Solar Flare

by Autumn Dawn

  The crowd was almost contained when he escorted her out into the main room. He silently walked her out past the swarming police, nodding to an officer once or twice. Before she knew it she was on the street, surrounded by police transports with flashing lights. She cringed as they walked toward the large vehicle they had ready for prisoners, then looked at him in surprise when he walked behind it, past it, then took her up to a transport waiting in an ally. He opened the door.

  Blue leaned over and glowered at her. “Get in.”

  Surprised, she glanced between the two of them, but obeyed. It seemed they had planned to fetch her all along.

  Azor didn’t wave as they pulled away from the curb, leaving him behind. He headed back toward the chaos. Oddly, she noticed then that he was out of uniform. Had Blue not given him enough time to suit up before sending him in after her?

  The silence on Blue’s side of the transport was thick. He held his peace for about two blocks before saying grimly, “Gem will never know about this.”

  She drew a deep breath. There wasn’t an easy way to placate him, so she asked, “How did you know where to find me?”

  He waited for a traffic signal to turn blue and then told her, “You have a talent. I asked myself where the worst possible place I could find you was, and then I called Azor. I’m going to owe him for this,” he said with acid calm.

  “You could name a twin after him,” she muttered out of habit, but reconsidered as she felt the lash of his stare. “Sorry. Why were you looking for me?”

  He was silent as he stared out the windshield. “After what you told me this afternoon, I was concerned when you weren’t at home. You don’t go out at night unless it’s on business. You’re a creature of habit.”

  She exhaled forcefully and drew off the mask. She stuffed it in her pocket. It wouldn’t do for Gem to find in on the floor of her husband’s transport. It could make for some awkward questions.

  There wasn’t much she could say to Blue. He wasn’t her father. Custom made him and Gem the head of the family, but she was her own woman. Ruin had stared in her face tonight, though, and he’d saved her hide. She owed him for that. “He wasn’t much of a gentleman,” she said, offering what she could. She assumed Blue would know whom she meant. “He stashed me in a closet and ran off to save his own hide.”

  Blue didn’t say anything, but he seemed vaguely uncomfortable.

  “Don’t worry, nothing important happened. I think I got the rebellion out of my system.”

  “That’s good,” he said cautiously. He seemed to wage an inner debate. “I’m sure he had reasons for running off.”

  “Yeah, the threat of arrest can do that to you,” she said dryly. “Forget it. Are we still leaving on schedule?”

  “We might even move it up,” he muttered. When she glanced at him, he said louder, “Yeah. Sounds like you’re ready to go.”

  “Yeah.” She sighed as she looked out the window. There was no reason to stay.

  “We’d better wait to tell her you’re Azure,” Blue said soberly. “I’m not interested in trussing her up and dragging her aboard your ship.”

  Azor grunted as he held the com with one hand and filled out a report with the other. He couldn’t show up for a police raid and expect to escape paperwork, though how he’d missed the fact that there would be a raid, he didn’t know. Between preparing for vacation and his chat with Blue, it must have slipped by him. At least he’d gotten out of processing the prisoners.

  “On the bright side, it’s safe to say she no longer holds a candle for Azure,” Blue said almost maliciously. “After he dumped her in a closet to save his own sorry hide, she thinks rather less of him.”

  Azor lost his patience. He’d had a long day and he didn’t need Blue taking his frustrations out on him. “Look, we’ll have a long enough trip that we can hash this out later. I’ll see you at the spaceport when it’s time to launch.” He hung up.

  He didn’t forget the subject, though. He’d had two choices when Blue had warned him about the raid. He could stay and comfort her as Azure, go through the mockery of an arrest and possibly testify at her trial, or he could save her as himself. It hadn’t been a hard choice, but it was one he’d pay for. She was going to hate him when she found out who he was, and he would tell her. There was no point in keeping it a secret, not when his actions had helped cause the mess. Besides, he’d promised Blue.

  It had been difficult to let her go. His blood had been afire, his head high with the feel of her. He'd wanted nothing more than to squeeze into the closet with her and show her just how gratifying a tight fit could be. Another five minutes....

  He sighed. He owed her, but she might not appreciate the way he’d chosen to repay the debt. He was going to take her all the way to her sister, and it promised to be a long voyage. He just hoped they’d both arrive intact.

  Dr. Vhanee glared at Vio Srie’s infuriatingly calm face. The man was obstinate, and he regretted ever dealing with him. “I asked you weeks ago to stop selling the drug. You didn’t abide by your side of the deal. Worse, I believe you’ve hired someone to synthesize it. The supply I gave you should have long since run out.”

  Unruffled, Vio reclined in his office chair and examined the ring on his index finger. “Your drugs were distributed, doctor. You will pay what you owe.”

  “I owe nothing!”

  Vio smiled. “Ah, but you are not paying for the same thing. Today you are paying for silence…and for the chance for your “patients” to live.” His eyes flicked lazily up as he studied Dr. Vhanee’s reaction. “If you do not, you will witness your life’s work, all your precious experiments, slowly disappear. You wouldn’t want that.”

  He bared his teeth. “You would stoop to murder?”

  Vio raised a brow. “How do you count those who died from your drug?”

  Dr. Vhanee made a slicing motion with his hand. “Most of them chose to take the drug. They’d have similar risks with other drugs they might take. At least mine offered something in return.”

  “Ah, the powers of the mind. Healing. Tell me, what was the percentage of your successes? Less than one percent; I would call that a failure.”

  He ground his jaw. “The drug takes time to show its full effects. Another few months should bring interesting results. But until then, I want to suspend the trial.”

  Vio shrugged. “I’m not interested in negotiation. If you do not pay, I will begin eliminating all your best candidates.” He drew in a deep, satisfying breath and glanced at one of his men. “Show the good doctor out, would you? He has some thinking to do.”

  Dr. Vhanee stood and leaned over Vio’s desk. “I can’t afford this! I’ve mortgaged my house, sold my transport…there’s nothing left, Vio. Reconsider,” he pleaded.

  Vio smiled. “You’re an intelligent man, Dr. Vhanee. I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

  Brandy spent much of the first week on board Azor’s ship, reading, sleeping or watching videos. There wasn’t much else to do in her small, very basic room. She was processing the stress she’d experienced over the past few weeks and felt better doing it privately. It wasn’t her way to dwell on things too deeply, but she was moody, blue. It took a while to get all that out.

  Besides, her self-imposed solitary confinement was an excellent way to avoid Blue and Azor. She was sorry to disappoint her brother in law, though she suspected he was handling her adventures with tolerance now that they were away from Polaris, where the social backlash couldn’t upset his wife. After all, he was from off world and had more relaxed views on propriety. Besides all that, she knew he was no saint.

  Azor was different. He’d really proven himself in the last few weeks, and she didn’t want him thinking badly of her. It had nothing to do with their brief kiss, either—she’d given up on romance. Certainly he was the last place she should look for such a thing.

  She wondered, briefly, if Azure had escaped arrest. She didn’t think about it too long, though. Except for one shining moment, he’d pr
oven himself unreliable. He’d been just a passing storm. Dazzling, but a few brilliant bolts of lightning were all he had in him.

  She preferred to think of his intersection with her life as one of those things one isn’t supposed to examine too closely, like being caught in the rain. A girl was supposed to just go inside, dry off and toss the towel in the laundry, forgotten.

  Though she'd given up on love in the real world, it didn't keep her from devouring several of the steamy e-novels she had stored on her reader. She'd first gotten hooked on the racy love stories when she'd stumbled across a discarded electronic reader in one of the rooms she'd been cleaning at The Spark. She'd been a devoted fan ever since, downloading several books a month. It was her guilty secret, but one she refused to give up. If she'd had access to that kind of information before her wedding, her expectations would have been very different. She would have realized something was wrong sooner, might have...well, maybe not. Maybe she was putting too much stock in might have beens, but at least she knew what lovemaking could be, with the right man. She just needed to find him.

  A picture of Azor flashed in her head, and she quickly rejected it. She knew better than that. He'd never be interested in her now. Besides, they were wrong for each other.

  After several days of emotional decompression, she felt good enough to leave her room and examine the ship. Not that there was much to see, in her opinion. It was clean, but the bare, dun colored walls left something to be desired. The rough, rubber-like surface underfoot was medium brown and provided good traction as well as muffling noise, but that’s all she could say for it.

  At least the hallucinations seemed to have stopped. Other than some very vivid dreams, she’d been left in peace.

  She frowned, remembering the way her doctor had quizzed her about that when she’d gone for her pre-flight physical. Dr. Vhanee had been almost pushy when he’d insisted that she tell him if she’d experienced any lingering side effects from the drug. He’d insisted it was concern—he’d worked hard to put her back together and had no interest in seeing her suffer further. She’d been annoyed, and not as forthcoming as she could have been. In spite of his efforts in the past, she had no special fondness for doctors.

  She peeked in the galley/rec room as she passed, but didn’t go in. It had a spare, masculine feel to it, though the children rolling around on the floor and watching videos livened it up a bit. Gem was there, but she was busy consoling a baby and didn’t notice when Brandy decided to pass by. She’d let her nephews and nieces terrorize her later; it would provide a distraction.

  The men were on the bridge, doing whatever people did when they had a ship to guide. They sat at separate interfaces and occasionally pushed a button. It looked riveting.

  They didn’t hear her come in, so she looked out at the stars rushing past the view screen. Hyperdrive didn’t allow for the best views, but they were due to arrive at Ictharus II in a couple of days. According to the brochures she’d been force fed, there was supposedly plenty to see and do there.

  She thought grumpily that there was plenty to see and do on Polaris, too, but stowed the thought. She’d burned her bridges there.

  She didn’t like thinking about it. In her heart, she hoped to return one day. No other planet could ever be home, and though she was looking forward to seeing Xera, she didn’t think she’d really fit into an alien culture. She dreaded the thought of being restlessly bored, unable to mesh with Xera’s adopted culture. She felt very like a fish that had been forced to put on a water suit and journey among the air breathers.

  Blue popped his neck and stretched, then turned around in his chair. “Hello. Stirred from your room, did you?”

  She shrugged. “I can only watch so many videos.” She met Azor’s eyes as he looked up. “Actually, I wanted to apologize for the other night. I really had my head in a bucket that night. I don’t know what I was thinking.” She didn’t have to specify which night; they all knew what she was referring to.

  The men exchanged a long look. Azor subtly nodded, and Blue rose from his chair, making her wonder what was up. Instinctively, she felt uneasy. She had a feeling that something was coming that she wouldn’t like. He was obviously leaving her alone with Azor so they could talk, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear anything that couldn’t be said in a crowd. She’d just begun to relax, after all. She felt certain Azor wouldn’t have anything positive to say, not after the way he’d found her that night. No doubt he was disappointed in her judgment. Maybe he had a lecture for her.

  Blue opened his mouth to say something to her, but got distracted by someone behind her. She turned, rather relieved to see the twins run up.

  “Dad! Dad! The baby is bleeding! Mama said come quick.”

  Blue didn’t wait to hear more as he took off at a run. Alarmed, Brandy followed, Azor hot on her heels.

  Gem looked up as they rushed into the rec room. She was holding a towel to the wailing child’s head, trying to sooth him. The towel was wet with blood.

  “What happened?” Blue asked in concern as he knelt beside her.

  “He slipped and hit his head on the corner of the counter. He keeps trying to climb everything.” She lifted the towel so he could see the gash in the center of the baby’s eyebrow.

  Blue looked relieved. “It doesn’t look too bad, though I bet it burns like hornets. It’s okay, little buddy,” he soothed his son. “Let me find a med kit—oh, thanks,” he said as Azor passed one to him.

  “Can I see?” Baden crowded in, trying to look, getting in the way.

  “Baden! Back off, would you?” Blue said irritably. “I can’t see with your head in the way.”

  Brandy took Baden’s hand and pulled him back with her, then collected Kaden, too. “Hey, while your dad’s doing that, why don’t you two come here and tell me all about it. I bet you saw the whole thing.” She noticed Azor standing to the side, looking uncomfortable. She avoided his gaze, trained hers on the boys. Whatever he had wanted to say, the moment was gone. She was glad. The trip was awkward enough without any little speeches he might have planned. The last thing she wanted was more tension between them.

  CHAPTER 8

  After dinner that night she sat in a recliner, full and sleepy. There was something about being stuck on a spacecraft that made her want to sleep all the time. The kids must have felt it, too, or they were just mesmerized by the show they were watching with their father. Gem had already gone to bed, taking the baby with her, and Azor was at the table, watching the show with lukewarm interest.

  Her slightly unfocused gaze landed on Azor’s boots. They were unremarkable, the kind of brown boots that any workman would wear, but suddenly her gaze sharpened. There was something about them.

  Wondering what was bothering her, she eyed his canvas pants. They were ordinary enough, and maybe that’s why they seemed odd. He was out of uniform, something she’d rarely seen. Her eyes rose to consider his shirt, she felt short of breath. Azor, out of uniform…just like he’d been that night the cops had busted the strip club.

  The vision filled mind, blinding her to her surroundings as that night flashed in her head. Azure, kissing her, stashing her in a closet. Opening it less than a minute later and spotting Azor, though most of the cops had been in the main room. He’d known right where to find her, and why was that? Suddenly she was sure he knew because he’d been the one to put her there.

  She was out of her chair before the thought finished forming. She stalked up to him and slapped his face, though she’d had no conscious plan to. Her hand shot out a second time, and this time he caught her wrist. He might have been caught unawares, but the man was quick.

  “What are you doing? Are you nuts?” he demanded, the print of her hand glowing on his cheek.

  “You bastard,” she whispered, fury nearly blinding her. Her lip curled as she hissed, “Azure.”

  His hand tightened as he stared at her, then loosened when her wrist jerked, but didn’t let go. He glanced at the boys, who were staring
, wide-eyed.

  Blue looked at them solemnly. “Boys, it’s time for bed.”

  “Don’t bother,” Brandy snarled, ripping her wrist from Azor’s grasp. “I’m not staying.” She stalked out of the room, barely aware that she was being followed.

  She bypassed her room—it wasn’t big enough for the fit she planned to throw. At the door of the cargo bay, she stopped and blocked the door. She didn’t want company, especially his.

  Azor looked at her grimly. “We need to talk.”

  “No. We don’t.” She turned and opened the door, but was unsuccessful at keeping him out.

  It was cold in there, and dim, just the thing for soothing an explosive temper…if she’d been alone. His presence was enough to make the top of her head explode. Was he stupid? Didn’t he know she’d like to kill him? Everything was locked down and there was nothing loose to throw, so she kicked a tool locker, leaving a satisfying dent in the door. Her shoulders ached from the tension.

  He started to speak and she kicked the locker again. It was that or aim for his crotch.

  There was a beat of silence. “Are you done now?”

  She whirled on him. “You lied to me! Right from the first, it was you.” She thought about him at the track, when he had seen her tears. She hated that. Azor was the last person she wanted to see her weakness.

  He’d always been that way, right from the first time he investigated the inn. He’d discovered she was on antidepressants and badgered her mercilessly as to why. He’d rooted out every weakness, exposed every evasion. How could she forget he was an enemy?

  She paced around the bay, and he made no move to stop her. She knew how he worked. He’d wait until her guard was down and grill her. It was his way.

  It must have been forty degrees in the bay, and it chilled her pretty quickly. Her temper, unfortunately, was still burning hot. She finished the circuit and stared at him. “Were you trying to trap me? Happy in your success?”