The Centurion's Woman

Chapter 7

THE OVERWHELMING STINK and noise of a city hit Alex like an ocean wave, rising up slowly and then engulfing her. She had to fight her initial reaction to go back to Verus's tent, back home, her revulsion making the final moments of the transition feel shaky. She clung to needing Mikey and the world around her solidified, the ground under her feet hardening as the air temperature dropped.

        Alex finally opened her eyes and looked around. She was in a perfect location. Holy shit, she thought, not quite believing her good luck at being in an alley between apartment buildings. The overhead light was out and there was a nearby clothes line with a seemingly forgotten load of laundry. Alex studied the alley, memorizing every detail, so that she could come straight to Verus's tent if required. She quickly grabbed a pair of cargo pants, a heavy pull-over shirt, and a hooded, wool sweater off the clothes line, making a mental note to leave money on her way out of town. She wasn't going to waste time returning what she'd taken.

        She crammed the stolen clothes into her satchel – best to not hang around to change – and started walking towards the loudest street noises. A line of dumpsters gave her enough cover to change clothes, her caligae and the way she had her hair the only odd things about her appearance now. The satchel just made her look like a 'yuppie', as her American clients would say. Alex transferred the aureus from her cloak to separate pockets in the pants, considered the oversized fit of the clothes for a second, then undid her hair and used the leather strip as a belt. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a dark window and realized she looked like her momma in the old photos from when she was working at the universities. That was good.

        Memorizing her route as she went, Alex went a few blocks and was relieved that few people took notice of her. She must be in a larger city where strangers were normal. In less than an hour she found a pawn broker, and after two hours had verified and hocked one of the aureus. When Alex wasn't able to produce any identification papers, the broker had wanted to call the police. Then Alex had asked for approximately half the resale value, seven thousand euro per the website he'd looked up the coin on, with just a receipt and no loan ticket. As there was nobody else in the shop, and he knew the safe combination, he'd agreed.

        The broker made a point of watching exactly where Alex stashed the money while fidgeting with his mobile phone, so she noted there was a seven-day shift roster beside the register and let him stand overly close for a moment. She hit him as hard as she needed to, knocking him unconscious, and dragged him to the storage cage in the back. Making sure there were no phones around him or on him, she took his wallet and keys, locked him in the cage, and then locked his items in the cash register.

        In less than a minute she found the manager's office and disconnected the security recorder. Alex set the recorder on one of the storage shelves with two other matching units, and switched one of the ticket number stickers to the recorder she'd just disconnected. She left the single coin she'd hocked beside the register key on the desk, on top of the store copy of her receipt, and locked the office door on her way out. She turned off the lights and switched the sign hanging on the door to 'Closed', smiling and nodding to the few people that wished her good evening as she pretended to lock the door.

        Needing a passport or a visa for a hotel, Alex stopped at a chain restaurant that usually hadn't made her feel too sick and felt sick by the time she was done eating anyway. She bought a pre-paid mobile phone from the first store she passed that sold them and then went looking for a church. Most didn't offer asylum, but some hosted shelters, and that would be safer – and warmer – than sleeping on the street. She got lucky was given good directions to a nearby shelter, and the shelter still had a couple open beds.

        A couple of well-meaning volunteers tried to start conversations with her, but she didn't engage and they wandered away with supportive smiles. Alex gave the few dried dates and nuts she'd packed to a little girl whose mom had a black eye, then gave the mom the biscuit, cheese, and other dried fruit. They didn't look like they'd had dinner and were both grateful as they went back to their cots. Still not sure what to say, Alex sat on her cot and dialed Mikey's mobile number. She shrugged to herself and tapped the green call button.