uely

estate. Heavy oak bookshelves stretched from floor to ceiling, lined with framed ph

ite, but her dark eyes were as sharp as surgical steel. Standing by the rain-streaked window wa

stopping three paces back, and lowered my

her. Go

ather armchair opposite her with

about the noise down a

exhaling a long plume of blue smok

llary," Alva said, his voice deep and raspy. "Yo

ir, my hands resting flat on

ding her?" I

k his hea

gets out that one of our front-line medical units was pumping illegal neuro-stimulants in

e old man's eyes

condition. Total, unconditional severance from the Reilly charter, rati

t nod, a faint glimmer

head toward Alva. "Have the papers drawn up

h from his cigar i

e stripped of all front-line privileges. The Church will vote on her

overed for her. He knew what was in

his VP nomination. He will not stand for Vice Presiden

wanted, but it tore her claws out of the central terr

the leather folder beside her wh

. From that moment, your Old Lady claim to Jamir Reilly is broken. You owe him nothing. B

s stay off the board, I save the Iron Skul

tter get mov

ld be broken. Officially. Irrevocab

through the heavy double doo

p truck skidded to a halt near the gate. He threw his door open and stumbled

grabbing my left wris

e council dispatch just issue a transfer ord

nst his thumb, breaking his gri

ero. Ask her what she pu

ed your old connections to screw her over! You're jealous because she took

man had become completely blind, poisoned

amir," I said coldly. "The Church voted. You'

council desk right now! I'll surrender all my front-line combat credits from the la

otpeg, turned my head, and looke

s future Vice President for a fraud

ust roar drowning out his curses, and

the hidden bay of my private rent

ellite terminal. A secure message popped up from a border contact, confirmi

pted satellite phone beside the m

a sequence of scramble

button and brought t

pe

renaline. It was the road captain of the Iron Skulls. "Our President's condition just crashed. The scarlet n

e steel shelf, zipped my sterile field jacke

prep four units of whole blood," I