Cosmic Cabaret

by SFR Shooting Stars

  The man who had spoken into his mic whispered something to the officer who had stopped them. The officer grimaced. “We have questions about Miss Lorento’s involvement in a theft and a murder. We’re here to escort her to the security office.”

  “A murder?” Pitannah swayed on her feet.

  Twelve

  Vordol kept his hold on Pitannah as they followed the lead officer. The other two followed closely behind, making him more than a little edgy. There were few people he trusted at his back and these two were not among that select group.

  “Miss Lorento, if you’ll have a seat in here, Ensign Aden will be with you in a moment.”

  The fear in her eyes made his gut twist. She seemed to be looking to him for advice or comfort or something. “Go on in. I’ll be right out here,” he reassured her. “I’ll come in as soon as I figure out what’s going on.” He shot the officer a hard look.

  She wrapped her arms around her middle and nodded. The officer closed the door behind her then faced him. “Commander Zagorski said to tell you he’s on the way.”

  “I damn well hope so.”

  Vordol stood outside the room they had put Pitannah in until Tangier arrived.

  “Come to my office.” Tangier gestured for him to follow but Vordol refused to budge. “I give you my word that she will be perfectly safe in there.” He motioned for one of the female officers to go in. “Officer Lacura will make sure she’s not alone.”

  Somewhat mollified, Vordol followed Tangier into his office at the end of the corridor.

  “Java?”

  “No. What’s this all about, Tangier?” Vordol demanded.

  “I’m not completely sure myself. When they called, I was dead asleep.” He pressed a button on the machine and filled his mug. “All they told me is that a man had been stabbed and left dead and that they believed Pitannah Lorento was somehow connected.”

  “Who’s the man?” Vordol asked.

  “Not sure.” He took a sip from his mug then gestured to his computer. “Let me pull up the report.” Tangier typed in a few things then projected the screen so Vordol could read the information.

  “The guest’s name is Theodore Morgonz. Married. He’s here with his wife, Veena. They’re in cabin number 2745.” Tangier looked to Vordol. “You know him?”

  Vordol shook his head. “Doesn’t even look familiar to me.”

  “Do you think she knows him?”

  “I honestly couldn’t say.” Vordol took a seat on the edge of Tangier’s desk. “I knew Pitannah years ago when I worked with her dad.”

  “That wouldn’t be Harec Lorento, would it?” Tangier asked.

  “It would.”

  “Heard he had been killed not long ago.”

  Vordol nodded. “You heard right. I didn’t know until I ran into Pitannah a couple days ago.”

  “So, you two have been out of touch?”

  “Yeah. She left for University toward the end of my training with her dad.” Vordol got up and paced toward the door. “I stayed in touch with Harec for years, but the spans between coms had gotten longer. I hate it that it took me so long to find out about his death.”

  “Is that why you’re being so protective of her?” Tangier gestured in the direction of the room that held Pitannah.

  “I don’t know.” He wiped his hand across his face. “Maybe.” That sounded like as good an excuse as any.

  Tangier scrolled through the report. “She has a good record with Quantum. Never had problems with guests or staff. But, we did find the missing necklace in her room.”

  Vordol froze. “What missing necklace?”

  “The one that had been stolen during the attack.”

  “You found it in her room? When was the attack?”

  “As best we can tell, about an hour ago.”

  Vordol straightened his posture. “Then it wasn’t her, for sure.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Because she’s been with me at Tavern Lounge for about two hours.”

  “That doesn’t explain how the stolen necklace came to be in her room.”

  Vordol frowned then snapped his fingers. “Her IdentiBand went missing.”

  “When?”

  “I’m not sure, she had just realized it when your men found us. I walked her to the employee entrance when we left the bar, but she couldn’t get in without that bracelet. She was about to call her friend to see if she had left it in a bag that her friend had.”

  Tangier grabbed a note pad and pen. “The friend’s name?”

  “Daloya. You’d have to ask Pitannah what her last name is though.”

  Tangier got up. “Why don’t you wait here? I’m going to go ask her a few questions. If everything you’ve said matches her side of things, she should be able to leave before long.”

  Vordol nodded then took a seat in one of Tangier’s guest chairs. He sent a message to Zak and Yranac letting them know he’d been delayed and to remain at their posts. Next he scanned his messages looking for the one Solir was supposed to send with the intel on Pitannah. He scanned through pages of the expected info—birthdate, known and current addresses, parents, siblings, work history. Hell, Solir even included her grades from University. The man was thorough. She had no arrests and no known contact with anyone disreputable. At a glance, her life seemed boring. That probably came as a result of living with a man whose entire life revolved around security and protection.

  He had just begun to pace when Tangier returned.

  “Well, her story matched yours. Right down to the stolen IdentiBand.” Tangier went to his computer. “Let me see if we can locate that bracelet now.”

  “Tracking chip?”

  “Naturally.” He glanced up from his keyboard. “You’d be surprised how many times those things get lost. It’s cheaper to locate and recover than issue new ones.”

  “I could see that with a staff this size.”

  Tangier launched the tracking program. A map of the ship appeared along with a red flashing light. “According to this, her IdentiBand is on the Nebula deck.” He pressed the mic on his comm unit. “Naven, send an officer up to the Nebula Deck, section 25, to search for an IdentiBand. Have it scanned for prints before retrieval though.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Are you willing to go on record that she was with you at the time of the incident?”

  “Absolutely.”

  Tangier nodded. “I have to admit, this whole scenario is awfully convenient. This theft doesn’t fit with the rest we’ve been looking for. It was sloppy and the item didn’t fit the pattern. Besides, if she were the thief, why would she hide that one item in her room? In a place that would be easily discovered?”

  “Where did you find it?”

  “This says they found it in her underwear drawer.”

  Vordol blinked in surprise. “So, it wasn’t even in a locked container or hidden in a wall safe or anything like that?”

  “No. And the anonymous note we received directing us to her room moments after the murder likely took place is just too much of a set-up in my book.”

  “Someone sent you a note?”

  “Not me, but yes, the department.”

  Vordol frowned. “Do you think someone wanted her out of the competition?”

  Tangier’s head snapped up. “What competition? The burlesque?” At Vordol’s nod, Tangier said, “I didn’t realize she was a contestant.”

  “She’s one of the highest ranked. If not the top competitor.”

  “Ah. Now things are making a little more sense. I think your little friend has been set up. If she were to be arrested, not only would she take the fall for a string of thefts, but it would be one less person someone would have to worry about in the competition.”

  “That’s what I think, too. Now, we just need to figure out who the real criminal is.”

  Thirteen

  Pitannah slumped over the table in front of her and lay her head down on her crossed arms. She had no sense of how long she had b
een in here. The only person she had seen, other than the female officer, was the Commander when he came in to ask questions.

  No one would tell her anything about the person she was accused of killing. How did she get mixed up in this? Should she tell them she wanted a lawyer? Not that she had a lawyer to call, but Trenna or Daloya would be able to figure it out if she needed one. And where was Vordol? He had been so calm. He was the reason she hadn’t broken down when they locked her in.

  Granted, he was around this kind of thing all the time. Usually, he was the one hauling criminals in, though. Would everyone think she was a criminal now?

  That was ridiculous. She was only being questioned. She hadn’t been arrested.

  The door opened and the Commander came in, followed closely by Vordol. “Miss Lorento, you’re free to go.”

  She stood on shaky legs. “I can?” She looked at Vordol. He nodded and held his hand out.

  “I’ve sent an officer to retrieve your IdentiBand.”

  “You did? Was it in my things with Daloya?”

  “No. We tracked it to a trash bin on the Omega deck.”

  She frowned. “What was it doing there?” Her eyes widened. “Someone stole it from my bag backstage, didn’t they?”

  “Why do you think that?” the Commander asked.

  “When I came off stage and went to put my things away, I thought my bag had been rummaged through. I asked Daloya and Trenna if they had been in it, but they said they hadn’t.” She glanced from one man to the other. “We all wondered if the thief who stole stuff from one of the dressing rooms had done it.”

  “We’ll look into that,” the Commander reassured her. “In the meantime, Officer Lacura will issue you a new one and have your cabin access re-coded to it.”

  “Okay. But I can go? You know I didn’t kill anyone?”

  “We have enough evidence to prove you were not in the vicinity when the incident took place.”

  Well, that was rather non-committal but she’d take it. “Okay. Thank you.”

  Vordol took her by the arm. Strange how such a mild touch could be so reassuring.

  Once she received her new IdentiBand she and Vordol headed to her cabin. “Do you think my supervisor will say anything when I go back to work?” She stumbled as a worse thought hit her. “You don’t think they’ll fire me over this, do you?”

  “No.”

  “But—”

  “You weren’t arrested. You were only questioned. They had evidence they had to pursue. Now they know they need to look in another direction.”

  When they arrived at the employee-only area, Vordol badged himself through and held the door open for her. She started to protest but gave up. “I’m too tired to care that you aren’t supposed to be back here. If your badge lets you, then who am I to argue?”

  “Even if my badge didn’t let me in, I would have followed you anyway. I’m not leaving you until I know for sure you’re somewhere safe.”

  She took his hand and squeezed it. “Thank you.” Then she paused. “Why didn’t you let yourself through the employee doors earlier?”

  “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. And, quite frankly, I’m not certain I would have left if I’d made it to your door.”

  Words escaped her as images streamed through her mind’s eye of the two of them rolling around on her narrow cot together. Naked. Sweaty.

  His voice rumbled when he told her, “You shouldn’t look at me like that right now.”

  She blinked.

  “We’ve both had a long day and you need to get some rest before the final round.”

  “You’re right.” She cleared her throat and swiped her IdentiBand to open her door. When the lights came on she froze. “What…” Her entire cabin had been overturned. Drawers had been emptied onto the floor and the cot. Her clothes were scattered around her room. Even food containers had been opened and searched.

  Tears pooled in her eyes. “I just wanted to sleep for a while and forget.” She picked up a couple of her shirts that had been trampled on the floor. “This is going to take hours to clean. I’m never going to be ready for the competition tomorrow.” She looked at her communicator. “I mean, tonight.”

  Vordol took her hand. “Forget this. Get your toothbrush and come with me. We’ll figure this out tomorrow.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Pitannah. You need to rest. This can wait.”

  She sniffled then nodded her agreement. She managed to find her spare toothbrush as well as a hairbrush and hair tie, then, followed him out into the passageway. At least she didn’t have to worry about nosy neighbors at this time of night.

  Vordol slipped his arm about her shoulder and led her away. She soaked in his strength and promised herself it would only be for a little while. Tomorrow she would get back on her feet and handle everything she needed to, just like she always had—but tonight she would let someone else be strong.

  He asked no questions nor did he make any accusations as they made their way through the winding passageways. Finally she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “To my cabin.” He shrugged. “Well, it’s Ruby’s suite, but I have my own room.”

  She balked. “I can’t go with you. That wouldn’t look right.”

  “To whom?”

  “To anyone who knows I stayed in your cabin right before the big night of the competition.”

  “I understand what you’re saying, but right now, in the middle of the night, in the middle of this ship, I really don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks.”

  She sighed. She should just have him walk her to Daloya’s or Trenna’s cabin but neither of them had room for her. Someone would end up sleeping on the floor. She also didn’t want to wake them up only to have to spend an hour answering their questions. “Fine. But I’m leaving first thing in the morning.”

  “Fine.”

  They walked the rest of the way in silence. She marveled at his ability to navigate the twisting passages without getting lost. Even she had trouble in some of the guest areas. When they finally reached the correct cabin he rapped on the door with a strange pattern then swiped his card to access the room. Vordol held the door open and gestured for her to enter.

  The man on the couch got to his feet.

  “Zak, this is Pitannah. She’s an old friend of mine.”

  Zak tipped his head to her.

  “Hi.” She gave him a quick wave.

  “She ran into a spot of trouble this evening and will be bunking here for what’s left of the night.” To her, Vordol said, “That’s my room.” He pointed to the door to their right. “Go ahead and get cleaned up or whatever you need to do then you take the bed. I’ll bunk out here where I can keep watch.”

  She opened her mouth to argue with him but he cut her off. “I need to debrief with Zak. Ruby will probably be up by mid-morning so get what sleep you can. I’ll let her know what happened in the morning.”

  She tried to speak again but he said, “It’s not up for debate. Get some sleep.”

  She scowled at him then turned and stomped into the bedroom mumbling, “Damn bossy men think they know what’s best for everything. Good thing I like you buddy.”

  Zak chuckled.

  She started to slam the door but remembered Ruby was just across the cabin. It would be rude to wake her. After the door clicked shut she took a look around. She found a T-shirt lying across the back of a chair. It was plain black and soft and didn’t look or smell dirty so she snagged it to sleep in.

  When she finished in the bathroom she returned to the bedroom wearing only her panties and Vordol’s shirt. She looked up and found Vordol staring at her.

  She touched the baggy garment. “I hope you don’t mind.”

  “No.” He cleared his throat. “You’re welcome to it.” He went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of workout pants. “I just wanted to grab these.”

  “Vordol?”

  He looked back at her.

  “You don’t have to l
eave.”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “What if I tell you that I really don’t want to be alone tonight?”

  The muscle in his jaw twitched. “Then you would have to be very certain because if I stay I’m not planning on sleeping for a long while.”

  Fourteen

  Pitannah’s heart hammered against her chest. “And if I say I’m fine with that?”

  He closed the door behind him and stalked closer. “Are you absolutely certain you know what you’re asking for?”

  Something in his expression made her think of a predator. Like one of those giant cats she’d seen in exotic animal displays. Only this one wasn’t caged. And he looked hungry.

  Heat spiraled through her belly.

  She nodded. “Yes. I know.”

  He tossed the pants onto the dresser then went back to the door. “One benefit to these VIP suites is the noise cancellation system.” He pressed a couple of buttons on the control panel then faced her. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside as he closed in on her. “Now I can make you scream my name a dozen times and no one will hear it.”

  Her legs nearly gave out but he pulled her against him in time. He searched her eyes as if needing reassurance she meant what she had said. When he finally kissed her, her whole world tilted on its axis.

  No gentle wooing here. Only heat and passion, but with an underlying tenderness she found surprising.

  Without taking his lips off hers, his hands slid down her back until he gripped her ass and pulled her closer. He stole her breath, and yet he gave her air.

  She ran her hands over his chest. His muscles rippled beneath her fingers as she explored everything she could reach. She wanted to touch every inch of him—and lick it too. When her hand moved downward to his erection he groaned and pushed against her.

  Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist when he lifted her up and walked to the bed. He fell forward with her but stopped their descent before they hit the bed’s surface so she wasn’t crushed beneath him. His hand skimmed up her side from her hip to her chest.