Exposed by Francine Pascal

hours but in reality must have been mere moments, Skyler spoke again. “I see,” he said tersely. “Aha. Okay. Well, I suppose we’ll have to meet,” he said brusquely, the voice of authority. Gaia’s ears perked up.
Meet?
Another opportunity for her to do some recon. Another opportunity to follow and perhaps, with any luck, uncover. This was good. This was information she could use. This was an opportunity to take an active role in defeating Skyler at his own game—before he could bring her down.
    Another pause, then, “Right—Bowery and Bleecker. Northwest corner. Number 45 Bleecker, room 314.”
    Corner of Bowery and Bleecker
, Gaia repeated to herself, fishing a ratty-looking pencil from the depths of her messenger bag and hastily scribbling the address on the back of a gum wrapper she’d found.Sure, she had a photographic memory and all, but this was no time to take chances.
45. Nwst corner
.
    â€œOne-thirty. Not tomorrow. Day after. Right,” Skyler finished. Gaia dutifully jotted down the time. Her ballpoint pen cut waxy trails in the paper, but it worked. “I’ll be there,” Skyler promised his mystery contact.
    Gaia shivered.
So will I
, she promised silently.
So will I
.
    â€œYeah,” he said gruffly. “I heard you.” He paused, listening. “Back at the apartment. I promise,” he answered to an unknown query. Then, “She has no idea.”
    She has some idea, loser
, Gaia thought angrily.
And she’s gonna take you down, that’s for sure
. 45 Bleecker. That was easy. She’d be there. But for what? What was Skyler up to?
    As if in response, he spoke again. “Later. She’s at the apartment, waiting for me. But I’m gonna head to Queens for a while…. Easy, take the 1/9 down to Forty-second Street and switch over to the N/R.” Pause. “I know, I know, but I don’t think I’ll be able to get there faster. A cab will take too long. There’s always bridge and tunnel traffic. It’s no big.” He laughed shortly.
“Trust me
, she’ll stay put. Yes, even if I’m gone awhile. Trust me,” he insisted, “she won’t even blink.”
    Gaia heard a quick beep as his phone clicked off. Thinking fast, she dropped soundlessly to her kneesand then to her stomach. As she imagined that Skyler was dropping his phone back into his jacket pocket, she slid on her stomach underneath the Dumpster. That way he wouldn’t see her when he turned to leave the alleyway. Also, she could get up close and personal with the underside of the bin. Which was always a good time.
    Grimly determined, she breathed through her mouth and squirmed underneath the Sticky metal bin. It was a small price to pay, she reasoned, for getting to the bottom of Skyler’s bull.
    That, and getting even.
    GAIA STEPPED INTO SKYLER’S apartment and deposited her MetroCard—the one she’d used to jimmy his front lock open—on the kitchen counter. The front of her sweatshirt was caked with sticky Dumpster grime, and suspiciously tinted flecks of some unidentifiable substance clung to the tips of her ponytail. But at least her efforts hadn’t been in vain. She knew where Skyler was—that was to say, out somewhere in Queens—and that he wasn’t coming back until much later. She knew he thought that he could pretty much stay out as long as he needed to and that she’d basically be waiting for him whenever he returned.
    Ultimate Warriors He was sort of right.
    In two days she’d be at 45 Bleecker at Bowery, ears open, ready for some insight on just what the hell Skyler, his father, and God only knew who else were into. For that matter, if she really put her mind to it, she could even manage to squeeze in a long-overdue heart-to-heart with Jake before Skyler came home.
    And if she was really efficient and really, really careful, she could do some classic ransacking.
    She had