Artemis

“What do you care?”

“I still care about you, Jazz. You were my best friend for years. I don’t regret falling in love with Tyler, but I know I did wrong.”

“Thanks,” I said. “When I can’t sleep at night because I know you’re nailing the only man I ever loved, I’ll just remember that you feel guilty. All better.”

“It’s been a year. When does your victimhood expire?”

“Fuck you.”

He leaned against the wall and stared at the ceiling. “Jazz, give me a reason not to call the EVA posse. Anything.”

I forced some logic through the swirling vortex of anger in my brain. I had to be a big girl—just for a minute. I didn’t have to like it, but I had to do it.

“I’ll give you a hundred thousand slugs.” I didn’t have 100,000g. But I’d get it if I could trash that last harvester.

He raised his brow. “Okay, that’s a pretty good reason. What the hell is going on?”

I shook my head. “No questions.”

“Are you in trouble?”

“That’s a question.”

“Fine, fine.” He folded his arms. “What about the posse?”

“Do they know it’s me?”

“No.”

“Then you don’t have to do anything. Just forget you saw me here.”

“Jazz, there are only forty people in the whole city who have EVA suits. It’s a small pool to investigate. And the EVA masters will definitely investigate. Not to mention Rudy.”

“I have contingencies for that. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut.”

He mulled it over. Then he flashed a smile. “Keep your hundred thousand. I want something else: I want to be friends again.”

“A hundred and fifty thousand,” I countered.

“One evening a week. You and me at Hartnell’s. Just like the old days.”

“No,” I said. “Either take my money or feed me to the EVA mob.”

“Jazz, I’m trying to play ball, here, but you don’t get to jerk me around. I don’t want money. I want to reconnect. Take it or leave it.”

“Fff—” I began, but I suppressed the “uck you” in my throat. I found a limit to my pride somewhere in there. He could destroy my life with a Gizmo call. I had no choice.

“—fffine,” I finished. “Once a week. Doesn’t mean we’re friends, though.”

He heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank God. I didn’t want to ruin you.”

“You already ruined me.”

He winced at the barb. Good.

He pulled out his Gizmo and dialed. “Bob? You still out there?…Okay, I’m just checking in. I’m at the Visitor Center and just suiting up now….Yeah, I got the first train in. I searched the whole center. No one’s here but me and a couple of workers starting their day.”

He listened on the Gizmo for some time, then said, “All right. I’ll be outside in fifteen minutes…okay, I’ll radio when I’m outside.”