get to work the moment they arrived. Clearly the Scholars hadn't explained this job to them. Of course, how hard could a guard job be?
She mentally shrugged. People in Meklos's line of work were, by definition, not that bright. She's have to tell him what to do.
“All right,” she said. “You need to protect us from anyone who wants to see the city. At the moment, anyone can view the Spires—from a safe distance. We—”
“Which is?” he asked.
He had derailed her train of thought. “Excuse me?”
“What's the safe distance?”
She frowned at him. “You were told the distances when you arrived. The protected area begins at the base of the mountain. No one can climb it and no one can come near the Spires. They're fragile.”
“They don't look fragile,” he said. “Up close they look amazingly sturdy.”
“They're fragile,” she repeated. He was irritating her. She didn't like her statements questioned.
He opened his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “All right,” he said. “They're fragile.”
She crossed her arms.
“Go on,” he said.
She had lost her place. He had asked what the rules for protection were. She sighed deeply, then nodded once.
“No one comes up the mountainside without our permission. No one gets into the city without our permission.”
“Okay,” he said. “Got that. What else?”
“Soon we'll be taking some items from the city to another site for cleaning, grading, and inspection. We're going to need protection for those operations.”
“Another site,” he said. “On Amnthra?”
Her cheeks had grown warm. “Where that site is doesn't matter right now.”
“Oh, but it does,” he said. “Because if we're making a land trip, we'll need the right equipment. It'll probably take longer. If we're using some kind of jumper to get across the planet, then we'll need to know weight limits. We may need an extra jumper or two so that we have the correct amount of personnel and equipment going with the items. Honestly, the more I know, the better job I'll do.”
She didn't want him to know. She didn't want him in the middle of her work.
She would tell him details like that when the time came. Maybe by then, she would know how to control him. “We'll make the plans for item removal later,” she said. “It's not something we need to think about now.”
“Well,” he said. “We might want to, because if we require help or additional equipment—”
“I said, we don't need to think about it now.”
He stared at her for a moment. His entire expression had gone flat. “All right.”
“We're done now,” she snapped.
He shook his head just once. “I'm sorry, Ms. Reese—Dr. Reese? Gabrielle?”
“Dr. Reese,” she said, even though everyone on her team called her Gabrielle.
“Dr. Reese,” he said. “I still have a lot of questions.”
“I don't have time for them,” she said.
“Then who do I talk to? Because we're not starting work until these questions are answered.”
She bit her lower lip so hard she could taste blood, something she hadn't done in a long time. “I think you've forgotten, Meklos, that you work for me.”
“Actually, no, I don't, Dr. Reese.” His voice was calm. That galled her. While she was furious at him, he didn't seem to have any emotions concerning her at all. “If you check the agreement—”
“I didn't see the agreement. That's between you and Scholars.”
“It's about you and how our operations run,” he said. “Once security understands its job, we take precedence. If we tell you the area needs to be evacuated immediately, you evacuate immediately. If we tell you that we have proof someone is a threat, that someone—no matter how valuable they appear—will leave the premises. If you would like a copy of the agreement, I can have it sent directly to you. I'm not sure exactly where you'd like it—”
“I'll get a copy from the Scholars.” Her cheeks were hot now, and had to be bright red. There was no way to