“Would you introduce us?” asked Oden, giving Daisy his best smile.
Bit did her best to hide her grin. When he really needed to, Oden was certainly capable of turning on the charm.
Daisy pursed her lips yet again before climbing to her feet. She sauntered across the room, swaying her hips from side to side.
“Crystal,” she called as she approached.
The other woman glanced up, taking in Oden and Bit in a quick glance, her eyes settling on Bit with an alluring smile.
“Who’s this?” she asked in the same voice Daisy had used on Oden.
Bit glanced at Oden. The pilot grinned at her, his smile spreading from ear to ear.
“This is Bit, and this is my old friend Oden,” Daisy said, linking her arm with Oden’s. “They were wondering if you knew anyone from Brighter Futures Biometrics.”
Crystal rolled her eyes, her purple lips curling into a sneer. “Yeah. I service Todd Bates… the bastard. I keep telling Mick I don’t want to work for men anymore, but he won’t listen to me.”
Bit glanced at Oden again, who gave her the same flick of the eyes as she had given him regarding Daisy. She knew there were women out there who preferred other women over men, but she had never met one in her secluded life. She most definitely hadn’t met one who was interested in her.
“Umm…” began Bit, completely forgetting how to be charming. “Does he ever talk… I mean, has he ever mentioned work? When your, well, when he… I don’t mean… that is, when you…”
“Oh, she is just the most innocent little thing ever!” exclaimed Crystal as she jumped up to embrace Bit.
Bit froze, finding herself grappled by the woman only garbed in a see-through negligée hanging half open. She turned her eyes on Oden and Daisy, both of whom looked ready to burst with laughter at any moment. Crystal released her enough to put her at arm’s length so that she could look into Bit’s eyes.
Bit forced her pain away from her features, hiding the agony she felt in her ribs. If she could help it, the stripers would never know their touch sent stabs of fire through her body.
“Yes, he does talk to me about his company,” Crystal said, taking pity on Bit’s discomfort. “He’s currently enraged about his competitors. Claims they’ve developed something that will put him out of business.”
“Do you know what?” asked Bit, not even trying to flirt with the woman; her complete innocence had worked with her thus far.
“He didn’t say. But he did say he was working on the problem. Something about stealing the tech and back… um… back…”
“Back engineering?” offered Oden.
“Yes, that!” exclaimed Crystal.
Bit and Oden stared at each other. If what Crystal said were true, they had a large clue as to who might be after Jack and the others.
“Every time Todd comes to me he’s more and more angry about MGC,” said Crystal.
“You talking about MGC?” asked another stripper as she walked by, a towel wrapped around her naked body.
Bit felt a fresh blush spread up her neck and across her cheeks. Why can’t they wear clothing?
“Yes, what of it?” demanded Daisy as she squeezed Oden’s arms.
“Half my clients are wild about MGC and those new fancy animals they have coming out. I can’t believe how many men talk about what animal they’re going to get their wives. You know they say MGC might even create a unicorn through that… what’s it called? Something modification.”
“Genetic modification?” offered Bit.
“Yes! That!”
Bit glanced at Oden again.
“So you’re saying these genetically modified animals are hot ticket items?” asked Oden.
“Unbelievably so! I hear there’s a waiting list a mile long and a four million dollar premium just to get on the waiting list,” added the new stripper.
“Certainly sounds worth killing over,” Bit said softly.
“What?” asked Crystal as she slid her arm around Bit’s waist.
“Thank you, ladies,” Oden said, “you have been extremely helpful!”
“And just how helpful is that?” asked Crystal, leaning into Bit.
Bit felt her eyes grow wide. “Um… really, truly grateful!”
“You could give me a little ‘thank you’!”
“Didn’t I just do that?”
“Oh, come now, you know what I mean,” Crystal said, pursing her lips.
Suddenly, Bit understood. Without giving it a moment’s thought, Bit ducked out of her arm. Crystal’s face crumpled into a pout.
“Just a big tease,” she said with a playful growl before stomping away.
“Ignore Crystal. She’s like that with all girls, regardless of their inclination. Well, Oden,” she added, turning to the pilot, “will you miss me?”
“You know I will,” he said with a smile.
“Then kiss me goodbye!”
Oden leaned in and at the last minute diverted to her cheek, pecking it lightly before breaking the contact. Like Crystal, Daisy gave him a pout.
“Now who’s the tease?”
“Daisy, you know how it is, and how it will always be. We’ve had this talk. Take care of yourself, dear friend. I’ll check in with you when I’m next on planet,” he added as he gave her shoulder a squeeze.
She continued to pout as he turned to Bit, taking her hand and leading her out of the dressing room. They entered the smelly hallway, the door shutting behind him. Oden burst into a soft laugh.
“The look on your face!” he said between laughs. “I thought you were going to have a heart attack when Crystal hugged you.”
“So did I,” Bit growled as they emerged into the large central room of the strip club. “Please tell me we don’t have to visit any more strip clubs.”
“I don’t have it on my schedule.”
“Good,” sighed Bit. “That was not fun.”
“Don’t like mobs of naked women?”
“Not like you do,” she said in the hopes of seeing him blush.
To her amusement, he turned crimson and averted his eyes.
“I didn’t enjoy it,” he grumbled under his breath.
“Oden?” called a male voice before she could reply.
They turned to see a man in a smart suit approaching them at a fast clip. Had the man’s hair not been such a stark shade of blond, Bit would have thought he had some measurable amount of old-timer Spanish blood in him due to his dark tan. Slowly she realized he had simply spent too much time under an artificial tanning light. Bit squeezed Oden’s hand, leaning into his arm. She didn’t want to meet anyone else after the long ordeal in the dressing room.
“Oden, is that you?” asked the newcomer.
Oden stared at the man for a moment. “Warren Kard?”
“Of course. Oden, so good to see!” Warren said, clapping Oden on the shoulder. “Never thought to stumble on you here. Your girl work here?”
Bit tensed, offended by the suggestion. She glanced up at Oden, happy to see equal disgust on his features.
“Bit, here, is a member of my ship’s crew, not a stripper,” Oden growled.
Warren gave her a wide, white-toothed grin. “My apologies, miss. I meant no offense. I just saw you two holding hands.”
Bit suddenly pulled her hand free of Oden’s, a fresh blush burning her cheeks. Warren’s smile grew.
“Don’t worry. Your secret’s safe with me,” he said with a wink.
“We’re not together,” she said. “It’s not like that.”
“Of course not.”
“We’re not,” she insisted.
“If not,” Warren began, “mind if I ask you out to dinner tonight?”
Bit felt a new blush bleed into the last one.
“I don’t think so,” Oden said before she could speak, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and pulling her away from the well-dressed man. “What do you want, Warren?”
“What? I can’t say hello to an old friend?”
“Friend? Right. Well, hello. And goodbye.”
Oden turned to leave, dragging Bit with him. She went willingly, glad to be leaving Warren and the strip club behind.
“What? Leaving so soon. I was hoping to catch up… and talk a little more with your friend. I’m still hoping I can convince her to go to dinner with me.”
Bit ducked out of Oden’s arm and turned on her heals, all patience gone.
“Let me make something abundantly clear,” she began, “whoever you are. I will never be interested in dinner with a man I meet in a strip club. And just for the sake of your edification—since it seems you need some—any woman worth having a long-term relationship with you will not find in a strip club. If you’re not interested in a real relationship then just pay one of the stripers. That way you get what you want and they make some extra money. Over all, though, I would just say strip clubs in general are not good places to pick up women. Got it?”
She turned back to Oden, amused to find him grinning from ear to ear.
“Right,” began Warren. “So, your girl doesn’t like me, but that doesn’t mean you and I can’t catch up.”
Oden casually allowed Bit to burrow under his arm again, her back remaining to Warren.
“Warren, you made it your life’s mission to torment me throughout school. Why would I ever want to catch up with you?”
“Just wanted to see how you were doing?”
“No, you just wanted to compare lives. You clearly win. You’re making seven figures a year, but I fly against pirates on a regular basis, pushing my skills to the limit, not knowing whether I’m going to live or die… Oh and I got to see the most amazing woman I’ve ever known grind you into the dust. So while you might have the money, I wouldn’t trade places with you for the world.”
“My offer still stands, miss,” Warren said, his voice sounding much less stable.
Bit glanced over her shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. Instead of responding, she turned into Oden’s chest and reached up to his neck. To her amazement, he stiffened as she pressed herself against him, standing on tip toe, and pressed her lips to his. She deepened the kiss, pressing her tongue between his lips, at the sound of Warren clearing his voice. Finally, Oden responded, his hand tangling in her dreadlocks and pulling her up against him. It hurt her ribs but she ignored the pain in exchange for the satisfaction of annoying Warren. Bit felt his lip ring play against her lips and found herself reluctant to pull away.
Finally, she put those thoughts aside as she released Oden and grinned at Warren. She didn’t say anything. Instead, she laced her fingers with Oden’s and they walked out of the strip club, leaving the rich stranger to wonder at his failure.
Out on the street, Bit felt yet another blush burn her cheeks.
What did I just do? she wondered in amazement. She swallowed a sudden lump in her throat as her heart raced through her chest.
“You tell anyone about that,” said Bit, “and I’ll cut your penis off.”
“Right. Wouldn’t want Blaine to find out,” replied Oden, hurt lacing through his voice.
Bit stopped in her tracks, their twined fingers drawing him to a stop, too. Oden avoided her eyes until she jerked his hand hard enough to hurt.
“You listen to me,” she ordered. “I am not with Blaine. Whatever is wrong with him… whatever it is… he must be drugged, or something, but I am not with him. Nor am I with any other member of the crew, and I intend to stay that way. What I did in there was for my friend and to show up that smug-face little prick. So please, don’t read into it and don’t read into my denial of it meaning anything. It was just a gesture for my friend. Now, please be my friend!”
Oden let out a long sigh and nodded his head. “All right. Friend. I’m sorry. I know that was all you wanted. But for the record, that kiss of all the kisses I’ve ever received, sure makes it hard to remember that.”
Bit blushed again, perfectly aware of what he was saying.
“Now, what was that all about?” asked Bit.
“What was what?”
“That thing with Warren? There was clearly bad blood.”
“There’s bad blood with everyone from school,” grumbled Oden, dragging her back into motion.
Chapter Twenty
Calen rounded the corner, the Noctis Bar coming into his line of sight. The entrance was deserted, but being 0700 it wasn’t surprising to find it empty. All the same, the bar that thrived on the nightlife remained open twenty-four hours a day. Calen felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise to attention. He saw no signs of Jack or the others, but he had taken a rather direct route.
Dammit¸ he thought to himself, as he tried to calm his shaking fingers. Calen closed his eyes for a second, silently berating himself for his own stupidity. He quickly opened them, realizing he was, once again, being an idiot.
The pilot scanned his surroundings as Randal and Blaine had taught him, looking for anything that appeared out of place. To his nervous gaze, everything from the dumpster sitting up against the side wall of the narrow entrance to the single hover car parked at the far end of the small parking lot looked out of place. Calen took a deep breath, willing his jitters down into the pit of his stomach and stepped out from behind his hiding place. He crossed the street, desperately wishing there was more traffic in the early hours of the morning, but the cliff district was much like the pleasure district—awake at night and asleep during the day.
Calen stepped up on to the opposite sidewalk, his eyes still flicking from side to side.
Where are the others? he wondered as he reached for the door of the bar’s entrance.
A shot rang out, freezing his heart before a pain tore through his arm. Calen dropped to the ground, more out of fright and instinct than damage to his body. His hand went to his arm, gripping his shoulder as though he expected blood to come gushing from an open wound, as he dragged himself behind the nearby dumpster. Calen glanced at his clean shoulder. Whatever had struck him had deadened the arm—it was completely useless—but it hadn’t broken the skin.
He quickly scrambled to his feet and ducked behind the dumpster, peeking his head out as he scanned his surroundings. His heart raced through his chest until it hurt. He’d been found out, and somehow they knew he had the real package.
Where are they? his mind screamed. Only he didn’t know which “they” he meant—his enemies or his friends. Were the people shooting at him connected with the man in the windbreaker, or were they some other group? His mind seethed with possibilities.
Calen’s injured arm hung limply at his side, greatly decreasing his ability to defend himself. He scanned the street again, looking for a way out. To his back lay the enormous Valles Marineris Trench—a river-filled canyon spreading over twenty-five hundred miles from end to end. The western tip drove into the city of Tifton, but the majority of the enormous trench ran into the rolling hills of farming country. Here the mammoth cliffs were known for their breathtaking drops and the dangerous-feeling restaurants and bars that were built from their caves.
Now, though, all the cliffs did was eliminate one source of an escape. Calen could hardly scale the seven kilometer drop with only one working arm. To his right sat the tiny entrance to the Noctis Bar. It was nothing more than four walls and a roof covering the stairs leading down into the cave system. To his left, about two meters away, rose the wall of the next building, larger than the hut of the Noctis Bar. His only exit was heading back across the empty street, where he had no cover from whoever was shooting at him.
And what type of bullet had they used anyway? he wondered, glancing back at his dead arm. It clearly hadn’t been a normal bullet, and it hadn’t done any sort of fatal damage to him. Whatever their purpose, they wanted to take him alive. He paused, reconsidering. Or they didn’t want to damage the package. Shit!
Calen gave his surroundings another sweep, desperate for an alternative option. His eyes slid off the tiny entrance to the bar. As a last resort, he could slip into the bar. Surely the
y had some sort of back exit.
Another shot rang out and he ducked back behind the dumpster just as the bullet pounded into the metal canister. The bar could be a dead end, but it could also unite him with Jack and the others if they were waiting inside the lower caves, unaware that he was trapped behind the damn dumpster.
Calen considered his two impossible options one last time. Finally, in an act of desperation, he squeezed himself between the dumpster and the metal siding of the small structure. Calen knew he was likely to get pegged again as he slipped from his hiding place and into the safety of the bar, but he would have to keep moving despite the pain. Stealing himself for the oncoming attack, Calen bolted from behind the dumpster, grabbed the door handle, and yanked it open.
Once again, his attacker fired as three men jumped out of their own hiding spot across the street. The non-lethal bullet struck him in the lower back, sending him to his knees just as he yanked the door open. He fell through the open door, tumbling down the steps carved out of the unforgiving stone, pain punctuating each thump.
At the first landing, Calen’s headlong tumble came to a stop. A groan escaped his swelling lips. With his good arm, he pushed himself up, knowing he didn’t have time to nurse his newest injuries. He got to his feet and hobbled down the second flight of steps, leaning heavily on the railing embedded into the stone wall. Liquid trickled down the side of his face, warming his skin. He reached up and wiped it away before it could get into his eyes, the back of his hand coming away red.
Calen reached the main lobby of the famous bar and scanned the large cave. Despite the dim lights, Calen could quickly tell his crew mates had yet to arrive.
“Sir, are you okay?” asked the man at the podium, ready to take him to a seat.
“You have a back exit?” Calen asked, ignoring his question.
“Two, sir. One through our kitchens, and an emergency exit that connects with the next restaurant but no one’s used that one in fifty-odd years.”
“Which way to that emergency exit?”
“Through that door there,” said the waiter, pointing to a door masked by a sheer curtain.
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