“How much is he paying you?” she asked, curious.

“Nothing.”

She stared at him disbelievingly. “Are you going to give me all that crap I heard from Silent Annie about what a great man he is?”

“I don’t know if he’s a great man,” said Cain slowly. “But he’s a good man—better than I’ll ever be, anyway. And he’s working for a good cause.”

“He’s a goddamned outlaw.”

“He’s a good man,” repeated Cain. “And I’m not going to let him be killed.”

“I seem to remember that we made a deal back on Pegasus,” said Virtue.

“You broke it when you joined the Angel.”

“Didn’t you get Terwilliger’s message?”

Cain nodded. “Was it sent before or after ManMountain Bates killed him?” he asked sardonically.

She glared at him. “It was the truth!”

“Then why are you running the Angel’s errands?” he shot back.

“Because he got Dimitri Sokol to take the hit off me,” she replied.

“And when do you stop working for him? When he kills Santiago?”

“He’s just going to talk to him.”

“That’s a bunch of shit and you know it,” said Cain. “This thing’s got trap written all over it.”

“What difference does it make?” demanded Virtue defiantly. “I’ve got a story to get, and you’ve sold out to the enemy. If I can’t get an interview, I’ll cover his death.”

“The enemy isn’t Santiago,” said Cain. “It’s the Angel.”

“The Angel is a bounty hunter who’s working within the Democracy’s law. Santiago is a criminal who’s broken it time and again.”

“It’s not that simple,” said Cain.

“It’s precisely that simple,” she said triumphantly. “You’ve joined a gang of killers and bandits, and you’re castigating me for working with the man who’s trying to bring their leader to justice.”

“You never gave a damn about justice in your life!” snarled Cain. “All you care about is your goddamned story and what you think it will do for you.”

“Don’t you go getting high and mighty with me, Cain!” she snapped back at him. “I know how many men you’ve killed—and not just as a bounty hunter, either. There’s still a price on your head back on Sylaria.” She paused to catch her breath. “We both set out to find Santiago. You were going to kill him, and I was going to get my story. It’s hardly my fault that you’ve forgotten what you’re supposed to be doing here!”

“I’ll give you a story to take home with you,” he said savagely. “You can cover the death of the Angel.”

She glared at him, and then her expression changed as all the rage seemed to drain from her.

“You can’t kill him,” she said, shaking her head slowly. “Don’t throw your life away trying.”