Visha’s Antidote

“What an amazing story! I had speculated that you must have saved his life.”

“I would give my life for his if I could. Do I need to save him from you?”

Visha bolted out of her chair and paced the room. “Do I need to give this back to you?” She held out the pouch. “I have not taken it yet. I have kept your secrets from Dodge. I have bared my soul to you. I have told you everything I am and everything I know about Dodge. But you still do not believe me. What must I do to prove myself?”

“Do you know where Dodge is? Can you tell me how to find him?”

“No to both questions. When he wants me he sends for me.”

“What will he do when he realizes you have betrayed him?”

“He will get hold of me, try to make me tell him everything about you, and then kill me.”

“Have you endangered all of us by coming here?”

Visha stopped dead. She turned toward me, opened her mouth, shut it, and crumpled to the floor, knees hitting hard, hands lax on the carpet, eyes desolate.

“I have, haven’t I? It was such a clever plan I had, to pretend to Dodge that I was with Trevor. But he will know. Of course he will know. What am I to do?” She clutched the pouch. “If I take this, all of it, I can go to some alley and he will find me dead. He will never know I have been here, will he? He cannot know everything so quickly. Two or three hours. That’s all it has been. I just wanted to — I only thought — ”

She began to cry but made no sound. My side had begun to ache, but I got up and moved to stand over her. Once more I put a hand on her soft, shining black hair. She flinched a little but did not raise her eyes.

Still free for one more day. Currently #3 in SciFi Adventure in the Kindle Store. http://www.amazon.com/Dodge-Tobacconist-Alexander-Legacy-ebook/dp/B009NV1DMG