seconds.”
“What is your last name, Sam?”
“I’m just Sam, short for Sam.”
“When you walked into the club you were Will or something, weren’t you?”
“And this place is class and PE. PE is short for physical education. You had PE in high school, didn’t you?”
Now Grady looked truly uncertain.
“You have a cell phone. Give it to me.”
“No way.”
Sam looked at her defiant eyes. “Either give me the phone or I take you back and your best chance to change your life is gone.”
He could see the hesitation, but in that instant he knew she wanted to stay. She looked to Jill, who stood by quietly and nodded almost imperceptibly.
Grady handed him the phone. Then she took out a cigarette.
“No way,” Sam said and snatched it from her lips.
“Who do you think you are?” Grady shouted as he emptied her purse on the table. Anything that could hold cocaine, including her cocaine holder, went, along with her cigarettes.
“Soon you’ll have an investment in your body and you’ll feel the same way I do. This morning when you got up and looked in the mirror you were convinced that you weren’t much. So you and I nearly agree on something.”
“Go to hell. What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow.”
“When do I get my phone back?”
“Whenever you want it, you just tell me that you give up.”
“Bastard.”
“You and your aunt share something anyway.”
Sam left so that Grady could begin class; he called Anna. “I’ve met Grady. She’s agreed to start a program. Which is a big deal. But of course it can go bad at any time. We had the little conflict of wills and she decided to stay.”
“Well, hello to you too. It was nice of you to call me, what with your busy schedule. Now what are you doing with Grady?”
“I have a counselor, Spring, and a trainer, Jill, and they will work on her body and mind.”
“Where is she now?”
“A beach house.”
“How long will this last?”
“We shouldn’t leave her at the beach house very long. Three or four days and we move her. Chellis and company are in all likelihood keeping tabs on her because if she ever gets on your side, your chances of getting a court order and custody of Jason increase-even in France. They’re liable to do something when they discover she’s gone.”
“You think they’ll know?”
“We have to assume they will.”
“Where will she go next?”
“The mountains, where nobody can find her.”
“Are these the mountains of your tribe?”
“My family?”
“Yeah.”
“Your contract will specify that I don’t reveal information about myself or my family.”
“I want to go with you when you take her.”
“Why?”
“She’s my niece.”
“I don’t believe that’s the reason.”
“It’s a good enough reason.”
“You’re in New York.”
“So I’ll come early.”
Sam disconnected. There’d be time enough to argue later.
Anna organized her day, first in her mind, then on a list. She made lists but never referred to them because she had exceptional recall for any writing whether a movie script or a grocery list. First on the list was to try Jason’s satellite phone. She had no idea what to expect.
“Hello, sis,” he said.
“Jason.” She was elated. “How are you?”
“Just fine. Holding them off. Crackin’ the whackers.”
“And what are the whackers these days?”
“Modeling a mind.”
“Sounds good.” She realized she’d had no idea what to say if she got hold of him.
“Did you know that at birth the brain has a hundred billion neuron cells? Each neuron is connected to ten thousand or fifteen thousand other neurons for incoming signals. Your brain, Anna, may just be the most complex thing in the universe. And here I am, thinking I’m the guy to unravel it. Ha! Me, a guy who spends his days fending off Nannites. I can see why they live in the DNA, though… Are you there?”
“I’m listening.”
“Right now I’m dealing with electrons, photons, and morons. The morons are the most difficult.”
“Chellis’s people?”
“Tell them that silicon is crap. Carbon atoms would be much better until we get a handle on a quantum computer. This carbon is molecular-level stuff. Then again, the Nannites may not want us cracking every riddle, depriving the universe of its mysteries. Quirky buggers, them. Quarky, for that matter-”
“Jason?”
“What?”
“I need to ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Did you shoot your rocket launcher at a boat the other night?”
“Roberto wasn’t really clear on that. He told me it was a Nannite ship, but that was just to humor me. I did it for the tension release. It was a good-looking tub for a derelict. I told Roberto what he wanted to hear about blowing up the Nannites. You know, ho, ho, ho. They patronize me constantly.”
“Did you also shoot a cabin?”
“Cabin? Uh-uh.”
“The cabin on Sonoma Island.”
“Nope. Cabins were never on the menu.” Jason paused and she could hear whispers. “Here, Roberto wants to talk.”
“Hello? Anna?” Roberto said. “How are you?”
“Just fine. I was enjoying my talk with Jason.”
“I’ll put him right back on. We are still, you know, concerned about the mix-up. Especially about your friend. If he’s going to report Jason, then we should-”
“He’s not reporting anybody. Our only concern at this point is Jason and his welfare. I’d like to speak with him again, if you don’t mind.”
“Ah, well, I see that he’s wandered off to his workroom. You know how that goes. Call back about noon. He takes his midday break like clockwork.”
She was about to insist he put Jason on when the doorbell rang. Genevieve checked the video screen and inquired about the visitor.
“There’s a gentleman here to see you. His name is Shohei. He says he was sent by Sam of the
