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

"I'll see you at the embassy?"
Jani hesitated, then nodded. "You're going to be there?"
"I'd never miss a chance to watch you and Nema cause trouble." He pulled her
close and kissed her, his lips warm and bruising. "Enjoy your break" he
whispered as he pulled away. He boarded the train, remaining in the entry as
the door slid closed and the sleek bullet pulled away. They didn't wave
good-bye, just as they never held hands, or huggedтАФit wasn't their style. They
just stared at one another until the angle grew too sharp and Lucien
disappeared from view.
Jani stood on the platform until the train vanished around the bend, then
reached into her pocket once more. This time, she removed the piece of paper,
her actions of earlier that morning replaying in her mind.
/ met Hodge at the front desk. No one else was in the lobby. The only person
outside was the doorman. I opened the documents case in Hodge's presence, like
I always do. If the seals appeared tampered-with, or if anything looked
strange, better to uncover it before a reliable witness. I found nothing
amiss. Seals appeared intact. The papers had been filed in an orderly manner.
Then she had caught sight of the slip of pale green parchment sticking out of
the corner of one of the slipcases like a marker tag. She had gone ahead and
closed the case, waiting until she boarded the lift before opening it again
and removing the scrap with a hesitant hand.
LAW OF SURVIVAL 5
You possess hidden talents, NiallтАФit takes skill to crack a Cabinet-grade
seal. She unfolded the note and studied it as she had earlier. A short
sentence, written in the neat script she'd grown accustomed to over the past
months.
Meet me at oh-eight. You 'II know where.
"I will?" Jani turned over the scrap and examined the back for any clues she
had missed during previous examinations. "Why the mystery, Colonel? And why
the rush? We're meeting for lunch tomorrowтАФcan't this wait?" She folded down
one of the corners, then unfolded itтАФthe weighty paper still rustled like new.
"Pale greenтАФthat's the color Commerce is using for their official documents
this yearтАФ" She stilled. "The Commerce Ministry."
Now she knew where she had to go, All that remained was to find out why.
Jani crossed the pedestrian overpass that spanned the twelve-lane Boul Mich,
Chicago's main thoroughfare, and entered the lakeside sprawl of government
buildings, parkland, and open land known as Cabinet Row. She reached a vehicle
dispatch platform, and boarded a Commerce Ministry people-mover amid a group
of green-clad employees. After everyone sat, the lumbering conveyance began
its slow float down the wide walkway toward the kilometer-long Ministry main
building. As it approached a subsidiary gate that led to a small employee
park, Jani stood. The vehicle stopped, and she disembarked.
Jani watched the roofless vehicle resume its glide toward the Ministry proper.
Then she pressed her hand to the gatekeeper square; the device scanned her
palm, and the gate swung open.
Colonel Niall Pierce stood near the entry, talking to a younger man in
lieutenant's gear as he pointed to a late-blooming hybrid rose. Like Lucien,
he wore mainline dress blue-greys, but no fairy tale Jani could think of would
have claimed him as its hero. In contrast to the prince's clean, broad brow
and high cheekbones, this weathered pretender possessed a narrow visage,