by JC Cassels
She searched the crowd for Blade.
She had no intention of going quickly or quietly.
Had Kendall gotten him out of the way so he could collect the reward?
Edging backwards, her hand crept towards the compact pistol strapped to her thigh.
A strong arm slid around her shoulders from behind, pulling her back against a solid wall of muscle. Her hands moved reflexively to pull the arm away. He bent slightly and kissed her neck, just below her ear. Bo’s knees nearly buckled and she sagged against him, laughing in relief. She heard Blade’s chuckle in her ear.
“You were getting ready to do something stupid, weren’t you?” he teased softly.
“I’m not exactly unknown here,” she said. “I used to live around the corner from here. I’ve been worried sick I’d run into someone who recognized me.” She relaxed against him. “Shame on you for scaring me like that.”
He held her for a moment, letting her heart settle back into its usual rhythm. “I have something that will make you want to forgive me.”
She smiled up at him. “And what would that be?” she asked.
With a flourish, he presented a glass filled with an iced amber liquid. Keeping his arm across her chest, he settled into a more comfortable embrace. “This, my love, is called Gallis Rye.”
“Oh, thank the Maker, I could use a drink…”
She would have reached for it, but he held it just out of her grasp.
“Now, now,” he said softly. “Remember what I said earlier? This is hardly a drink for the faint of heart or for fair maiden.”
“You’re going to make a show out of this aren’t you?”
“Of course I am,” he grinned. “People are watching. You have to play coy, or I won’t let you have it at all. Shake your head no if you understand.”
“I hate when you get in this mood,” she sighed. Perhaps it was better to humor him. She shook her head and turned slightly away from the drink.
“Oh that was a nice touch.”
She nodded towards the glass. “Is everything a game to you?”
“Pretty much,” he said.
“You know I can take that thing away from you if I wanted to.”
He shook his head. “You’d only spill it, and then where would you get another?”
Bo turned in his embrace. “I’m not going to play your little game, Blade.”
“Yes you are,” he whispered in her ear. He held the glass between them and waved it under her nose. “You’re going to be undercover for a long while yet. I’ve got to debauch you publicly if you ever want to be able to drink what you want. Remember the server on Altair?”
Bo closed her eyes and savored the smell of the drink. “Mmmm. I hate you.”
“No you don’t,” he said, nuzzling her neck again. “Now play your part. Turn your head away from me and very clearly say no.”
Her hands pushed against his chest and she shook her head. “No, thank you.”
He lifted his head with a wicked grin. “Come on, love,” he said, loud enough to be overheard. “Just one little sip.”
“No,” she matched his tone. “It’s not appropriate for a Companion.”
“Do you always do what’s appropriate, Marissa?” he asked. “You’re with me, aren’t you?”
Bo coyly lowered her head. “Good one,” she said softly.
He ducked his head and waited for her to look up at him again. “I think you want to misbehave,” he said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here – with me.” He looked around, his eyes sparkled with amusement at the stares they were getting. “It’s only Gallis Rye. What can one little drink hurt in the grand scheme of things?”
A few people standing nearby chuckled. Bo glanced around. They had drawn a small crowd of onlookers. She peered up at him.
He glanced past her. His eyes narrowed briefly. As quickly as the distraction was gone, he turned his full attention on her and smiled in encouragement. He held up the drink again in silent invitation.
Tentatively, Bo took the drink and slowly unclipped her veil. It fell aside with a whisper.
He leaned over and kissed her.
“Don’t forget to cough and sputter,” he whispered against her lips. “It’s what they’re waiting for.”
She closed her eyes and drank a hearty swallow. She wanted nothing more than to drain the glass and lick her lips.
“Holy Maker!” she gasped, and launched into a coughing fit.
Blade took the drink from her hands while she made a great show of struggling to catch her breath as she’d seen offworlders do when they tried Gallis Rye for the first time. Her audience broke into laughter as Blade rubbed her back.
“See, the universe didn’t implode,” he said loudly over her coughing. “From now on you can order real liquor and not that pathetic excuse for a drink you’ve been embarrassing me with. Now here, finish this and see what it does for you.” He handed the glass back to her.
She shot him a grateful look and drained the glass. Squeezing her eyes shut as though pained, she pressed the back of her hand against her mouth and leaned against him.
“Good girl,” he said. “We’ll make a drinker out of you yet. Come on, let’s go get you another.”
Amidst applause and laughter, he led her to the bar and ordered her another drink. The bartender smirked knowingly and passed the drink over to her.
“Excuse me, love. I’ll be right back.” He looked to the bartender. “Whatever she promises you, do not give her a different drink.” Then, winking at her, he moved away. He spoke quietly to the nearest IC agent, who nodded. With one last look around, he disappeared into the crowd.
Bo sighed and looked back to the bartender. “I don’t suppose I could talk you into giving me something other than Gallis Rye?”
The bartender shook his head.
She turned and lifted the glass to her lips to hide her smile. She had to hand it to Blade. He certainly knew how to manipulate public perceptions.
***
Blade hesitated at the edge of the dance floor.
What was Larianne Varo doing on Cormoran?
“Everything alright, Devon?” Kendall asked.
Blade scanned the crowd. “Depends,” he said. “Is Larianne Varo part of your security contingent?”
“Varo?” Kendall sounded surprised. “No. Why do you ask?”
“Because she’s following me.”
“Are you sure?”
Blade glanced over at him and smiled. “Pretty sure, but let’s consult a higher authority.”
“Marin?”
Blade shook his head. “The holographers.” He scanned the crowd, looking for one holographer in particular.
“Come on.”
When Blade finally found him, he was taking candid shots of the dancers. At their approach, he lowered his holocam and backed quickly away.
“Hey, man, I’m just doing my job,” the holographer held up his hands to ward off attack.
Blade smiled. “I’m not angry,” he replied. “Have you got a minute?”
The holographer nodded warily.
“You got a holo of me and my lady, didn’t you?”
The holographer nodded again.
“Can I see?”
“Why?”
Blade flashed him a disarming grin and shoved a hand into his pocket. “Come on, haven’t I always been good about giving you guys the money shots?”
The holographer looked anxiously around. “Well…yeah...I guess.”
Blade leaned forward. “This might be the only one that I’d pay to get a copy of.” He lifted his eyebrows and gave him a conspiratorial smile. “You know what I mean?”
“My shots are sent directly to my editor in real time,” he warned.
Blade shrugged. “Can I at least see? That’s all I’m asking. There might even be one on there that my friend here would pay to have.”
“Uh, yeah,” Kendall said, catching on. “I’m looking for one shot in particular and I’d be willing to pay
big for it.”
The holographer hesitated, then nodded. He touched the controls on the cam, scrolling through the images he’d captured that evening.
“That’s a good one of Ana,” Blade commented.
“Yeah, I don’t think she takes a bad shot.”
Blade laughed at another candid image as he watched the slideshow progress. “Whoa, wait…run it back.”
The holographer captured a series of images, but one in particular jumped out. “That one,” he said.
“Son of a kretch…” Kendall said. “That’s Varo.”
Larianne Varo stood on the edge of the dance floor, wearing a black shimmersilk pantsuit.
Blade nodded. “That’s her alright.” He pointed to the tell-tale bulge in her jacket. “She’s here on business.”
“You say she’s been following you?”
“I’m pretty sure she was on Catarrh,” Blade said. “At first I thought I was hallucinating, but when I was first brought in there was a med tech there who looked a hell of a lot like her. I was kind of out of it. She tried to hit me with a hypo and I went…, well…, you know.”
Kendall rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You know she trained under Reyall.”
“Reyall?” Blade’s eyes narrowed as he struggled to place the name. “Reyall? The mechanical guy?”
With a nod, Kendall heaved a sigh and searched the crowd. “Yeah, the guy who can make any deliberate crash look like an accident.”
Blade muttered a curse. “So what? What does this mean?” He ran his hand through his hair. “If she’s taken a hit on me, she’s gone freelance.”
“Maybe.” Kendall nodded.
“What do you mean, maybe?”
“I mean there are a lot of people with a lot of reasons for wanting you out of the picture…ambitious people with a lot to gain from your death.”
Blade considered his words. “But you’re talking somebody in the advisory council at least.”
With a sigh, Kendall opened the holocam and took the datacard. He handed the cam back to the holographer. “I’m confiscating this for evidence in an ongoing investigation,” he said.
The holographer sputtered, but his protests faded under the force of Kendall’s warning glower. Muttering to himself, he pressed his equipment to his chest and scurried away.
Kendall bared his teeth at Blade in a smile. “Well, milord, it looks like the sooner we get you back to Trisdos, the better. If Varo’s got you in her sights, it’s a wonder you ain’t dead already.”
Blade forced a smile. “I’m hard to kill.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“Are you sure your security detail isn’t going to see this?” Bo feinted and weaved, dodging his fist.
Blade grinned and bounced lightly on the balls of his feet, maneuvering himself out of her reach. “Nah,” he assured her. “This place is like a fortress. I’ve got sensors set up all around the perimeter.”
“Snipers?”
“The walls are shielded with beam scatterers in continuous coverage.”
“Surveillance?”
“Mine or theirs?”
She grinned and, without warning, spun and kicked him. He fell back on the soft turf, laughing. He leaped back to his feet in a fluid movement and launched a series of attacks that drove her back.
“Theirs.”
She barely blocked a series of blows before managing to slip inside his reach and land a few hits on his torso.
He grunted and retreated again. He winced, then grinned again. “What do you call that?” he asked. “You hit every nerve cluster.”
“That’s Duros Streetfighting,” she said. “I learned some moves in a Tandoori lockup a while back.”
“You found someone to train you?” He flexed his arm, willing sensation back into his still tingling fingers.
She shook her head. “I had the shit beaten out of me.”
“Good thing you’re a quick study,” he said.
“You were telling me about outside surveillance,” she reminded him.
“You’re lucky I trust you,” he said. “Otherwise, I might think you were trying to circumvent my security system.”
Bo shook her head in exasperation. “Fine! Keep your secrets. I’m tired of beating up on you anyway.” She backed away from him and moved towards her towel draped over the bench at the edge of the lawn.
He moved quickly to catch up with her. She turned at the last second and ducked under his arm. He’d anticipated her move and managed to knock her off her feet. She fell hard onto the ground, her breath knocked from her. He landed on top of her, catching her wrists and pinning them over her head. Using his body weight, he trapped her legs beneath him and grinned down at her.
“You were saying?” he asked.
Bo relaxed and smiled saucily up at him. “Quit gloating.”
“Hey, Dev… Oh, for the love of Peace! Don’t tell me you two are at it again. I swear you’re worse than a pair of glumrats in heat.”
Bo and Blade exchanged an amused look, then peered up at Chase who stood glaring at them in mock annoyance.
“When you follow us into the garden, don’t complain about interrupting a love scene,” Blade said reasonably.
“Yeah, yeah,” Chase waved away the mild censure. “Your IC com was dancing all over the table. I figured it was important, so I answered it.” He held the device out to Blade.
Switching his hold on Bo so he had both of her wrists captured in one hand, Blade took the hand-held com from his brother.
“Devon.” He listened for a long moment. His face impassive. “That’s not possible,” he said calmly. “I’m in the middle of a publicity tour.”
After listening for a moment, he leaned over and nuzzled her neck, lightly kissing the sensitive skin underneath her jaw.
“It’s not an issue,” he assured the person on the other end of the call.
He continued his tender assault on her neck.
Rolling his eyes, Chase shook his head and turning on his heel, headed back to the house.
Bo smiled to herself and closed her eyes, content to let Blade’s lips work their magic.
His cavalier attitude annoyed Kendall, his publicist and just about everyone else charged with keeping him in check. For Bo, it was her security blanket. It didn’t matter what the situation – a running gun battle, dangling from a precipice, or struggling to swim against a raging current – so long as Blade was cracking wise, flashing his dimples, and making passes at her, she knew everything was going to be fine. She’d determined a long time ago that if he wasn’t worried, neither was she. It was easier on the nerves to trust that he had things under control. She’d learned that much from his brother.
She could make out little snippets of conversation well enough to put together that Blade was being ordered to stay out of public until further notice.
He lifted his head slightly. “I hear you, but it’s not going to happen.” He released her wrists and sat back on his heels, still straddling her. “I’ll tell you why not. Too many people have put a lot of time and money into this project, with the understanding that I would be there to promote it… No, I do not have my priorities confused… Well, pull them out! I never asked for them to begin with!”
He ended the call. Blade held the com in his hand, glaring at it for a long moment before he met Bo’s inquisitive stare.
“I suppose you overheard that?” he asked.
She nodded. “They threatened to pull your security detail, didn’t they?”
He sighed, then a wry smile touched his lips. “They want me to stay out of public places until further notice,” he said. “Apparently I’m taking too many unnecessary risks and they can’t ensure my safety. They figure that if they pull my detail I’ll cower indoors.” He stared at the handset again. “I can’t stop promoting this feature. Wide release is in a few days.”
“What happens if they pull your security?”
He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and fore
finger.
“They’re not pulling it.”
“But what if they do?”
“Well, we can only hope that this will flush out whoever’s gunning for me,” he sighed. “Maybe this is a good thing. Maybe this will force his hand and make him act without giving him enough time to plan. If he gets sloppy, we can take him out.”
Bo locked her fingers together behind her head and smiled up at him. “Don’t worry,” she said. “You’ve still got the Scourge of the Seventh Sector watching your back.”
He slowly opened one eye and peered at her. “So how did you get that moniker anyway?”
She grinned. “You know the Brek Lunschow thing last year? That was mine.”
He stared at her a moment in disbelief, then he laughed. “No…that was you?” At her nod, he leaned over and braced his hands on either side of her head. “Baby, you never cease to amaze me.”
He leaned closer to kiss her, and the com-set signaled an incoming call. He grinned and answered the call. “Devon.” Blade listened for several minutes, grinning hugely. “I see. No…no need to apologize... That’s need-to-know and you don’t need to know. Fine… Yes. Understood.”
Smiling smugly, he switched off the com-set and tossed it on the ground beside them. “They’re not pulling security.”
Brow furrowed, Bo peered up at him. “Why not?”
He shrugged. “Does it matter?” he asked.
“Whenever a government agency makes that kind of turnaround in that short of time, I have to wonder why?”
“I knew it was an empty threat. I’m too high profile. It would be a public relations nightmare for the IC if they let anything happen to me.” He grinned. “You’re right about one thing, love.”
“What’s that?”
“I am that connected.”
“Modest, too.”
He grinned. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to give you something,” he said. “Your father sent it to me.”
Bo canted her head at him. “More Gallis Rye?”
He shook his head, and mouthed the word ‘no’ as he reached into the pocket of his trousers. Slowly, he pulled out his hand. The light glinted off something small and metallic. It took a moment for Bo’s mind to register the ring he held reverently between his fingers.