U pon returning from her run, Lucia informed Jazz of two things. One, she'd be camping out on Jazz's couch until her leasing agent found her a local apartment. Two, they had an appointment to shop for office space.
"We're shopping?"
"Shopping is a necessary part of life, Jazz, you should reconcile yourself to it. Unless you want me to make all the decisions." Lucia didn't sound averse to it. Jazz eyed her distrustfully.
"Fine," she said. "I'll take a look."
Lucia drove. All the way, Jazz kept an eye on the street, but traffic patterns looked random and safe, and she saw nobody following - either from in front or behind - for more than a couple of blocks. It was possible the faceless bad guys had enough manpower to do fast-rotating teams, but if so, they were screwed anyway, and all the eagle-eye vigilance in the world wouldn't help.
No white vans, no black cars with tinted windows, no electric blue sedans with out-of-date plates.
But when they pulled up in the parking lot of a five-story office building, she spotted someone she knew waiting, leaning against the granite-faced entrance with his long arms folded. Borden was back in casual mode, long leather jacket and blue jeans and an oatmeal-colored long-sleeved Henley underneath. Gelled hair again. He looked up as Jazz's car rattled to a stop, and straightened.
Jazz took her time getting out, partly so as not to run over and bash his head against the wall, partly because she didn't want to show any awkwardness or hesitation from the pain. Smooth and controlled. She was going to out-Lucia Lucia.
"Hey," Borden said, and took a couple of steps toward her. She shut the car door, put her hands in her jacket pockets and looked at him with what was probably not a polite smile.
He stopped.
"Let me guess, Counselor," she said, "you're in the real estate business, too."
"More or less. How are you - "
"Feeling?" She forced herself not to limp as she walked toward, then past him. "Great. You?"
In the shiny tinted glass of the building's double doors, she saw Borden toss Lucia a look. Lucia shook her head.
"You should have stayed in the hospital," he said, coming up next to her with a thick set of keys in his hand. He unlocked the door and pulled the right one open with a sigh of cool air. "And for the record? I'm not the landlord. I just helped Lucia find the place. Third floor. Take the elevator. You don't have to prove how tough you are by tackling the stairs."
She glared at him but walked inside the building. It was dark, except for some indirect spots illuminating empty alcoves and an equally empty reception desk. Still had that new-building smell, equal parts paint, drywall and fresh carpeting.
"Ready to move in?" Lucia asked.
Borden nodded. "If you sign the lease, you could be operational in a few days."
Lucia nodded and tucked her hair back behind her ear, sneaking a look at Jazz as she did so. Jazz watched the numbers flash on the floor counter overhead. When the right one arrived, she pushed through the still-opening doors...
Into a dream.
Dej
20
