“So are you hurting now? Can you make the payments or are you lost without the government contracts?”
Charly’s jaw flexed. She avoided looking at Holly and said nothing. Then she began to inspect her fingernails.
Holly bit her lip, holding back the urge to start verbalizing all the stuff that finally made sense. Charly you’ve been pulling the tightwad business owner card because shit was really tight! Holly kept that to herself. Her friend was clearly embarrassed. And too proud to ask for help, and Holly didn’t need to make it worse by razzing her.
“Here’s my proposal.” Holly spoke quietly, not wishing to be a show-off to her friend, or embarrass her further. “I pay you half the amount you owe to the investor. Because the team is using half the facility. Is that enough to help?”
Charly gave a cursory nod, and turned her face halfway so that Holly could see the look on her face. “Thanks, Hol.”
“We can work out the details later. Just tell me when the next payment is due.”
“Sure thing.”
“So, you want some coffee?”
“Please.”
The brew had finished. Holly pulled the carafe out and filled a mug for Charly, then one for herself. They stood at the window overlooking the club and watched the waxing light coming in through the glass of the front doors as the eclipse waned.
“Kind of a downer start to a day,” Charly said.
“I can’t argue with that.” Holly held the mug in front of her face. Tendrils of steam rose like wisps rising from a mire. She inhaled the heat and sighed.
They finished their drinks in the quiet stillness that followed as the day proceeded. The tension seemed to ease out of Charly. Holly waited for Darius to show up to finalize plans for their move on the next fuel depot. She was still waiting two hours later, when Odeon and Shiro appeared for a morning drink.
“Hello lads and lasses—“ Shiro began, then stopped. “I thought Darius would be here. This is odd.” He went to the coffee maker and poured himself a small mug.
“He hasn’t come in yet,” Holly said. “I’ve been waiting for him all morning.”
“Maybe this morning’s eclipse frightened him off,” Odeon said. He’d positioned himself at the window that looked out on the street. “The wind and the chill were both reasons to stay home today.”
“Darius has never not come in. At least called if he was going to be later than usual,” Charly said, looking up from her v-screen. She was back at her desk and working on the club finances. Before the others showed up, she’d told Holly the amount of novas needed to make half the payment.
Holly stood up from where she’d been sitting at Darius’s desk and put the v-screen down she’d been using to research real estate. She’d tasked Dave with finding a place for the children to stay as they sorted out where their parents were, following what she hoped was a successful rescue. But as she waited for Darius to show up, she had to be doing something. And that was a part of the plan eating at her—how they would care for the kids.
“Has anyone tried to get Darius on the comms?”
The crew exchanged looks and shook their heads. Holly pulled out the small oval unit and punched in a number for Darius. No answer. She unmuted her mic and tried to hail him that way. Nothing.
She sat down again at his bay of screens and pulled up the program that acted as the hub for their comms system. Selecting Darius’s unit pulled up his last known location. His unit was currently off.
“He turned his comm unit off,” Holly said.
Odeon came to stand behind her and watch over her shoulder. “But his last known location looks like one of Darius’s favorite haunts. That is, I believe, ”
“Then he’s probably not dead in a gutter somewhere. Right?” Charly laughed.
Odeon echoed her laugh. “This is typical Darius. I am actually surprised you kept him docile this long.”
“Docile?” Holly laughed, rising. “You guys do your thing, heading out to find him.”
* * *
Odeon stubbornly followed her out of the Surge Club and down the street, heading for a bar she hadn’t had occasion to be in for a while.
“Shouldn’t you be doing other things? Playing music somewhere?” she asked, glancing sidelong at her friend.
“This is what I have to do today, Holly.”
She nodded and chose to walk in silence. The sidewalks were crowded with the lunchtime hordes. Food carts filled the nearby plaza and the odors wafted across the way and into their path. Holly’s stomach growled in response, but she didn’t have time to stop. If Darius had left the Echo Taproom, she wanted to find out as soon as possible. Knowing if something had happened to him suddenly seemed urgent. There had been too many occasions where the Shadow Coalition thugs had gotten ahead of them, or appeared out of nowhere in hopes of surprising them. Trusting her instincts had become important for her. Not trusting them usually led to a dangerous exchange where she was lucky to get out alive or only suffering minor wounds.
The winds had softened, but there was still an underlying chill in the air. Odeon had even taken to wearing a jacket over his usual shirt. He walked beside Holly, content with the quiet between them, using the Ousaba as a walking stick. Holly was used to his presence, and she enjoyed it, especially when the pressure to engage him left her and they simply were. He didn’t need her to perform or impress him, and she didn’t require that of him. They were friends and companions, and she had grown to trust him and his intentions considerably over the weeks they’d worked together.
He caught her glancing at him and grinned.
“What is it?”
“Nothing,” she answered quickly. “Are you worried about Darius?”
“No. He’s too clever to get caught or find himself in a situation he can’t get out of.”
“Then why are you coming with me?”
He cocked his head to one side. “That isn’t a fair question, Holly.”
“It isn’t?”
“You can also take care of yourself. But I don’t trust anyone else.”
“So it’s my safety. You’re my bodyguard?”
He used the Ousaba to stop someone from bumping into her as they broke sideways across the stream of people. The Constie who nearly crashed into Holly glared at Odeon, then moved around the staff and continued on.
“Not a bodyguard. But it is safer to travel in pairs.”
“So I’ve heard. Does that mean you’ll really start to accompany me everywhere I go?” She grinned as she said it, finding the idea of Odeon trying to stick with her as she went to bed and to the bathroom funny.
“Within reason. I believe as we continue to put pressure on the SC, they’re going to get more aggressive. I don’t want you to be caught off guard.”
She appreciated it. But it did make her feel like the weak member of the herd. At any minute a predator would jump out and snap her up into its jaws. “I think it can’t be that bad.” It was a lie. She didn’t believe that. But the sense that she required Odeon’s presence to stay safe was irritating her, despite how she appreciated that he was aware of her.
Would he do it for Shiro? Or Charly? Or just her.
“I agree. But to find out that it’s not that bad means more than I am willing to sacrifice.”
The Echo Taproom was near Meg’s condo. They reached the alley where its neon sign glowed from the shadows and turned down into it to approach the doors. Odeon made several good points, but Holly didn’t love the thought that it might mean that he didn’t think her capable of taking care of herself, spotting danger, and making good judgment calls. She was surprised to find that she bristled at this idea—Odeon not respecting her. It bothered her. She needed them all to respect her. But the urgency and importance of having Odeon’s respect made what she needed from the others fade into obscurity.
As she discovered this concern within herself, they reached the front doors of the taproom and pushed through them together, entering the soft blue light of the bar and s
he was forced to release the thoughts.
Lounge couches were positioned in front of low, sleek tables where people sat talking with drinks. Several of the tables were filled with people playing discreet games of dice or cards, ready to hide them if word came that an authority of some sort were coming.
“No drinks, right?” Holly said to Odeon as they strolled around the room, looking for Darius.
“I don’t need one,” Odeon said. “There he is.”
Holly followed the direction of her friend’s gaze and spotted Darius at a table, his driving cap tilted low over his eyes. He was wearing the clothes he’d been in the day before. “Has he been here all night?”
“I think the answer to that is yes, Holly.”
They zig-zagged around the tables and couches until they reached Darius. He didn’t look up when they arrived. Holly stood nearby, her arms crossed. Odeon wore a bemused expression as though he were familiar with this sort of behavior from Darius.
“You guys found me,” Darius said. “Yay.”
“Been on a bender, Darius?” Holly asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. The dice were hot. I couldn’t leave.”
“So you turned your phone and comms off?”
He shrugged, watching his opponent roll. “I haven’t had a decent break in a while. This seemed like a good time for one. Yeah?”
His attention was riveted on what was happening on the table. His eyes were puffy. His cheeks hung weakly off the bones.
“Breaks are good. No argument there,” Holly said. “In fact, I was just trying to get Odeon to take one. I just think, turning off communication. Not a good idea.”
“You were worried, Drake?” He sounded almost snide. Someone else was rolling and he put his knuckle in his mouth and bit it.
“Barely.” She said, hoping he’d catch the sarcasm.
“Too bad.” He said, absently.
Holly was starting to wonder if it had been a bad idea to look for him. He didn’t seem to care. And she was used to the ways of an addict. Darius seemed addicted. Pulling him out of the bender didn’t seem like something she wanted to do. He would blame her and it would always seem like she’d ruined his chances of winning. The thing that bothered her, and she could tell that the same thought had occurred to Odeon—Darius didn’t need the money. Unless he’d squandered everything he’d earned doing the crew’s work on gambling.
Holly looked at Odeon, wondering if he was going to say anything. He was, after all, Darius’s old friend. More than that, she suspected, though she’d never had it solidly confirmed. They’d been lovers, but that seemed to be in the past.
Odeon lifted one shoulder slightly, mimicking the shrug he’d picked up from humans.
“Darius seems fine. Shall we go, Odeon?”
That made Darius look at them. He glanced up at Holly, then Odeon.
“Thanks for the visit,” he said, his tone laced with sarcasm. That was another thing Holly expected from an addict—resentment for being caught in their indulgence. He switched his attention back to the game and scooped the black dice into his hands and began to shake them. He let them fly. Holly turned to go as they landed.
“Turn your phone on, please,” Odeon said, reaching down and touching his friend on the shoulder.
Holly wasn’t sure what happened. She only heard the accusation. She suspected it was Darius’s classic move—adjust the dice when his opponents were distracted. Odeon’s touch must have been the distraction. Owing to a number of factors—his dulled senses, exhaustion, perhaps a bit inebriated—Darius was caught in the act.
Suddenly he was sprinting past Holly, high-tailing it to the door. “Run!” He said as he brushed past her.
She cussed and followed, hoping that Odeon was right behind her. She didn’t have the chance to spare a glance behind her to see if he was.
7
They made it out to the main thoroughfare without being caught. Darius stopped before merging with the foot-traffic and glanced back at Holly. She stopped as well and checked over her shoulder just as Odeon bumped into her. He caught her before she could topple to the ground—he was surprisingly strong for such a lithe figure.
“I’m not loving these flashbacks to our first meeting, Darius,” Holly said, her heart pounding. “Thanks, Odeon.”
Shouts came from behind them, which made Darius cuss and start running again.
“Did you take the money?” Holly called as she followed him. She heard Odeon behind her as they wove in and out of the crowds.
“Of course I goddamn did. It’s mine!”
“You cheated,” Holly huffed.
“No way. Not once,” Darius cried over his shoulder. “Well, not once till you showed up. Then I had a chance to change the roll. I took it. Small mistake.”
“Well now they think you cheated the whole time,” Odeon said. He was barely winded. Holly found that completely unfair. Every time.
“Just follow me, guys, I can get us out of this,” Darius said, turning into an alley that opened into a vast market.
“You better. It was you who got us into it.”
“Thanks for the reminder,” Darius said. “I haven’t gotten you into anything for a while. In fact, I’ve been saving everyone’s asses, repeatedly. It’s my turn to get into hot water. I’ve missed this!” He shouted, laughing as he cut right suddenly between two bright red tents and popped the door open that led into the kitchen of a restaurant. People spun around to see who had stormed into their kitchen. A Constie shouted a string of obscenities at them, waving a massive knife designed to chop a giant melon from the Constie homeworld.
Holly dodged the knife-wielding Constie, holding her breath as she did, and then caught sight of Odeon using his Ousaba to sweep the Constie’s legs out from under him. The three of them burst from the kitchen and headed through the dining room, to the shock of the guests, who paused in what they were doing to look up and watch them weaving around tables and chairs and Late Era Constie decor—vases as tall as Odeon and tiny trees dangling from the ceiling. Holly caught sight of someone’s plate—the dish looked delicious.
“What is this place? Have you guys eaten here?” Holly shouted as they hurried to the front doors of the joint.
“No, Drake, I haven’t,” Darius said, laughing.
“Odeon?”
“Neither have I.”
“How’s the food?” Holly called to the guests, who stared at them, their mouths gaping. “I think they’re speechless, because the food is so good.”
They tumbled out the front doors into the street and Darius turned left, backtracking toward the Echo Taproom.
“Where are you going?” Holly asked, confused.
“God I’ve missed this!” Darius answered. “And just trust me. It’s like my blood is pumping again. This way.”
They wove against the foot traffic heading towards them, enduring scowls and the bodies of pedestrians who grew irritable that they suddenly had to pay attention to where they were walking because there was someone going in the wrong direction. Holly kept close behind Darius so that they were single file, while Odeon stuck close to Holly. She could feel his fingertips on the small of her back, pressed softly against her body next to her aether gun.
“Why not cross to the other side of the street?” Holly asked, ducking out of the way of a tall Centau carrying a potted house-plant.
“Would take too long,” Darius shot back at her.
She cussed, but saved her breath for the rest of the chase. She began to think they’d outrun their pursuers and wondered about stopping or slowing down, but Darius kept them at a quick trot. His height and long legs meant that Holly had to work harder to keep up with him.
“What do you think? Have we lost them?” Darius asked over his shoulder.
“Odeon? Can you tell?”
There was a pause of silence from Odeon aside from the noise of the crowd and the vehicles passing by. Then he answered, “They don’t seem to be following us.”
“Great,�
� Darius said, slowing down immediately. He kept moving in the same direction. And they’d almost reached the alley where the Echo Taproom was located. Darius moved to the sidewalk closest to the wall to avoid the crowds coming towards them.
“Shit,” Darius said suddenly, and stopped.
As Holly came up beside him, she saw what he was cursing about. Two of the other gamblers were milling about in the alley, as though waiting for Darius to come back. Just as Holly saw them, they looked up and caught sight of Darius. They were only ten feet away and leapt after Darius, both of them catching him by the arms.
“Hey guys, come on, that was just one time and you caught me. The rest of the session I didn’t cheat once.”
“We want our money back, Darius.”
One of them held Darius’s arms from behind him while the other began slugging him in the gut.
Holly shouted at them, and kicked the one holding Darius in the leg, and then suddenly Odeon was there, whipping his Ousaba club in quick, precise strikes. First he took out the one holding Darius with two hard swings to the thighs, followed by a cracking blow to the shoulder where it joined the neck. The Constie released Darius and fell to his knees, crying out. Darius was still doubled over from being hit repeatedly in the gut. Meanwhile, the other grudge-holding gambler saw Odeon coming after him and turned and bolted, disappearing into the crowd of pedestrians.
“Let’s go, Darius. Can you walk?” Holly asked, helping him into a standing position. “We need to get out of here. Before the others come back.” He still hadn’t recovered his breath enough to speak, but he could hobble away from the alley, and so he did.
“Follow me, Holly. I know where to go.”
So Holly draped Darius’s arm across her shoulders and helped him follow Odeon back into the crowds, leaving the hurt gambler behind. He’d be fine, Holly figured. Besides, if he didn’t want to get hurt, he shouldn’t start fights.
The Colossus Collection : A Space Opera Adventure (Books 1-7 + Bonus Material) Page 54