Yes, at times I did provide new lives to those who could afford them, even when they didn’t deserve them. Most of the time though, I focused on ridding the world of hekha, of tyrants, and of those who lived one life too many.

  ~Gregorios

  As the plane made its final approach for landing, Sarah forced her worries aside. She would enjoy herself, she’d secure the meeting with Eirene, and she’d keep an open mind about Tomas.

  New Orleans airport was strangely empty when Sarah stepped off the plane, full of nervous excitement. With her new Adaptive Wardrobe in her inventory and filled with her entire collection, she could travel light. She’d still brought a couple changes of clothes, along with her swimsuit. Maybe the inventory would unlock an endless make-up and bathroom bag option too.

  She loved the new inventory, but wanted a few things on hand, just in case. Still, she only had a roller bag and a small duffel that also held her purse. She smiled at the memory of testing the Adaptive Wardrobe with her bags and purses. Worked like a charm, and whenever she swapped bags, all the contents of her current bag were auto-swapped into her new bag. As advertised, it made changing entire outfits a breeze.

  After exiting the secure area, she descended an escalator toward parking. At the bottom of the escalator was a tall statue of Louis Armstrong, the famous jazz musician, blowing his trumpet. As she passed, she realized his face looked strange. It didn’t fit right.

  She stopped to look closer, wondering if maybe she was just obsessing a bit, projecting her worries. No, the statue’s face was just odd.

  “Sarah!”

  She turned to find Tomas jogging toward her, and rushed to give him a hug.

  “Welcome to New Orleans,” he said grandly and gave her a peck on the cheek.

  What was that supposed to mean? No attempt to steal a real kiss, and his hug was more like a brother’s than a hopeful boyfriend. He needed to up his game.

  “What’s with no people around here?” Sarah asked. “I thought this place would be packed.”

  He shrugged as he took her roller bag. “No matter how busy it gets here, it always feels kind of empty. Not the strangest thing about New Orleans.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Wait till we get into the city.”

  He led the way toward the exit, but did not take her hand. Sarah studied him as they headed for the short-term parking garage. He looked happy, but was he happy to see her, or just having a good day?

  Although still not yet noon, it was already hot and humid. She was glad she’d worn warm-weather clothes on the plane. Swapping ensembles mid-stride would draw way too much attention.

  They climbed into his Honda Accord, and although he held the door for her, he made no other advances. That look they’d shared in the restaurant had not been a lie. She knew it, and he knew she knew it. Why play things so distant?

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  As they headed for the parking lot exit, Sarah caught another glimpse of the man with the mis-matched face from the airplane. He was hurrying across the parking lot toward a nearby row of cars and vans, and he glanced several times in her direction.

  Poor guy. She hoped he’d let the past go.

  Tomas paid the parking fee and took the long ramp that arced high over several buildings toward the highway. He looked relaxed, and when he glanced at her, their eyes met and he smiled.

  She felt comfortable in his presence. That was a good sign. No hint of danger. Just that good-hearted dependability that he’d exhibited in Alterego.

  Traffic picked up as he accelerated onto Highway 10, heading east toward the city, but he merged without any trouble. She asked, “So I’m here. Tell me about the plan.”

  He grinned. “We have a lot of ground to cover. One day is not nearly enough to explore New Orleans.”

  “We only get a single day here? There’s a lot I want to see.”

  He shrugged. “More than you want to see Rome?”

  “Rome!” Sarah laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  “I take it you’re pleased.” He glanced in the rear-view mirror.

  “I’ve always wanted to go to Rome.” She squeezed his hand and relaxed more. Now that was an impressive surprise.

  She had wanted to travel for a long time, but had not managed to get away much in the past couple of years. She was leaving Alterego a wealthy woman and could go anywhere. Rome would be the perfect place to start and to get away from all the media attention.

  “So what do you have planned for tonight?”

  “We’re going to the French Quarter.”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  “It’ll be great. I guarantee it.”

  She stared past him at glimpses of the huge Lake Pontchartrain north of the highway. This vacation definitely had possibilities. Now she just had to get that meeting with Eirene set up and survive the difficult resulting conversation.

  Tomas glanced in the rear-view mirror again and frowned. “I hate to sound like a bad TV show, but we’ve got company.”

  Sarah scanned the traffic behind them, expecting to see a news van. Leave it to the media to interrupt her vacation, but there were no news vehicles anywhere in sight.

  Tomas said with a tone of disgust. “They’re even driving a white van with tinted windows. How cliche can they be?”

  She spotted the van coming up in the left lane, but it didn’t look remarkable. “I don’t understand.”

  Tomas changed to the far right lane and accelerated. “Either they’re following you to settle scores from Alterego, or they’re following me. That would be . . . bad.”

  “Like another hit squad?” She asked, worry spiking, but also mixed with a surprising thrill. Not helpful.

  “Maybe. I tried to minimize everything you did, but Mai Luan knows, and you’ve made enough of a splash in the past couple days that you may have drawn attention from other players who might want you gone.”

  “If they try to mess with our vacation, they’re going to regret it,” she growled.

  Tomas laughed. “You’re taking the news better than most people would.”

  She shrugged and managed a smile, trying to conceal the growing feeling of excitement at the thought of pitting herself against bad people again. She’d grown strong and her path had pushed her to the limits, forcing her to master what her newly-enhanced body could do. She found it harder to feel fear.

  That didn’t mean she was stupid. Someone blasting her in the face with a gun would still probably kill her. She watched the white van for a couple minutes as they passed the Metairie suburbs, but nothing looked suspicious.

  Could Tomas be making the whole thing up? They had become close through a time of conflict and danger. Did he think he needed to manufacture more of that to keep her around? Could he be that insecure?

  Tomas looked calm, but alert, not freaked out by the thought of someone following them. She couldn’t believe he’d resort to such a cheap trick.

  “Is this some kind of joke?” she asked, just to test his reaction.

  Just then, the van accelerated and swerved into the middle lane to come up beside them. The side door slid open to reveal the same man from the plane, secured in place with a harness, and wielding a military style rifle. It looked like one of those AK-47 rifles the terrorists always carried.

  The man leaned forward and fired.