by Cherie Marks
And another truth occurred. If he’d wanted to take her down yesterday, she would’ve been the one on the ground. He’d held back, and the thought of round two with a seasoned opponent thrilled her. She wouldn’t be able to control this male as easily as the others she’d come across.
“I don’t need to hide her here forever. Once we have what we came here for, we’ll find our inside contact and get off this planet.”
“You have a way out of the Complex?”
“Yeah, I don’t get into anything I can’t get out of.” An escape route. She knew exactly what he meant.
Don’t look now, but she was falling in love again…or at least…she didn’t hate him so much anymore. If he could get her out of here, she wouldn’t need to finish the job she was supposedly working. She still didn’t know why she would’ve agreed to a job like this anyway. She thought she was smarter than to accept a job in a place that she couldn’t just walk away from if things got too rough. Or if the item to be retrieved wasn’t worth the effort of finding it.
“So, if I help you retrieve your sister, can you take me off the planet with you?”
He stared at her for a long moment before curling his lip and asking, “Sure you want help from a Meta?”
“I told you, it’s not like that. I work for Metas all the time. I’m just choosy about all people with which I associate—Human and Meta alike.”
His golden eyes speared her with a heat she felt clear to her toes. “As you well know, associating with the likes of me isn’t recommended, but if you’re willing to take the chance, I’ll work it out. My sister for your freedom.”
He stuck his hand out, reminding Zaira of an old Human custom. One where two people grabbed hands and shook, physically solidifying their connection. After only a moment’s hesitation, she grasped his hand but regretted it immediately.
Tingles shot up her arm, and the breath left her lungs. Her heart raced, and her blood warmed in every part of her body. From the look in his widened eyes, he hadn’t been immune to their touch either.
His deep voice rasped, “What the…?”
She pulled her hand away quickly, barely suppressing the urge to wipe it on her leg, as if she could dust away the intense reaction one touch had caused in her. Instead, she stared at him, trying to figure out where the lightning strike had come from.
Finally, he cleared his throat and said, “You look tired. Get some rest tonight, and we’ll meet back up tomorrow.”
Tired didn’t even begin to describe her right now, so she didn’t get the least offended by his words. She couldn’t imagine what she looked like honestly. All she could do was nod as he took her electronic reader and programmed his number into it. He then programmed hers into his as well. He held it out to her, but as she took it, he held it a bit longer, a question in his eyes.
With a slow shake of his head, he seemed to decide something as he let her pull her reader to her, and he took a step back.
“I’ll contact you tomorrow. I need you to be on your game. It won’t be easy getting my sister out, but it has to happen and very soon.”
She watched him walk away and wondered where he was going. Assuming he lived in the same building as her, he was walking away from his apartment. Of course, she knew he was nocturnal. Two years was a long time for life to change. For all she knew, he was going to meet up with his girlfriend, or even wife.
In reality, he could be going to meet up with some crazy band of criminals to which he belonged. She really had no idea, and the more she thought about it, the more she worried she might have just made a deal with the devil.
Then, she reminded herself that she’d always had an intuition about people, and it hadn’t steered her wrong yet. And right now her intuition said, despite their past, she could trust him to get her off this planet, which was her current greatest desire. So, for now, until she got a different kind of vibe, she’d follow along and retrieve his sister and help herself in the process. She’d just need to be on guard for any inevitable danger that might be thrown her way and to protect her heart form the damage she knew he was capable of inflicting.
With a new resolve, she headed back toward her apartment, but the minute she walked inside, she slowed at the sight of a young Human woman sobbing in the hallway. Normally, Zaira wouldn’t get involved, but something about the woman made her pause and take note of the situation. The girl had smooth, mocha skin and white hair. The look was so distinctive that Zaira stared openly and recognized a younger version of Selky. How was that possible?
When she looked up and met Zaira’s gaze, her bright, shiny eyes were almost identical to the mentor she’d walked away from just a short time ago. Yet, this woman couldn’t be more than twenty-five or so, only a few years younger than Zaira even. Could this be a relative of Selky’s?
“Seen enough? What’s your problem, bitch?” Yep! Had to be a related to Selky.
Rather than getting offended, Zaira stepped closer, curious as to who this person actually was. “You okay?”
At Zaira’s words, the girl covered her face and dissolved into tears once more, shaking her head back and forth. “He isn’t here! I can’t believe he isn’t here.”
Risking further wrath, Zaira moved to stand in front of the woman. She didn’t know who she was talking about, but a soft part of her she hadn’t realized she’d had wanted to give whoever he was a sock in the mouth for making this poor girl cry.
“Who isn’t here?”
She looked up again, her face a red, wet mess. “Hashor. The son of a bitch I thought was going to be here. He told me to sign up to live in the Complex because he had. Up until yesterday, I believed we’d finally be together here. I loved him! But he lied to me and sent me here for two and a half years. How could he do that?”
Zaira sighed heavily. What an asshole! “How long did you know this guy?”
She shrugged one shoulder. “Couple weeks.”
“And you were in love with him?” Zaira worked hard not to laugh. “Sounds like you barely knew him.”
“Well, he was a space pirate I met after his wife threw him out, but he still made me think we had something special.”
Head tipped back slightly as she digested the girl’s latest revelation, Zaira finally smiled. “Never thought I’d meet someone with a worse record than me when it came to men.”
The girl laughed briefly before falling into sobs again. This time, Zaira wrapped her arms around her, and the girl melted into her body, letting the tears fall unchecked.
After a few minutes, she straightened and took a step back. “Thank you. I can’t believe you stopped to check on me.”
“I can’t either, honestly.”
The girl’s face split into a huge grin, and Zaira wondered if her moods were always this changeable. With a step back, Zaira started to turn away and go to her own space.
“Wait! What’s your name? You might be my only friend here since Hashor is a no-show.”
Zaira didn’t cringe outwardly, but inside everything tightened. The last thing she needed to do was create ties with anyone in the Complex, especially not with someone who clearly had separation anxiety issues. How would her new friend react if she told her she didn’t plan to stay long?
Yet, she looked so much like Selky, Zaira couldn’t resist answering the girl’s question, “I’m Zaira. What’s your name?” Besides, Zaira wanted to know why this girl looked so much like the woman who’d taught her everything she knew about being a retriever.
“Roriel, but my friends call me Rori.”
Zaira nodded to acknowledge the exchange. “Are you okay now, Rori?”
“Feeling better. Hashor should change his name to As-sholor, but I don’t feel completely alone now. Hey, what are you doing tomorrow?”
Leaving, hopefully. “Nothing in the morning. You want to come to my apartment for some coffee and…whatever there is in the way of food?”
“That sounds great.” Her eyes glowed for a totally different reason now. She was hap
py again, and Zaira couldn’t help but feel good about helping Rori, even if it was only temporary. “Maybe we can go out tomorrow night, too. See what kind of men we’re stuck with for the next couple years.”
Zaira laughed out loud finally. “You don’t waste much time, do you?” If felt good to laugh. Zaira didn’t usually let her guard down enough to enjoy a little humor with friends. Come to think of it, for that matter, she didn’t really make friends.
They said their goodbyes, and the minute Zaira’s hand hit the panel, she rushed inside, happy to be in a space that felt like her own, even if it were only temporary. She didn’t take too much time exploring the apartment, heading straight to the bed. Exhaustion took over, and she was asleep the minute she laid her head onto the pillow.
Incredibly soft pillow. If she wasn’t careful, she could get attached to this kind of comfort.
Zaira lifted her head from her pillow and glanced at the glow of sunlight coming through her bedroom window. Something had woken her up. A pounding, but outside of her head this time. Someone was knocking nearby. She glanced around the unfamiliar surroundings, wondering where she was. In an instant, the previous day came back to her, and she immediately knew two things. The light coming through her window was artificial, and the person knocking at her door was the girl she was going to devastate today.
She dragged herself out of bed and trudged to the front door. The knocking picked up to a steady pounding.
“M’coming. Slow your engines.”
With a slap of her hand, the door slid open, and Rori barged in with a bag in her hand. She walked into the living space, her gaze roaming over every inch of Zaira’s apartment.
“Believe you promised me coffee. I brought this bag of divine pastries that I ordered from the kitchen preparation device. Pretty much any food you want, you just have to ask for it.”
“That sounds…nice…if you like that kind of thing.” Zaira stretched her arms out wide. “Think it’s time to test its coffee-making ability.”
“My thoughts exactly.” She headed through an arched opening and Zaira followed, figuring Rori knew her way around better than she did. Sure enough, they emerged into a sparkling white room with handles and countertops protruding from the walls all around. A utilitarian, rectangular table split the room, and the floor seemed to be covered in warm tiles, as if there were some sort of heating system running beneath them.
Zaira focused on Rori. “So, how do we make the coffee?”
Rori reached for one of the handles, and when she pulled it outward, a steaming cup of coffee waited behind it.
“What if I want a little cream?”
Immediately, a dollop of white liquid poured, seemingly from nowhere, into the cup. Despite her natural cynicism, Zaira couldn’t help but be impressed with this unexpected perk to living here.
Rori closed the cabinet and announced, “Coffee, one cream, two sugars.”
It was exactly how Selky took her coffee.
When she opened the cabinet, her steaming cup of light brown brain-zapper waited. She reached for the cup and sipped it immediately. Zaira did the same, loving the warmth and bitter taste of the hot liquid.
“Okay, I could get used to this.”
“Well, you don’t really have a choice do you?”
Zaira looked at Rori out of the corner of her eye. How much should she tell her? If she told her everything, she’d possibly have another brain working on the problem. More than likely, Rori would just dissolve into hysterics again. Yet, Zaira didn’t like the idea of just disappearing without telling her either. It was enough to make Zaira almost feel a connection to someone other than Selky. It was probably just the visual similarity to Selky that brought out those feelings. However, they were there just the same.
“Yeah, no choice.” Again, Zaira wondered why Rori looked so much like Selky. “Where are you originally from, Rori?”
She issued a heavy sigh and walked to take a seat at the table, setting the bag down in the center.
“Kind of a long story. But, first I need to apologize.”
Zaira tensed. She really didn’t need any more surprises. “Why would you need to apologize?”
Rori reached out a hand and laid it on Zaira’s arm as she said, “Before I knew how nice you were, I think I called you a bitch. I just want to say I’m sorry.”
Straightening, Zaira laughed lightly. “Trust me, I’ve been called worse, and to be honest, it probably fits. I’m pretty much a bitch, but only to those who irritate me. Of course, that’s most everyone.” For once though, she didn’t feel annoyed by someone’s presence in her own space. Rori wasn’t so bad. “Anyway…that long story. I’d like to hear it.”
Rori sat back, crossing her arms protectively over her chest. “I don’t want to bore you with the details, so I’ll give you the summed up version. Born on war-torn Wreston, where my aunt raised me until I ran away on an export freighter at sixteen. I’ve been on my own ever since.”
Alone since sixteen? Zaira fought the urge to reach out a comforting hand. It had been Zaira’s worst nightmare at the age of ten, and she didn’t like to think of what would’ve happened to her if Selky hadn’t been there. Speaking of Selky…could she actually be someone to Rori?
“What about your real parents?”
“Never knew them. My aunt refused to talk about them.” Rori looked down at the tabletop. “Sometimes, though, I think I can see my mother’s face, smiling down at me. I don’t know if it’s just wishful thinking or an actual memory, but I like to think she’s out there somewhere remembering the same moment and missing me too.”
Zaira moaned sympathetically. It had to be difficult growing up with so many unanswered questions. Yet, obviously, there wasn’t a connection to Selky like Zaira had hoped. Unless…the aunt…
“Is your aunt still on Wreston?” Zaira sipped her coffee and stared with interest over the rim of her cup.
“Huh? Oh, no. We left the planet when I was barely out of diapers. She shacked up with some hairy Meta on Pinao. When I was sixteen, he made a pass at me, and I was out of there. The last think I needed in my life a creepy uncle. It was time to move on.”
That didn’t sound like Selky at all. She’d never shack up with any man as scummy as that guy sounded.
“About a year ago, I heard that my aunt had been killed in a freak, transport accident. I went to her memorial ceremony but left as soon as it was over. I haven’t been back since.”
Definitely not Selky, but that meant, except for unknown parents, Rori was truly all alone in the world. Zaira’s stomach dropped again. She’d be leaving Rori too. Zaira’s hardened heart clenched at the thought of Rori crying after she were gone. Yet, she couldn’t waste two and half years of her life for a girl she barely knew. Nothing she could do about that.
“What about you? What brought you to the Complex?”
Zaira let her gloomy thoughts fade. “Don’t I wish I knew!”
“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing. I just…that is…I’m here for a new start.”
“Yeah! My thoughts exactly.”
They both sipped their coffee and chose a pastry. Zaira took a bite out of a thick one with a sugary cream on the inside. It was delicious and made her feel slightly guilty. Perfect way to start the day.
“Well, what did you do before you got here?”
“A little this. A little that. Mostly got things for people.”
“And they paid you for that?”
Zaira nodded slowly. “I’m pretty good at it. I had a goal for an amount I wanted to earn. I was really close to it.”
“Why did you come here then?”
The urge to confide everything was strong, but again, Zaira reminded herself she hardly knew Rori. Her history with people had taught her not to trust too quickly. And it was pretty clear, they’d never be able to build trust between them.
“Time away is good, right?”
“I suppose it could give your work new energy.
I mean, it’s better than stupidly believing you were following a man to be with him. I still can’t believe I did that.”
“Live and learn.”
“That’s what my aunt always told me.”
“The woman who raised me always said it too. Must be pretty common.” Yet, Zaira was back to wondering if Rori could somehow be related to Selky. Her curiosity got the best of her. “Do you know anything about your parents?”
Rori pulled her electronic reader out and clicked around on the screen a few seconds. “I have a picture of my mom. My aunt never knew I found it, but I knew it was her the minute I saw her. In a moment of weakness, my aunt had told me my mother’s name once. And her name was the one thing I knew for sure, and the picture was labeled with it—Selkendra.”
As Rori flipped the reader around, the beautiful, unsmiling face she’d grown to love stared back at her. She shifted her gaze back and forth between the real life Rori and the frozen face of Selky. Just as she’d suspected. Rori was Selky’s daughter. It didn’t seem possible, yet the evidence was staring her right in the face.
“Are you okay, Zaira? You seem confused.”
“I just…I can’t…” She couldn’t think how to say what she’d just discovered.
However, she didn’t get the chance to puzzle it out because a melody of bells sounded suddenly, causing both women to look around to try to figure out where they’d come from.
They stood simultaneously as the bells sounded again. They made their way toward the living area, following the sound as it increased in volume the closer they got to the front door. Once they were standing beside the sitting area and heard it sound again, they realized it was coming from the front door.