He laughed, but it broke off. His expression grew distracted again. The CN-net was calling.
“Tomorrow,” he said before kissing my cheek. A quick hug followed and then he wandered from the office. By the time he’d reached the breezeway, I could tell he was already engrossed in whatever CN-net conversation Secretary Arkell had pulled him into. Well then, since I’d been dismissed by the boss himself, I packed it in and went home.
* * *
When the flight-limo pulled into the driveway, it didn’t take long to realize something was off. I didn’t need to consult my gut or the Tarot. No, the parade of flight-limos lined up in front of the house spoke volumes. In fact, I couldn’t get near the house, the flock of vehicles was so thick. Flock of flight-limos—was that even a thing?
I picked my way on foot through the vehicles and had to scan the citizenship chip in my c-tex to get through the AI house security—annoying, especially since it took me six tries. Usually, the flight-limo’s arrival triggered all the proper entrance protocols. It was rare that I had to walk up to the house, although it had happened before.
Chain-breakers surrounded me in their usual silence while I fought with Feodor, who was determined to sniff underneath every flight-limo. Consortium members never showed up like this. Was there fallout from the CN-net reboot? Maybe Alexei had called an emergency meeting. It wasn’t something he’d do from home, but the location was secure. Maybe he needed privacy. Maybe we were in real trouble.
I started creating all sorts of elaborate scenarios in my head, each more nerve-racking than the last. I should ping him and ask. But if he was dealing with something critical, I didn’t want to interrupt with ridiculous, obvious questions. Maybe I should make myself scarce for a few hours. I didn’t want to get in the way, especially with things so strained after yesterday. I could visit Lotus or Celeste, or see what Mannette was up to.
I’d made up my mind to do just that when I heard a woman scream.
I was close enough to the house that I was inside the sound dampener—the field that prevented noise from traveling to the neighbors and blocked theirs in return. I froze, mind racing. Shit, what was happening? Why hadn’t my gut warned me? Why had I been left to walk in blind, without a clue to what I might be facing?
I had all these thoughts in less than a second—in the time it took for a woman to scream and the sound of a tremendous splash to follow. A splash? Shouts came next. Then more screams. Then shrieking laughter. And more splashes. All coming from the back of the house, the sound traveling surprisingly well. Feodor barked in excitement, wanting to investigate all the activity around his house. I stayed rooted to the spot, my eyes narrowing as realization hit. This wasn’t a secret emergency Consortium meeting.
Twenty thousand people were dead and Alexei was having a goddamn pool party.
12
I stood inside the front door, counted to ten, and just breathed, fighting to rustle up some self-control. Even if I wanted to scream, it didn’t mean I should. I wasn’t a child having a temper tantrum. I was an adult. Time to act like one.
In the meantime, the chain-breakers peeled off, leaving me alone. Feodor tugged at the leash, not caring about my quest for serenity. With a sigh, I removed the leash and watched in dismay as he took off like a bat out of hell. I swore under my breath. I knew better than to unclip Feodor. I was pack leader—well, Alexei was pack leader. I should have anticipated he’d bolt. All I could do was follow and keep him out of trouble.
A step up from the main entrance led to a large open foyer that fed into several areas of the house: a large sitting room, a long hallway leading to a different wing of the house, and another hallway that went to the kitchen and dining room in the back. A massive circular staircase also dominated the space. Upstairs were bedrooms and more personal rooms that could be locked down so guests couldn’t snoop.
Most of the house had been decorated in a style I privately called neo-classical Russian gangster. The colors ran to dark golds and rich reds that almost looked brown. The floors were a neutral tile that complemented the color, with richly patterned rugs thrown everywhere and interesting furniture groupings placed throughout. Side tables displayed elegant vases and gilt-framed mirrors hung on the walls. Crystal chandeliers or wall sconces could be found in almost every room, and sometimes both, depending on the room’s size. It wasn’t to my tastes, so I’d been after Alexei to redecorate. A house this large would be a massive undertaking, but three designers later, we finally had a plan that made us both happy. Next month, if all went well, the gangster look would be on its way out.
Based on the clicking of Feodor’s nails on the tile, it sounded like he’d run to the kitchen. I followed, passing the large front sitting room. What I saw made me pause.
It wasn’t trashed, but it wasn’t tidy either. The room looked abandoned, as if the former occupants had all decided to move en masse to the pool. Empty alcohol bottles littered tables or were overturned on the floor, waiting to be collected and dumped into the particle scrambler for recycling. Most of it was contraband since One Gov regulated how much alcohol could be kept in a personal residence—although that never deterred Alexei. Furniture was shoved aside, and the holo-shots on the walls were crooked. I saw a few colorful Euphoria vape infusers lying abandoned on the center table. While I didn’t judge the users, neither Alexei nor I touched the stuff. Without any real MH Factor, I couldn’t handle the powerful narcotics without debilitating side effects. Alexei was the opposite—his body neutralized the drugs so quickly, he never felt them.
I stepped farther into the room, stiffening when I saw the couple making out on the leather couch. No, not making out; the man and woman were having full-on sex. Both were feeling the effects of their vapes as they writhed with slow, languid sensuality—the woman naked and on top, her hands in her hair, his on her breasts. Disgust paired with annoyance twined through me. This was a violation of our privacy and hospitality. This was our space, not theirs. The gross, creepy factor went through the roof, plus they were ruining my damned couch!
Since the couple would never be able to hear me while in the throes of their drug-laced passion, I stalked to the kitchen. Along the way, I found more empty alcohol bottles, as well as half-eaten platters of food in the dining room. No doubt the platters were prohibited calories, all hidden from One Gov’s calorie consumption regulators. I found Feodor in the kitchen being hand-fed by one of the cooks—shredded roast chicken if I was any judge. Feodor wolfed it down, thrilled to inhale the contraband table scraps.
“No human food,” I said to the cook, and scooped the wriggling puppy up under my arm. “I don’t want him getting fat.”
Then I proceeded down another short hallway and out to where the real party awaited.
It was like I’d been dropped into a cin-vid where I already knew the plot, my role, and my lines but still needed time to look around and find my character’s motivation. I must have been holding Feodor too tightly because he squirmed in my arms and wanted down, but there was no way I’d let him run free in this mess.
For a planet that once had a temperature of minus eighty degrees Fahrenheit, we’d come a long way since terraforming. Also, considering water was once rumored to be scarce on Mars, we had a surprising number of swimming pools. Ours was currently full of either drunk or high—or both—Consortium members, cavorting wherever they could find space. And I don’t use the word cavorting lightly.
I’d never thought of myself as a prude. Then again, considering my openmouthed horror as naked women and men pranced around me, maybe I was. Gods, was that an orgy happening in the pool’s shallow end? I couldn’t even keep track of the number of limbs involved in the mass of bodies. When another head popped up, I wondered if they were manipulating oxygen intake and gravity because how could anyone stay underwater that long? A pair of Russian beauties walked by, gorgeous thanks to some unsanctioned beauty MH Factor. Family genetics ensured I was pretty, but I didn’t even rate against these two—or any of the wo
men here. I felt positively frumpy while I gawked. As they walked past, they regarded me as if I were an air-bump en route to someplace better, and a hideous one at that. I’d been viewed as unwanted trash in my own home!
My temper would have snapped at their humiliating dismissal if Stanis hadn’t appeared in front of me. The blond-haired giant grabbed me by the shoulders, as if holding me back from doing something stupid. Water dripped from his hair and dappled his skin, meaning he’d been in the pool. At least he wasn’t naked.
Tattooed and seriously buff, he was nice to look at, and I could appreciate what Lotus was always going on about. He was also drunk and probably high, given his red-rimmed eyes. No doubt his t-mods were working hard to regulate his system.
“Before you say anything, this isn’t Alexei’s fault. It’s mine and Luka’s, but mostly Luka’s,” he said in that heavy Russian accent of his. It wasn’t subtle like Alexei’s, sounding more like something you could spread on toast like thick strawberry jam. Luka was another of Alexei’s friends from Earth, and so wild, he was probably untamable.
“What’s going on, Stanis?” I gestured with a free hand at this, which encompassed the pool orgy, the drugs, the alcohol, the naked women—everything.
“Alexei’s been preoccupied. Something’s bothering him, and we convinced him he needed a distraction.”
“And this is your idea of a distraction?” I asked, incredulous. I could feel myself growing unhinged and hysterical, my mind running off in countless horrifying directions. “He needs a drug-fueled orgy to feel better? Oh gods, is he with another woman right now?”
Stanis looked shocked, as if the idea had never occurred to him. “What? No! Don’t be ridiculous.” He stumbled over the words. “You’re what he lives for. This was tupoy eblya Luka’s fault.”
“Stupid fucking Luka is right,” I agreed. “Is Lotus here? There’s no way she’d go along with this.”
“I’m here!” Lotus said, scurrying up and proceeding to make a liar out of me. “I know it looks bad, but I promise it isn’t. I mean, it probably is, but not really.” And these two were having a baby together? Gods help their poor child.
Lotus wore daisy-themed hair clips in her short dark hair, a two-piece green swimsuit dotted with white daisies, and flip-flops decorated with more daisies. With her gently curving belly on display, what might have been an over-the-top outfit on some actually turned her into a damned earth-mother before my eyes. I felt a stab of envy before squashing it. I couldn’t begrudge what Lotus had found with Stanis. She deserved it.
“When Stanis told me what was going on, I thought a party was a good idea. But it may have gotten a little out of hand.”
“No kidding. Think so?”
“And I thought you were going to be here or I would have spoken up,” Lotus continued, giving Stanis a disapproving look. “See, I told you she’d be pissed. For the record, I’d be pissed too, so I’m telling you now, don’t ever do this.” And there, she swatted his chest with her hand before wrapping her arms around his waist.
“Clearly something got lost in translation,” I said drily, looking between the two of them. If Lotus was there, it couldn’t be all bad. No need to indulge in a meltdown just yet. “What’s going on I don’t know about? Why have a party in the middle of the week?”
“We were doing it for Alexei,” Stanis said. “It’s what we did before, back home, when things were bad. Like when a project failed or if there was trouble with Konstantin or Grigori and we needed to break the tension so we didn’t snap.”
He looked so upset and sincere, it was hard to stay mad. Was Alexei ready to snap and I hadn’t seen it? Had I missed all the signs? In that case, maybe the crisis wasn’t averted.
“Look, I know you’re friends and I love that you’d never turn your back on Alexei. I appreciate you being here for him, but damn it, Stanis! The house is going to be unlivable after this. Tell me what’s bothering Alexei. He hasn’t said anything to me.”
Stanis looked uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “You know him. That’s not how he is. He’s not good with problems that can’t be solved by giving orders or dictating logical solutions.”
“No, I know,” I said, sighing. “He’s great with black and white, but not so good when it comes to the gray areas.” Or emotions that got complicated or when feelings were hurt and all he wanted to do was lash out but couldn’t. Alexei was learning all sorts of things thanks to me and it made for one hell of a steep learning curve.
I had a sudden flashback to over a year ago in Brazil, when Alexei had been brimming with rage and lust, and I’d been told I needed to “fix” him. I hadn’t known what to do then and ended up sleeping with him. That night had changed everything between us. I had a feeling today wasn’t going to end up the same way, and things would be a hell of a lot worse.
“The way you did things when that asshole Konstantin was in charge isn’t the way you should do things now,” Lotus said decisively. “I’m all for throwing a party to blow off steam, but not if it’s going to ruin my cousin’s life. Alexei might be some sort of CN-net genius, but if he blows this with Felicia, he’s an idiot.”
I blinked. Was Lotus actually making sense? Was impending motherhood making her wiser? Impossible.
“Yes, you are good for him, and you need to talk to him. Lotus says you’re skilled at things like that—talking and feelings and expressing yourself. That’s what he needs. Not this. Talk to him and I know it will fix whatever is bothering him.” Stanis sounded earnest.
Maybe that had been true once, but not so much lately. Now, I’d been anything but good at saying the right thing.
“Where is he now?”
Stanis looked around, but finding anyone in this crowd was impossible. “Last I saw him, he was in the hot tub, about an hour ago. He’s gone dark when I try to ping him, but I’m sure he’s around.”
Lotus rolled her eyes and sighed up at him. “Honestly, it’s a good thing you’re pretty. All these t-mods and you can’t even keep track of each other.” To me she said, “I’ve been keeping an eye out. He’s been here the whole time, over at the bar and going through vodka like water. No one’s gone near him. It’s like he’s in his own bubble of silence. Very cool party trick.”
“I’ll talk to him,” I said, feeling both resigned and panicked at the thought of having to deal with him. An hour sitting by himself at a bar, putting a solid effort into getting himself drunk—I could only imagine the mood he’d be in. I didn’t want to fight, but it might be inevitable. “While I’m talking, since you’re interested in changing how the Consortium resolves conflict, shut this party down, Stanis. The orgy, the drugs, everything. I want it gone. You also owe me new furniture, because I’m burning everything in the front sitting room. I can never sit on that couch again after what I walked in on.”
“Hm…Alexei isn’t going to like that.”
“No,” I agreed. “He isn’t.”
He brightened, and with the logic of the drunk said, “I’ll blame Luka for the whole thing. Bastard has it coming anyway with the shit he’s pulled.” He bent down to kiss Lotus on the cheek, got her ear instead, then lay in a course correction that hit her mouth and lasted several minutes. I blinked, wondering if I should make myself scarce until finally they broke apart. Stanis wandered off with a sappy grin on his face while pushing people in the pool and yelling for Luka to break up the party that had taken over the house. Lotus sighed, looking happier and more content than she ever had with her previous boyfriend. Her relationship with Stanis had materialized out of nowhere, shocking everyone—Celeste, me, even Alexei. Yet as mismatched as they might seem on the surface, I had to admit they were good for each other.
“Gods, that man knows how to kiss. I’m so glad I had the brilliant sense to jump on him the first chance I got,” she said, watching after him with her own sappy expression before turning back to me. “I tried to keep this drug-fueled orgy from going off the rails, but I can only do so much. I do
n’t know everything that goes on in the Consortium but I gather things have been stressful and everyone’s cutting loose. Don’t start yelling at Alexei because you came home to a party you don’t like.”
If only it were that simple. “There’s just a lot going on right now. I don’t need Alexei falling apart on top of everything else.”
“Doesn’t sound like the Russian I know. Isn’t he usually the one who cleans up the messes? Don’t count him out just yet.”
“Not this mess. It’s too…Too big. Too terrible. Too everything.”
Lotus frowned, catching my arm when I meant to turn away, looking me squarely in the face with green eyes eerily similar to mine. “What’s going on, Felicia? Are you and Alexei okay? You know you can always talk to me if there’s a problem, right? Or if not me, hit up Momma Bear Celeste. You know she loves giving out advice. It’s one of her favorite things to do.”
“I know, and thank you. Thanks for being here and trying to stop Luka from ruining the house.”
Lotus looked disgusted. “He’s a moron. No one can stop that idiot. But listen, seriously, if you’re in trouble, talk to someone. I don’t know what’s going on with you, but let us help. Don’t tell Celeste I said this, but she’s right—that’s what family is for. Now that I’ve met Stanis and this happened”—there, she rubbed her belly—“I think I finally get it. I get why you keep doing Tarot readings for the family even though you dread it. I even understand why you put up with Azure’s bullshit when I would have clocked her. Family matters and we’re here for you. Don’t shut us out. We can help. All you have to do is ask.”
While the sentiment was wonderful, how could I tell Lotus all the things that were wrong? The list seemed endless and complicated, and everything was spiraling out of control. Besides, she’d find out about the latest disaster soon enough. The whole tri-system was already buzzing with it.
“I wish I could, but I don’t think anyone can fix this,” I said, and went to look for my husband.
The Game of Luck Page 17