"Kristine Smith - Kilian 3 - Law of Survival" - читать интересную книгу автора (Smith Kristine)

Jani backed off a step so that she could look Lucien in the face. And what a
face, the full mouth and strong bones still softened enough by youth to imply
innocence. An angel, perched on the brink of damnation. Stay focused. She knew
he could distract her, then trap her with a question or an offhand comment.
"I'm fine. It just hit me how much work I have to do. I've got that meeting at
the idomeni embassy to-
LAW OF SURVIVAL 3
day, and if form holds true, it will run longer than expected. I've got three
Treasury summaries due next week, and I haven't even looked at the data."
"So as you said, why waste the time playing escort now?" Lucien stood easily,
arms at his sides, head cocked in artless curiosity. "Where are you going
after you leave me at Union?"
"The only place I'm going after I leave you at Union is home." Jani turned her
back on him and started to walk. Her weak right knee sagged with every step,
the persistent reminder of an eventful summer. "I've found that the occasional
break clears my head. Maybe I'll take another one later today, come back here
and buy something for my best clients." She took a deep, steadying breath. The
crisp fall air held a city melange of restaurant aromas, overheated skimmer
batteries, and a whiff of pungent cologne from a passing pedestrian. "What
time's your train?"
"Oh-seven and a half. Same as when you asked five minutes ago." Lucien moved
up beside her, matching her stride for stride. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"How can I help you if you never tell me anything?"
"I don't need your help."
"Who are you meeting?"
"I'm not meeting anybody."
As they continued up the walkway, Jani noted that people stepped aside for
them. They glanced first at Lucien, then at her, their eyes questioning. Who
are you, lady? A Family member on an early morning shopping spree with her
officer boyfriend? A colonial diplomat out for a stroll with her bodyguard?
She knew she cut an imposing figure in her black trousers and crimson
shirt-jacket. She matched Lucien in ranginess and almost matched him in
height, her short black hair and brown skin serving as dark contrast to his
brilliant blondness and paling summer tan. That's who I amтАФthe soldier's
shadow. Not the real thingтАФplease don't make that mistake. It was an error
she'd made herself once, thinking herself a soldier. As was usual with those
sorts of lapses, others had paid a steeper price for it than she.
They turned the corner, and Union Station loomed into
4 Kristine Smith
view. Commuters streamed out, on the way to posts in the Cabinet Ministries,
NUVA-SCAN, or Neoclona, and in, travelling to Fort Sheridan or other more
distant points in the Michigan province. They entered the station, a train
cathedral of stained glass and vaulted ceilings; the pound of footsteps and
the keen of voices ricocheted off the walls and seemed to increase in volume
with each successive bounce. Jani's pulse quickened as she elbowed through the
crowd. She had hurried through many train stations over the years.
They reached the embarkation platform and scanned the Outbound display, then
hurried along the line of trains and down the track just as the first call for
the Sheridan Express sounded. Lucien stopped before an open car, then turned.