Chapter 109

"That's a far deductive leap for you to take," she said, voice frosty and giving nothing away. "Is it perhaps that you knew before you even asked me that? Or maybe I'm only letting you think the situation is so. You can know nothing for certain."

The man chuckled. "You remind me of someone else I know, with that sharpness. Except you're even thornier if that can be believed. But make no mistake, it's a valuable quality to be so cautious. I respect and appreciate it. Then how about this? You can simply keep me captive here for as long as it takes to prove myself useful."

"Useful? So you think you can do something about the situation, if there is a situation? Strange. Very presumptive of your value."

"That's fair. Then here's a concession. If I can't be actively useful to you, you can keep me captive to make sure any intelligence I gather fails to make it back to whoever might have tasked me to come here. Is that a fair deal?"

"You make it sound like there was going to be a choice at al