"Now, who are you?" Adam asks, slamming the passenger side door.
"I told you. I'm Kelly Tyler. Ask me something new." We buckle our seatbelts and I start the engine.
"What do you do?"
"Many things. Here, I was hired to steal some files. Medical, mostly." I say, as we pull out of the Genomex parking lot.
"So you're a thief."
"Not always. I'm also a member of the Massachusetts and Nevada state bar. I hold medical licenses in California, New York, and Wisconsin. Let's see, I also own four nightclubs and a bar, work with the Las Vegas crime lab, and a Los Angelus private investigation firm." I say, as I notice a cherry red Corvette convertible and two black Kias start to follow me. "Problem with any of that?"
"No, no. How do you travel so much? I mean, most of that runs on a fairly tight schedule."
"Special circumstances." I say, making a sharp left turn that forces him to lean closer to me.
""Okay." Adam says, as a button on my dash lights up and starts flashing.
"Hit that button flashing there for me, please?"
"Bet I'd beat you and your boy." A man's gravelly voice shouts challengingly over a speaker.
"First off; not a boy from my angle. Second; no, you wouldn't beat me driving a scientist's car."
"We'll see about that. Decker's?"
"Sure. Skip the steps and see ya there." I say, shifting gear and shutting off my intercom. "Mind turning on the radio?"
"A thief and a street racer." Adam says to himself, and I raise an eyebrow, giving him a quick glance so that he can see it. "Nice."
"Yeah right. That combo sounds like it kills more innocents in a week than"
"Heroin in two months." He offers.
"Well I don't. I haven't killed anyone in a long while and I intend to keep it that way."
"So you have killed before."
"Yes and no. I haven't killed anything that wasn't already dead in months, but I was talking about normal people a minute ago."
"What? How does that - "
"Might want to stop talking and brace yourself. I'll explain when there's less chance of vomit in my car." I say, as the Decker Parking Center comes into sight. "Finish line." I mutter.
I head right up the first ramp into the parking center and drive up a series of eleven ramps. I never slow as I approach the ramp to the deserted twelfth level, but instead ruin my momentum by spinning out.
"I'm never driving with you again." Adam says, after realizing just how close to the railing we had come to a stop.
"Who says you'll get the opportunity? We lost those black cars, though."
"Do we have to stay in here?"
"No, not at all. Want a Coke or something?"
"Do you have water?"
"Sure." I tell him as we get out of the car, him a little more hastily than I.
"Oh, that's better." He says, leaning on the outside of the car as I get into the cooler in my trunk.
"Hey, at least I'm a professional driver." I say, wringing out a wet washcloth. "Come on, follow the helpful things." He follows me as I take the two bottles of water and the washcloth over to the highest point of the structure. We each take a seat near the edge and I look back towards my car. One door is still open, so I push a button on my key chain as I hand Adam a bottle of water. "Hey, you okay? You look a little flushed."
"Yeah." He says quietly, looking out over the skyline.
"Look, I had a million opportunities to either kill you or let you die, and I didn't take them, not because you're just that cute, but because I don't kill people. So deal with my daring." I say quickly, using sarcasm to make my point.
"Believe it or not, I figured that out. I was just waiting for my hear and stomach to catch up, but I'm glad we've confirmed the fact that you're not going to kill me."
"Oh." Is all I can think to say. I squeeze some more water out of the washcloth and put it on the back of his neck.
"Thanks."
"Looks like my buddy with your car's going to be a while. Got any more questions?"
"What were you talking about when you said that you don't kill anything that isn't already dead?"
"That's a fairly strange answer, and I don't know that I should tell you. At least, not while you're still planning on going your separate way as soon as you get your car."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"That's uh. that's another complex answer. Look, I have my secrets, I'm sure you have yours, but I can't tell you anything until I at least think I can trust you."
"That almost made sense." He says, semi-thoughtfully. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
"Sure, I'm supposed to be free." I say, as my cell phone starts to vibrate. "Do you have somewhere that I could drop you off?" I ask, checking the text messages I was being sent.
"Well, isn't my car supposed to be here soon?"
"Was. Looks like my buddy with your car has had some trouble, and I've gotta be somewhere pretty much now-ish."
"Where?" Adam asks, his curiosity showing through as he removed the damp washcloth from the back of his neck.
"Dangerous places. You're not coming."
"I jumped out a seventh floor window today, mostly because you told me to. Why can't I join you?"
"First; you didn't jump, I pushed you. Second; you had a rope, it wasn't as if you had no safeties and it was you three hundredth and fifty first jump." I say distractedly, trying to send a text message on my cell. "Damn it."
"What's wrong?"
"My buddy's line is no more." I crack open my bottle of water and take a long gulp as I sit back, close my eyes, and think about my buddy the back- up.
"Genomex caught him?"
"Mm-hm. At a gas station."
"Aren't you going to go after him?"
"Maybe later. His life is not at stake, but several others are. Besides, we have an understanding between each other in case of exactly this kind of situation."
"So you're a telempath."
"Why does everyone always think that? It got me shot this afternoon."
"Tagged." He corrects me hesitantly.
"What?" I ask, my eyes snapping open.
"You weren't shot with a bullet, you were tagged with a tracer."
"Chemical or technological?" I ask, still fairly worried.
"Probably just a chip in the base of the dart."
"Oh. Anyway, where can I drop you?"
"I don't have anywhere Mason won't find me, really."
"And you'd pitch a fit if I dropped you at my secondary apartment, wouldn't you?" I say, talking mostly to myself.
"Well, I don't think I'd p - " Adam mutters quietly in argument.
"Fine. You'll come with me, but I'm locking you in the car." I say, not liking any of it one bit.
"But - "
"It's for your protection. The car is bullet proof. You aren't."
"All right, so I'll stay in the car. Where's your back-up?"
"I'm not taking any."
"How can you not have back-up?"
"Look, back-up would be nice, but at the moment it's all being either interrogated or medicated. Got it?"
"Okay."
"You good?"
"Yeah."
"Good. We should go, wouldn't want to be late."
"Are you going to fill me in?"
"No." I say, blank-faced as we get up off of the cement. "Cool it. Of course I'll fill you in, still doesn't mean I have to like it." I say, giving a little chuckle at the big deer-in-the-headlights eyes he had for a second before he began glaring.
"You know, you shouldn't joke like that." He half growls.
""I know, I know. I just couldn't resist such an easy target." I say, unlocking the doors. "Hey,"
"What?" He snaps, and we both get in the car.
"I told you. I'm Kelly Tyler. Ask me something new." We buckle our seatbelts and I start the engine.
"What do you do?"
"Many things. Here, I was hired to steal some files. Medical, mostly." I say, as we pull out of the Genomex parking lot.
"So you're a thief."
"Not always. I'm also a member of the Massachusetts and Nevada state bar. I hold medical licenses in California, New York, and Wisconsin. Let's see, I also own four nightclubs and a bar, work with the Las Vegas crime lab, and a Los Angelus private investigation firm." I say, as I notice a cherry red Corvette convertible and two black Kias start to follow me. "Problem with any of that?"
"No, no. How do you travel so much? I mean, most of that runs on a fairly tight schedule."
"Special circumstances." I say, making a sharp left turn that forces him to lean closer to me.
""Okay." Adam says, as a button on my dash lights up and starts flashing.
"Hit that button flashing there for me, please?"
"Bet I'd beat you and your boy." A man's gravelly voice shouts challengingly over a speaker.
"First off; not a boy from my angle. Second; no, you wouldn't beat me driving a scientist's car."
"We'll see about that. Decker's?"
"Sure. Skip the steps and see ya there." I say, shifting gear and shutting off my intercom. "Mind turning on the radio?"
"A thief and a street racer." Adam says to himself, and I raise an eyebrow, giving him a quick glance so that he can see it. "Nice."
"Yeah right. That combo sounds like it kills more innocents in a week than"
"Heroin in two months." He offers.
"Well I don't. I haven't killed anyone in a long while and I intend to keep it that way."
"So you have killed before."
"Yes and no. I haven't killed anything that wasn't already dead in months, but I was talking about normal people a minute ago."
"What? How does that - "
"Might want to stop talking and brace yourself. I'll explain when there's less chance of vomit in my car." I say, as the Decker Parking Center comes into sight. "Finish line." I mutter.
I head right up the first ramp into the parking center and drive up a series of eleven ramps. I never slow as I approach the ramp to the deserted twelfth level, but instead ruin my momentum by spinning out.
"I'm never driving with you again." Adam says, after realizing just how close to the railing we had come to a stop.
"Who says you'll get the opportunity? We lost those black cars, though."
"Do we have to stay in here?"
"No, not at all. Want a Coke or something?"
"Do you have water?"
"Sure." I tell him as we get out of the car, him a little more hastily than I.
"Oh, that's better." He says, leaning on the outside of the car as I get into the cooler in my trunk.
"Hey, at least I'm a professional driver." I say, wringing out a wet washcloth. "Come on, follow the helpful things." He follows me as I take the two bottles of water and the washcloth over to the highest point of the structure. We each take a seat near the edge and I look back towards my car. One door is still open, so I push a button on my key chain as I hand Adam a bottle of water. "Hey, you okay? You look a little flushed."
"Yeah." He says quietly, looking out over the skyline.
"Look, I had a million opportunities to either kill you or let you die, and I didn't take them, not because you're just that cute, but because I don't kill people. So deal with my daring." I say quickly, using sarcasm to make my point.
"Believe it or not, I figured that out. I was just waiting for my hear and stomach to catch up, but I'm glad we've confirmed the fact that you're not going to kill me."
"Oh." Is all I can think to say. I squeeze some more water out of the washcloth and put it on the back of his neck.
"Thanks."
"Looks like my buddy with your car's going to be a while. Got any more questions?"
"What were you talking about when you said that you don't kill anything that isn't already dead?"
"That's a fairly strange answer, and I don't know that I should tell you. At least, not while you're still planning on going your separate way as soon as you get your car."
"How did you know what I was thinking?"
"That's uh. that's another complex answer. Look, I have my secrets, I'm sure you have yours, but I can't tell you anything until I at least think I can trust you."
"That almost made sense." He says, semi-thoughtfully. "Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
"Sure, I'm supposed to be free." I say, as my cell phone starts to vibrate. "Do you have somewhere that I could drop you off?" I ask, checking the text messages I was being sent.
"Well, isn't my car supposed to be here soon?"
"Was. Looks like my buddy with your car has had some trouble, and I've gotta be somewhere pretty much now-ish."
"Where?" Adam asks, his curiosity showing through as he removed the damp washcloth from the back of his neck.
"Dangerous places. You're not coming."
"I jumped out a seventh floor window today, mostly because you told me to. Why can't I join you?"
"First; you didn't jump, I pushed you. Second; you had a rope, it wasn't as if you had no safeties and it was you three hundredth and fifty first jump." I say distractedly, trying to send a text message on my cell. "Damn it."
"What's wrong?"
"My buddy's line is no more." I crack open my bottle of water and take a long gulp as I sit back, close my eyes, and think about my buddy the back- up.
"Genomex caught him?"
"Mm-hm. At a gas station."
"Aren't you going to go after him?"
"Maybe later. His life is not at stake, but several others are. Besides, we have an understanding between each other in case of exactly this kind of situation."
"So you're a telempath."
"Why does everyone always think that? It got me shot this afternoon."
"Tagged." He corrects me hesitantly.
"What?" I ask, my eyes snapping open.
"You weren't shot with a bullet, you were tagged with a tracer."
"Chemical or technological?" I ask, still fairly worried.
"Probably just a chip in the base of the dart."
"Oh. Anyway, where can I drop you?"
"I don't have anywhere Mason won't find me, really."
"And you'd pitch a fit if I dropped you at my secondary apartment, wouldn't you?" I say, talking mostly to myself.
"Well, I don't think I'd p - " Adam mutters quietly in argument.
"Fine. You'll come with me, but I'm locking you in the car." I say, not liking any of it one bit.
"But - "
"It's for your protection. The car is bullet proof. You aren't."
"All right, so I'll stay in the car. Where's your back-up?"
"I'm not taking any."
"How can you not have back-up?"
"Look, back-up would be nice, but at the moment it's all being either interrogated or medicated. Got it?"
"Okay."
"You good?"
"Yeah."
"Good. We should go, wouldn't want to be late."
"Are you going to fill me in?"
"No." I say, blank-faced as we get up off of the cement. "Cool it. Of course I'll fill you in, still doesn't mean I have to like it." I say, giving a little chuckle at the big deer-in-the-headlights eyes he had for a second before he began glaring.
"You know, you shouldn't joke like that." He half growls.
""I know, I know. I just couldn't resist such an easy target." I say, unlocking the doors. "Hey,"
"What?" He snaps, and we both get in the car.