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chip and flicked it into the air with his thumb. She kept her eyes on him as it flipped up into the air, stopped, and tumbled back down into his waiting palm.
    “Nothing.”
    “Damn.” He spun the chip in his hand. “I thought I’d got rich.”
    “I’ve seen people carrying chips like that before. It’s not for betting. It’s a token. There’s some sort of private elevator that goes somewhere else in the tower. Like a private member’s club.”
    “Huh. Then I guess that means I’m now a member.”
    Meryl rested her chin in her palm and studied him. Her eyes were long and narrow, the irises so dark they were nearly black. He decided her ears were her best feature on a body full of good features. He couldn’t say he’d ever really paid that much attention to a woman’s ears before, but there was something about these ones. They were perfect.
    She lowered her voice almost to a whisper. “Can I ask you something? How did you get that chip?”
    He broke her gaze and took another long sip of beer. He was nearly finished and he could still feel the frayed ends of his nerves brushing his mind.
    “Sorry,” she said. “I shouldn’t have asked that, should I?”
    “You can ask what you like.”
    “I’ll ask something else then. You don’t look much like a tourist. And you’re not a local. So why are you on Temperance? What do you do?”
    “I’m a writer.”
    Her eyes lit up. “A writer with a gun.”
    “I’m not a very good writer. If someone tries to bump me off to get back at me for my lousy stories, I need to be able to defend myself.”
    “I can’t tell if you’re joking.”
    “I get that a lot,” he said.
    “What do you write about?”
    “People at the end of their rope.”
    Her eyes danced at that. “True stories?”
    “Depends on your definition. They’re not always factual. But they’re all true.”
    “Tell me the names of your books. I might know them.”
    “I doubt it.”
    “Try me.”
    “ The Reaper’s Last Mark . No, no one read that. The House of Man Was Built with Bones was the last one.”
    She tapped a finger against her lips. “You know, that rings a bell. It’s one of the dimes, right? Those aren’t the full titles. You always have two titles. Like: The House of Man Was Built with Bones; or, The Fires of New Calypso .”
    “Looks like I was mistaken. I apologise for doubting you.”
    “Don’t act like you’re not pleased with yourself. I can see you trying to hide it.”
    “Maybe I’m a little pleased.”
    “I always wondered,” she said. “Why the two titles?”
    “I can never get it right the first time.”
    He drained the last of his beer and tossed a few of the dead kid’s notes on the counter.
    “You’re going?” Meryl asked.
    “Places to be.” He slipped the silver chip into his pocket.
    She bit her lip with calculated precision. “If you have an hour to spare, perhaps we could spend a little more time together.”
    “What did you have in mind?”
    “I have a room.” She paused. “Why are you smiling?”
    He checked the time on his tab. “This city. Nowhere else in the system can a man get so much excitement within a couple of hours of leaving his ship.”
    “It’s because everyone is here for the same thing,” she said. “I’m staying for a week. I’m planning to spend the days at the casinos and the nights visiting the brothels. The male prostitutes on Temperance are all hand-picked from across the system.”
    “You’re liable to break something if you don’t pace yourself with all that,” Eddie said.
    She smiled. “I thought maybe you could help me warm up.”
    He grinned back and shook his head. “This city. Christ, I’m going to miss it when it’s gone. Thanks for the tip about the chip.” He slipped a 1000 vin bill across to her. “Your next drink’s on me.”
    “Are you sure you wouldn’t rather drink it with me? Last chance.”
    He stood and waved. “Make sure you stretch before you hit those brothels. Maybe I’ll