Dreams in the Tower Part 1 by Andrew Vrana Read Free Book Online

They were getting money, just like always, but they were operating strictly as a business, chasing a profit rather than taxpayer satisfaction. The proper definition of justice only mattered to them if it mattered to Silte Corp.
    And then there was this Houston Warehouse report. Curious about Delaney’s comment, she had Googled it, without much success. She had found some reactions to the report in var ious seedy forums (lots of faceless repliers claimed to have “lost faith in humanity”), but direct information about it was strangely absent. She had thought about searching the Guardian files, just as Delaney had suggested, but paperwork had come up, pushing it from her mind.
    Do I really want to see what’s there? All she could see happening, if there was really anything to it, was disillusionment, meaningless worry—it could even make her hate Guardian. She didn’t want that.
    “I finished the Delaney report,” Erris said as she sauntered into the break room and took a seat on the couch beside Sabrina. In a breach of office formality she had unbuttoned her shirt so that a full two inches of cleavage was visible. “Finally. So you want to close the book on him?”
    “For now.” There was no way Jason Delaney had been entirely truthful before. He wasn’t a top priority, but Silte’s Crisis Procedure might undermine that fact. “I have a feeling we’ll see him again.”
    Erris made a childlike face of mock-disgust. “Do we have to stay in this shitty old building until then?”
    “No, we’re leaving after tomorrow to go back to the San Francisco office.”
    That wiped the looked off Erris’s face, to be replaced by genuine confusion. “We just got here today,” she said.
    “Yes,” Sabrina said, “and we’re finished here. The lieutenant wants us up there, to be in the action. There’s not as much as we expected going on in San Jose; I guess all the bigger stuff is up around the bay. Anyway, Washington’s there. We still need to close that case, bring her in, get some names if we can. It will be easier if we don’t have to drive her all the way here.”
    “I wish the captain would make up his mind,” Erris whined. “They made us stay in a hotel and everything.” The higher-ups had paid for a block of rooms at the Fairmont to keep all officers deployed in San Jose in a central location, even those who lived in the city. “It was supposed to be all romantic and stuff,” Erris said, stretching an arm around Sabrina’s shoulders.
    Leaning in, she pulled Sabrina closer to her. The warmth of her breath was hot on Sabrina’s neck as she said, “Hey, we’re both done with our work early for once.” She leaned in and kissed Sabrina, slipping her tongue in subtly as she slowly stroked a hand along her thigh.
    “ No . God, Erris, not here,” Sabrina pulled away and put some distance between them on the couch.
    “Why not?” Erris said. “Door: lock.” She looked over at the door when nothing happened. “See?” she cried. “ Nothing in this place is voice-controlled. Here, I’ll lock it manually.”
    “No.” Sabrina stood up.
    “What are you so worried about?”
    She could be so difficult—so clueless—sometimes. “There are probably cameras all over this room.”
    Erris laughed, a high mirthful sound. “There are cameras in every room we’ve ever worked in. Somebody somewhere out there has some pretty hot stuff of us already. What’s the problem?”
    “It’s just…” Sabrina shifted, uncomfortable. “Look, I still have some work to do here. We’re opening our major investigation on the Bay Area Anti-Corp leaders.” She turned to leave, but Erris called her back.
    “What is it?” Erris asked. “What’s going on?”
    “I think I’m going to look up that Houston Warehouse file.”
    “You actually believe that guy?” Erris was incredulous.
    Sweet, naïve Erris. She was still ready to believe that she was on the right side simply because it was the side she was on. Sabrina