rib, and shoved in deep.

тАЬWe cannot afford to be distracted,тАЭ his killer said calmly, as the knife withdrew and disappeared back
from wherever it had appeared. тАЬAll avenues are closed to us now, save this one.тАЭ

The three remaining conversationalists in that group stifled whatever reaction they might have had, and
merely nodded, stepping over the body to continue their move into the mansion.

Without seeming to look, other attendees managed to somehow stream around their former fellow
initiate, moving past him without hesitation; his body might have been one of the stone columns framing
the room for all the attention they gave it. The message, if messy, had been perfectly clear. Accept your
status as one of the eliteтАФor lose it, and more.

The body lay on the stones as the courtyard emptied. A moment passed, then another, and the blood
pooled, congealing even as more flowed from the wound. Another woman came out, this one dressed in
a simple scarlet dress that set off her brunette curls to perfection.

тАЬIdiot,тАЭ she said to the dying man, not without regret. тАЬYou should have known better. TheyтАЩll only
replace you with someone less prone to asking questions.тАЭ
Shaking her head at the stupidity of it all, she placed her hands, palms down, in the air over the body.

тАЬAllow no secrets uncovered, no confidences broken, no vows released, but hold this body to the
darkness until time has time to erase the traces.тАЭ