Rusch, Kristine Kathryn - Diving Universe SS3 Read Online Free PDF Page A

of the caverns.
    Not that she knew for certain there were artifacts in that part of the caverns. Even though the guards had shown up, the special cave divers she'd sent for were delayed on another job.
    Someone touched her arm, and she jumped.
    She turned. Yusef stood next to her, his eyes twinkling.
    She had been so deep in thought, she hadn't even heard him approach.
    “What?” she asked.
    “The guards you hired,” he said, “they want to talk to you.”
    She suppressed a sigh. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to a group of guards.
    She hadn't given them much thought. She had asked the Scholars to hire some security guards and to make sure they weren't thugs. She didn't want careless people blundering their way through the delicate parts of the city.
    If she had been able to afford it, she would have hired them herself. But she'd had her hands full with hiring the cave divers. She didn't want the Scholars to know she had even found caves, until she knew exactly what those caves were and what treasures they contained.
    She sighed. She didn't want to deal with the guards, but she was clearly going to have to.
    “Where are they?” she asked.
    “He,” said a voice behind her. “And he's right here.”
    She turned. The man who stood behind her wasn't as large as she'd expected a guard to be. He was not much taller than she was, and his muscles looked real, not the enhanced kind that made a man seem like he had inserted cotton under his skin. The guard's hair was a little too long, and his dark eyes were wary.
    “I'm Meklos Verr,” he said. “I'm in charge of the security team.”
    She didn't have to ask where the rest of the team was. That was obvious. She had seen the automated tents blossom on the inside of the crater. They weren't too far from her initial base camp.
    “Gabrielle Reese,” she said. “I'm in charge of this mess.”
    He glanced at the entrance behind him. “It's much less of a mess than I expected.”
    “We've had years on the upper layer of the city, but there's so much more work to be done.”
    He nodded, then looked at Yusef. The look held dismissal, and just a little contempt. She put her hand on Yusef's arm. If she hadn't, he would have left without Meklos saying a word. That was power. Amazing that such a slight man in such an unimportant position had it.
    “I need to talk with you about the security arrangements,” Meklos said.
    She nodded, but didn't let go of Yusef's arm.
    “I think the fewer who are privy to them the better.” Meklos's tone made it sound like what he had just said was the opening salvo in a conversation, not a cue to dismiss Yusef.
    She had to give it a second of consideration. Normally, she would include Yusef in any conversation. But Yusef seemed to make the guard uncomfortable. It was just easier to do what the guard wanted. Then they could be done with this conversation.
    She let go of Yusef's arm. “It's all right. I'll join everyone for lunch in about an hour.”
    Yusef flushed. He gave Meklos a furtive glance, frowned, then scurried off.
    Gabrielle had never seen Yusef move like that.
    “You scared him,” she said in wonder.
    Meklos's eyes moved slightly. She had a feeling she had surprised him.
    “Very good,” he said. “Most people wouldn't have noticed.”
    “It was pretty obvious,” she said. “I've never seen him react like that.”
    “Hm,” Meklos said. It wasn't an answer. It wasn't even really a word. It was, however, a dismissal, as if her opinion didn't count for much.
    “Are you going to do that all the time?” she asked.
    “Scare your people?” he asked.
    She nodded.
    He shrugged. “Depends on if it's part of my job.”
    “Your job is to guard the dig,” she said.
    “That's what it said on the hire.” He shifted his weight slightly, without moving his feet. “But I'm not sure what that means. Or who I'm guarding it from.”
    She frowned. She hadn't expected to have to talk to him. She had expected him and his team to