"Laura Anne Gilman - Retrievers 04 - Burning Bridges" - читать интересную книгу автора (Gilman Laura Anne)

Never mind that sheтАЩd done it to save her own skin, after the Mage Council tried to use her and her
partner, Sergei; never mind that sheтАЩd done it to help out her friends among the fatae, the nonhuman
members of theCosa Nostradamus . All of that might have made what happened inevitable, but none of it
made it smart.

тАЬHey, Valere.тАЭ The voice came from the other side of the room, about three feet to the right and a foot
down. And speaking of fataeтАж.

Wren Valere didnтАЩt sigh, but she wanted to.

Retrieval wasnтАЩt easy. She had studied her craft, learned from masters, and kept up-to-date on all the
most recent developments, not only in her own field, but anything that might come in handy. In addition to
mastering the current-magic that flowed from within her, she had trained her body, as well; toning and
strengthening her muscles, increasing her lung capacity, maintaining her flexibility. She had forced mind
and body into partnership, more than once spending hours waiting in a cramped, close situation,
anticipating the perfect moment to move on a job. She knew all about patience. About focus. About
dedication.

And that focus and dedication was being destroyed, not by a stubborn client, or impossible mark, or
even the weight of the snow outside and what was happening in the city beyond, but by her companion.

She didnтАЩt bother looking in the direction of the voice, not wanting to encourage him.

тАЬValere,тАЭ the voice said again. тАЬWhat does this do?тАЭ

She looked, then, briefly. тАЬOpens locks.тАЭ

The roomтАЩs other occupantтАФand the subject of her irritationтАФput the tool back down on the small table
next to him and picked up another. тАЬAnd this?тАЭ

She reached for patience, found it. тАЬOpens a different kind of lock.тАЭ

тАЬAnd this one?тАЭ

Patience threw up its hands in disgust and fled the room. тАЬIt gets the gunk out from between my teeth.
Damn it, P.B., will you please leave my kit alone? Those extremely delicate tools youтАЩre paw-handling
cost me a fortune, and half of them are custom-made.тАЭ She reached up from her cross-legged position on
the floor, and snagged the instrument in question out of P.B.тАЩs paws. A thin ceramic shape with a
non-reflective black coating, it actually did look like something that might be found in a very trendy
GothтАЩs toothbrush holder, except that the fiberglass pick at the end was attuned to more delicate
vibrations than enamel generally gave off.

тАЬSheesh. SomeoneтАЩs snappy.тАЭ The short, white-furred demon settled on the padded bench under the
roomтАЩs single window and stared at her with his dark, dried-bloodred eyes. He wandered over to the
corkboard that hung above her desk and tapped one curved black claw on a color pencil sketch tacked
there. тАЬThis the bansidhe-horsie you been chasing? How long you been working that case?тАЭ

тАЬFive years.тАЭ She refused to look up from her notes, hoping against hope he would finally take the hint
and go elsewhere.