by Imogene Nix
“I do not see how. That could only happen if he’d been given a transmission controller or—”
“If he is from another planet. Somewhere like Galecia.” An icy finger of dread coursed through Cedun.
“I doubt it, Cedun. How could they have even gotten here? Our original thought seems more probable. That Garret has somehow got hold of a matter transmitter.”
But that Garret could be a Galecian, from the planet that spawned slaves and acquired other planets… If he was… It was too dangerous to entertain without more details. Instead Cedun considered Joruzan’s words. “Find out, Joruzan. Check through the records of who has lost one and where. I know we have lost a few Ba’Tuas here so we need to find out who they were and the circumstances of their deaths. If he is using a stolen unit, not even our transport vessels are safe.”
“I need to let Valerie know.” Joruzan hurried away, and Cedun looked out the window, watching his friend striding firmly through the white sand. At home, the sand had a purple tinge, and for a moment he missed it. Fiercely.
Would he ever be able to take Gia home? He knew Joruzan was planning on sharing his home on Dirustandi with De’ Valerie once the child was safely delivered. How would Gia react when her mother left with Joruzan?
Cedun would have to return home soon, but he couldn’t leave without Gia. The pain of knowing something would have to change arced through him. The best he could do was ignore it for now, focus on what could be changed and hope that Gia would come to love him—or at least welcome his request to come to Dirustandi.
He turned away from the window as emotions roiled within him. He needed to concentrate, to plan. He would not let his emotions cloud his judgment. He was there for a reason—not to let his needs run riot.
Joruzan entered the kitchen. “Valerie says…” His words trailed away. “You love her daughter, do you not?”
The words skittered over his brain, chilled fingers of ice snaked down his back, and he closed his eyes. He knew this day would come. He just hadn’t expected it yet. “Yes. Is it obvious?”
“Not really, not unless someone knows you and your ways. But I have known you since childhood. You have not told her, have you?”
Cedun shook his head. “No. I wanted to. She is not ready after Garret. Then with last night—it just feels wrong to lay this at her feet right now.”
“Cedun, you must tell her.” Joruzan leaned forward, earnest in his advice.
“Not yet. She must learn to trust herself first, and I must solve this puzzle. Now, we must work.”
Turning swiftly, he headed to the doorway, but as he started to step through, Joruzan added a final admonishment. “Love can only be built on truth, Cedun. Many people have lost their chance because of what they kept hidden.”
* * * *
Gia railed against Cedun’s decision to keep her hidden at his home. They sat in comparative silence in the kitchen on the third night eating the take-away Chinese he’d ordered because her mother had told him it was her favorite. The air between them had gradually become thicker and full of tension. They both skated around the topic of relationships and each other, but the knowledge of what they’d already done was there. Three days of this very subtle kind of torture had her mind reeling with an overload of desire and frustration.
Carefully laying her fork to the side, Gia gazed at him. “I need to go home, Cedun. I’m planning on leaving in the morning.”
“No. I promised De’ Valerie I would keep you here, safe. If Garret returns…” Silence stretched.
“He won’t. I’m sure it was a one-time aberration. He was drunk and angry.” She clasped her hands in her lap, hoping to make him think she was a great deal more relaxed and calm than she was.
“It does not mean anything. You are not leaving, Gia.” His lips flattened and his eyes glowed a deep violet as he grasped the edge of the table. His body radiated force but she blinked, hoping it would melt away.
She’d known he’d be implacable, but had wanted to do the right thing. Tell him before she left. Now she wondered if he wouldn’t hold her tighter to him because he was forewarned. “But I can’t stay here. I have things—responsibilities—which can’t be ignored.”
When he arched an eyebrow and demanded, “Such as?” she shook her head, unable to think of one simple responsibility that tied her. She opened her mouth and closed it again with a snap.
“You will stay here until...” Cedun’s face grew dark with anger, the kind someone would aim at themselves, she deduced, when they said too much.
Just what more was there to this whole mess, Gia wondered. “Until what? What are you hiding?”
He didn’t answer her though, just stepped away.
“You can’t treat me like this, Cedun. I’m not a child.”
His nostrils flared wide. “No. You are a woman. A human. Someone I feel…”
Gia raised her hand, willing him to stop before he said too much. “No!” Her stomach wobbled as emotions roiled madly inside her body. She didn’t want this. Wasn’t ready for anything more than some kind of friendship. “Please,” she pleaded with him. Wimp! The word reverberated in her brain.
She would need to make a decision soon, whether or not she could consider any kind of relationship with him. But after her farcical relationship with Garret her mind second-guessed her every decision.
“Do not ‘please’, Gia. I must speak—”
She stood, pushing away from the table on wobbly legs. “I can’t do this. I need time and space. You need to let me work through—”
He exploded, surging up and moving around to her, his arms encircling like bands of iron. “I cannot let you go. Do not ask me to.”
Her heart thudded painfully. “We have a saying—if you love something let it free, if it doesn’t come back it wasn’t meant to be yours.”
The bands tightened. “Please, Gia. Stay with me.”
His desperate tone tore at her. A giant lump of solid emotion lodged in her throat. “I have to go.” She carefully disentangled herself and pulled away. One quick look at his face nearly sliced her in two. “I have to go.” As she repeated the words she turned and left.
* * * *
Cedun stewed on his anger overnight, and when the next morning came, he rose to an empty house. “Gia?” At the bedroom, he knocked. There was no answer. He pushed the door open. Her bag and clothes gone, cupboard and drawers sat empty, and he dropped to the bed. She’d left, just as she’d told him the night before.
He cursed the sun, he cursed Garret, and most of all, he cursed himself for not pushing harder. For pushing her and speaking of his feelings. It didn’t relieve the tension that wound deeply within his gut.
It took time to drive away the tension that cloaked him, but he finally dressed and used the matter transmitter, arriving at his office in the city.
He strode through the small office building he shared with De’ Valerie and her company. By the time Cedun stomped into his office, Joruzan had sized him up with a frown. “You told her?”
“She refused to let me speak.” He snarled the words, and Joruzan flinched.
“Oh. Valerie said once she has her mind set—”
“You spoke of us to De’ Valerie?” Anger bubbled over, seeking any target. Right now it was Joruzan.
“As one speaking to his life-mate.” When he didn’t stop glowering, Joruzan sighed his frustration. “Cedun, stop for a moment. I understand your anger—”
Cedun needed to control himself, but the acid burn of anger continued to flow. “You understand nothing. By speaking to De’ Valerie you have broken my confidence.” His hands balled into fists. How could Joruzan do such a thing? Does our history as brothers-in-arms mean so little?
Joruzan stood. “I am first and foremost your friend. I am also your second-in-command. The one who is able to offer advice. But you do not need that right now, because you are acting like a child without any kind of restraint. You act as if you are afraid your new toy will be stolen. Stop and con
sider before you speak again.” Joruzan’s firm tone broke through the icy wall of hurt and anger.
He was right. His behavior was childish and out of character. He closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, letting his lungs expand. “Forgive me, Joruzan, for you are right. I have spoken irrationally and acted without restraint.”
Joruzan didn’t smile, but extended his hand, placing it on Cedun’s arm. “Love is tough, and it is harder with the women of Earth. They do not understand how it drives us. They have little knowledge of our culture, so they cannot perceive how deeply we are affected. Now come. We have work to do.”
As far as accepting his apology, it really wasn’t much, but Cedun accepted Joruzan’s words and settled into the small desk area. “Do we have any information on the missing matter transmitters?”
Joruzan returned to his desk and picked up a sheaf of papers. “These are the printouts I requested from our people and the authorities. It is worse than we could have imagined. Forty-three units are missing and cannot be accounted for.”
The pit in Cedun’s belly grew larger and heavier. “How can there be that many?”
“It is simple. They get misplaced, go missing from pockets in the streets, are filched by women of the night our men frequent.”
Cedun started at that. “Women of the…”
“Indeed. It seems several of our number have used them on a regular basis.” Joruzan spoke evenly, but Cedun couldn’t compute or understand this need some of their number had admitted to.
“I want to know how many there are, Joruzan, and their names. No woman—”
Joruzan’s raised hand stopped Cedun in his tracks. “Women here can and do participate in this trade openly. They are breaking no rules. It is perfectly legal, and I gather it is quite enjoyable.”
Cedun heard the underlying message in Joruzan’s voice. Leave it be. It went against the teachings and culture of the Ba’Tua. Sex was only reserved for mated couples. Indeed, his own responses to Gia broke those rules too, but he planned to mate with her later, when she was ready to accept him, unlike his men who engaged in such trade.
Joruzan pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down heavily. “Others have disappeared in drains. And four of our Ba’Tua have passed in suspicious circumstances, accounting for more.”
Cedun rubbed his now aching temples. With a contingent of fifteen thousand Ba’Tua on this continent alone, he supposed it was to be expected. “We have attempted to triangulate their positions?”
“Yes. I have men tackling that as we speak. I believe some will come to light as the auto-ping generates, but it will not account for all.” Joruzan leaned forward. “I’ve also sent two men to seek Garret and shadow him. If we can get a lock on his location, we may be able to pinpoint which of the transmitters he has managed to get hold of and track him.” Joruzan smiled. The grin was cold, and Cedun had a suspicion as to what his friend was planning. The glint in Joruzan’s eyes made Cedun smile.
“Then we find him?”
“I believe, Turaa Cedun, that would be in order.”
“That would certainly answer one question, but another still remains. One that concerns me greatly.”
Joruzan inclined his head. “And what would that be?”
“Why does he want Gia so badly that he would attack her in her own home?”
For that question, neither had an answer.
* * * *
The house looked no different, Gia decided as she strode up the path to the front door.
Mail peeked out of the letterbox and she snatched it up, noting the ones with the window envelopes that were clearly bills. “How the hell am I supposed to pay these?”
No job, no future of a job, and bills coming in. Just as well she had no dependents. At least, right now, she had her savings. Had it been like that for Valerie? Had she fretted over each dollar expended? Gia couldn’t remember her mother being anything other than loving and giving her full attention to her child, but with the hindsight of adulthood, Gia recognized it must have been a struggle from week to week.
The garden suffered slightly from neglect. Four days without water in high summer left the grass with a brown tinge, and the flowers were decidedly droopy. She’d have to water them later today. Right now, she wanted a coffee and to sit down in the kitchen. To think over what had happened in the last few days and just be by herself.
Cedun had been an excellent host, but she’d been jittery and on edge. Then last night…
She blanked that out. “I’m not ready to think about that.” The words sounded false as she said them and she sighed. Was she being ridiculous? What he offered was tantalizing. Sex, a stable relationship… But it sounded too good. “You thought you knew what you were getting into with Garret and look how that turned out.”
She firmed her resolve and fished around in her bag, searching for her key, and was slotting it into the lock when a sound caught her attention.
She started to spin around, but a hand clamped over her mouth while another held her hands firmly by her side. “Well now, baby cakes. It’s just you and me again. How’s about we head inside for a chat?”
She trembled, the sound of his voice so close to her ear and the firm way he held her were effective. Fear flashed, drowning out the voice that screamed in her mind that if he got her inside, who knew what he’d do to her. Gia fumbled with the lock, the sound of panting in her ear causing her fingers to slip and shake. Finally, the key turned.
Once the door was open he shoved her inside, and she stumbled against the cool wall then spun to face him. “What do you want, Garret? You really shouldn’t be here.” Carefully, trying not to draw his attention, she slid her hand toward her pocket.
“Stay still, baby doll, and let me check your pockets. Don’t want you spoiling our party with interlopers, now do we?” There was some kind of amusement in his voice, but it frightened her with the silky dark tones.
Oh God! He’s worked it out! He knows I have a communicator.
Garret advanced, but this time she was ready for him and swung her bag up. It carried her clothes, shoes, and purse so the weight should hit with decent force. Somehow she must have telegraphed what she planned to do. He blocked the connection with his hand and the bag jangled angrily, but it gave her time to push against him, out the door. Escape, her mind screamed, and she followed the urge.
Even as she ran, her fingers searched for and found the tiny communicator shoved deep into her pocket. She pressed the notch, desperate to escape Garret, but his hand latched onto her upper arm. An angry jerk with biting fingers had her crying out. Pain arced then her hand numbed as the blood supply to her fingers was compromised. The communicator fell from her hand and he stomped it. It smashed to pieces beneath her horrified gaze, and he looked up, a feral smile flashing over his face.
Gia twisted and dropped her bag, running blindly now. Garret wants to hurt me. It wasn’t just the alcohol. Fear lashed at her mind as she pounded the asphalt beneath her feet, hoping to flee. There was a shop ahead. Surely someone would help her.
The same bruising grip tugged her close once more. “No escaping this time, you bitch.”
Screeching filled the air and the blare of a horn. She was released and fell to the ground, crying out as pebbles embedded themselves in her knees and the tender palms of her hands. She cowered, afraid to look up as a horn blasted once more.
“Hey, lady! Are you okay?”
A vehicle has stopped beside her, the black wheels filling her vision. “I’m… I don’t…”
Heart thudding, she looked around, realizing that Garret was gone. A light-headed sensation assailed her, and she dipped and swayed even as she reached out for support. The metal of the car was cool but couldn’t fight back the gray cloud that appeared around the edges of her sight. Black dots filled her vision and her grip on reality receded a little further.
“Lady? Hey!” The man in the car was opening the door, hurrying out even as she fainted.
* * * *
> The tiny buzz broke Cedun’s concentration and the name flashed before him on the screen before the connection broke off. Gia!
He tried to reconnect to the communicator but it failed. Emotions stirred inside him, and he shoved himself out of the chair.
Joruzan raised his startled face. “Something is wrong?”
“I do not know. Gia tried to contact me, then…” His heart thudded in his chest while fear wrapped around him, sinking its claws in deep.
“Location?” Joruzan reached for the tiny stunning weapon they were authorized to carry in their official hours.
Gia wouldn’t contact him without a damned good reason. “Where the hell is Garret?” Joruzan opened his mouth, but Cedun shook his head. “I’m heading to Gia’s. That is where I think she would have gone. Contact me if you find out anything else.” He gripped the transmitter in his hand, hoping like hell he was on the right track.
The world dropped away, and when it came back into view, Cedun was in Gia’s doorway, looking at the open door. Her keys and a batch of letters lay scattered on the tiles. Fury bloomed. Garret. Damn him!
A commotion in the street caught his eye. There was a knot of people gathered around a car. Something was on the ground and people crowded in.
“Gia!” he bellowed as he set off running. Cedun shouldered his way through the crowd that had formed and found Gia lying on the ground. An icy fear shivered through his brain. Is she alive? The need to hear that she was drove him forward.
Her head was cradled in a stranger’s lap. “Hey, take it easy, man.” Someone in the crowd gripped his shoulder as he surged forward.
“Gia!” His voice was hoarse with fear, and the man cradling her looked at him.
“You know her?” The man pinned him with a cold glare and he nodded, unable to trust his voice.
“She was running like a bat outta hell, and someone was following her, then whoever it was disappeared. Like one of those bloody aliens, you know? Bastards shouldn’t be allowed near humans.” His voice died away as Cedun stared at him. “You’re one of them!” Now there was accusation and fear.