by Autumn Dawn
“No calls,” Brandy cut in. “We’ll go in person first thing tomorrow. Both of us. I’m sure between the two of us we can find a cop who’s interested in our case.”
“Either that or look extremely silly,” Gem muttered.
Now that she had a plan of action, Brandy seemed to be feeling much better. She sat up and said, “I don’t care if we look dumb. I’d rather be seen as a flake than be killed by a psycho.”
Gem raised her eyebrows, letting the moment pass. She wasn’t going to go into any other issue right now.
Her sister stood up, steadying herself on the back of the couch. “Gem?” she said. “No more kissing.”
Gem raised her brows again and looked away. She wasn’t going to say anything. She had a feeling she shouldn’t be making any such promises.
Chapter Six
Kissing seemed to be the last thing on Blue’s mind the next day. He met Gem and her sister on the front drive as they prepared to enter a rented transport. Gem took a moment to regret not owning her own vehicle—they were imported and hideously expensive—so she could have raced out of her garage before he saw them. Then again, owning a car might not have given them enough time. The new surveillance system was working.
Blue opened his mouth.
“Don’t start,” Brandy butted in. “We have some private business to see to, and we don’t need you.”
His eyes glittered, but his tone was mild. “You willing to bet your life on it?”
“Today? Yeah, I am.” Brandy gestured to the holstered guns she and Gem wore. “We’re armed and alert. We’ll be fine for one short trip.”
Blue slanted a look of contempt at their weapons. “Those won’t stop a real assassin. You agreeing to this, Gem?”
She sighed. “We can’t take you with us. Not this time. I’m sorry.”
He glanced to the side. “Take Jaq, then.” He looked back at Gem, his eyes hard. “He’s an old man, but he’s still good in a fight.”
“You getting in, ladies?” their driver called out.
“Just a sec,” Gem replied. Brandy climbed into the vehicle.
For a moment, Gem looked at Blue. She pondered the dangers she’d already been subjected to, and what might yet lurk in her future. After only a second she said, “Go get him.”
Blue ran inside the inn and came out with Jaq in under a minute. Whatever he’d said to the old man must have been persuasive, because Jaq looked obstinate. The old man took one look at Gem’s gun and held out his hand. “Give me that before you hurt yourself, and get in. I don’t have all day.”
Gem did as he asked, slid into the transport and watched as Jaq buckled her holster around his slim hips. By the time she glanced out the window, the transport had already pulled away from the curb. Disquiet settled in the pit of her stomach.
“What did Blue say to you, Jaq?” she asked.
The old man looked at her sideways. “He said, ‘That damn fool woman is leaving with her brainless sister and thinks she’s protected.’ I put Helda in charge and came out to babysit.” A small smile played at his mouth.
Brandy snorted in disgust and looked out the opposite window.
Gem closed her eyes and smiled. Helda was a formidable woman—skinny, silent and fierce, the old blonde could terrorize the meanest drunk with a look, just by opening her eyes wide. But that wasn’t why she was smiling.
“Do you like him, Jaq?”
The old man glanced at her sidelong. “He’s all right.”
It was high praise, coming from Jaq. Gem looked out the window and tried to think reasonable thoughts.
The town whizzed by, sleek glass-and-steel blocks capped by some domes and spires. Here and there an old stone-fronted building elbowed aside more modern structures, testament to some rebellious architect. Gem loved the chaos, the mix of styles of Polaris; it fit the residents. Human and alien, all lived together in harmony most of the time.
There were a lot of people out and about, many of them stained blue by mine dust. Some walked, some rode motor boards or electronic bikes, and there seemed to be more of them every day. Polaris was changing. It wasn’t much like when she’d grown up.
She shook her head, dislodging the disquiet growing there. It was only the recent troubles that had gotten to her. She loved this place, never wanted to leave. It would take more than an assassin out for her blood to drive her off. She planned to hide herself in The Spark and let it protect her. She’d never need anything else.
It was a fifteen-minute drive to the military base that was their destination. Gem was belatedly glad they’d brought Jaq: he made the check-in easy by flashing his military ID. They were waved inside.
Jaq raised a brow as they stopped at the cop shop. “You checking up on Blue?”
Gem met his eyes. “Wouldn’t you?”
The old man shrugged and got out. Wondering at his unconcern, Gem paid the driver and followed.
Like most such places, the military police station was strictly utilitarian and unfriendly. The austere atmosphere of the base combined with the air of authority intimidated her, but Gem concealed that fact as she walked up to the receptionist and introduced herself. “I need to see someone in charge,” she added.
“Concerning?” The woman looked at Gem expectantly. Her short brown hair was held up with a number of clips and matched the brown spots on her camouflage uniform.
“Concerning an ongoing investigation about someone who’s shooting at me, and about a veteran I have working for my family.”
The woman hesitated, her finger hovering over a buzzer. She got up instead. “One moment. I’ll see if the chief is in.”
They watched her knock on the chief’s door and then disappear inside. In a moment she popped back out and motioned for them to enter.
The chief of military police was middle-aged, lean and very reserved. His face hinted at American Indian heritage, as if he’d flown straight from one of Old Earth’s reservations. Strands of silver streaked his black hair. As he stood to greet them, Gem saw he was of average height, but he reeked of authority and command.
“Hello. My name’s Chief Blackwing,” he said.
“No joke?” Brandy muttered under her breath.
Gem discreetly pinched her. She smiled and extended her hand. Security Chief Blackwing took it carefully and shook, his grip hinting at controlled strength. He performed the same act with Brandy, and nodded to Jaq. “Mr. Cole. I remember you from The Spark. You serve good beer.”
Jaq nodded. “Chief.”
The security chief moved back behind his desk. “What can I do for you?”
Brandy glanced at her, so Gem explained what had been happening and why they’d come.
Chief Blackwing looked at her, his brown eyes steady. “I see. What is it exactly you fear? You think this Blue is the one shooting at you?”
“He might be,” Brandy said stubbornly. “But it’s more than that. Somehow he convinced my sister to let him be her bodyguard. For all we know, he doesn’t have a clue what he’s doing.”
The chief digested that, his eyes going to the door. “And where is he today? Did you bring him with you?”
“We made him stay home. How were we supposed to check his story if he was with us?” Brandy explained.
The chief cleared his throat. “I see. Well, I’m afraid I can’t release his records to you without good cause, ma’am. Very good cause. The military respects the privacy laws, as I’m sure you can appreciate.”
Gem considered that. She hadn’t really thought they’d make any progress this way.
Brandy gave the chief a hard smile. “Have you seen his records, sir? If you can’t give us anything specific, maybe you can venture an opinion as to whether our lives are in danger by having him on our property. How would you like it if your wife or daughter were in this situation?”
His smile cooled a degree. “I’m not married, ma’am. However…” He looked at his computer screen and typed in a few commands. Whatever he was looking at took a couple
of minutes to scan, but his grim expression gave nothing away.
He looked at Brandy again before he addressed Gem. “I feel confident in his ability to set up and maintain a surveillance system, and to form a protective perimeter around your property. He has no history of crimes against women.”
“What about dishonorable conduct? Is he a violent man?” Brandy demanded.
A faint smile turned up the corner of Blackwing’s mouth. “All military operatives are violent men. It’s in the job description, ma’am.”
“You know what I mean,” Brandy replied. But her voice held a false sweetness that signaled she was losing patience.
Blackwing clicked a button on his keyboard and laced his hands over his stomach. “If it would ease your mind, ma’am, I can make an informal visit to The Spark this evening. You can introduce me to Blue and I’ll let you know what I think.”
Brandy looked to the side and blew out a slow breath.
Gem looked at her sister and tried not to smile. She was sure the chief had been as helpful as the constraints of his office would allow, so she stood up and gave him a polite smile. “That won’t be necessary, but thank you for your time.”
He came around his desk, walked her the two steps to his door and opened it. Then he said, “I don’t mind coming tonight. I never need an excuse to stop in for a good beer.”
The front door to the military police outpost had barely shut behind them before Brandy growled, “Well, that was useless.”
Gem laughed.
“What?” her sister snapped.
“Sometimes you remind me so much of Xera,” Gem said teasingly. She elbowed Brandy. “He was cute, though, wasn’t he?”
“He’s too old for you,” Brandy said.
“I meant for you. And old? Looked to me like he was still in pretty good shape. Besides, he put up with your mouth without losing his temper. Maybe that’s just the kind of guy you need.”
Jaq guffawed. Their transport was pulling back up, and he moved to open the door.
“I’m trying to protect you and no one is taking me seriously,” Brandy complained as she slid in.
“I’m here, aren’t I?” Jaq responded, closing the door. He gave her a dark look. “Blue tried to be here, too, but you wouldn’t have him.”
“I don’t trust him,” she muttered.
Jaq looked at Gem. “He’s gone out of his way to help, even though you refuse to pay him.”
Her eyes widened on learning that the old man was privy to so much information. She flushed. “I was being bulldozed, Jaq! I barely know him, and he asked for a fortune. What was I supposed to do? For that matter, he told me he was no longer on my payroll.”
“Man’s got to eat,” Jaq said, settling back in his seat.
“He eats,” Brandy remarked. “Jamir is about to quit over how much he eats. Apparently he’s also got a free room now, too—conveniently near Gem’s.” She gave Gem a black glare.
Fed up, Gem glared back. She was tired of her sister’s recent attitude. “What are you so afraid of? That I might get a man while you keep chasing them off? Get a life, girl! I’m not Dad, and I don’t plan to drop dead on you. Even if I were Dad, you can’t protect me all the time.”
Brandy crossed her arms and looked out the window.
Gem grimaced, regretting her harsh words. She needed Brandy to back off—she couldn’t deal with the hysterics right now—but she didn’t want to hurt her sister. She searched for a peace offering. “Look, we can give him one of the guest rooms to use as soon as someone clears out. That will get him out of our suite.”
“You won’t get him out,” Brandy predicted grimly. “You weren’t going to let him be your bodyguard, either. You’ve got putty for a spine where he’s concerned.”
“I don’t!”
“Yeah? I’ve seen the way you look at him. All he has to do is smile and you blush like a teenager. You want him near you.”
A betraying heat crawled up Gem’s neck. “That’s not true.”
But was it?
Determined to prove Brandy wrong, Gem planned to confront Blue as soon as they got back. They sprinted into The Spark, coached by Jaq, who swore they ran like a couple of girls. Disgusted, he turned them over to a tense Blue and resumed control of his bar.
“Congratulations,” Blue said coolly, his expression as hard as quartz. “You’re alive.”
Brandy glowered at him and took off, likely headed for the bowels of the inn, to bang around something fragile.
“That girl needs to get laid,” Zsak said, passing by. He was wearing a tool belt and a perturbed expression.
“Excuse me?” Gem demanded.
Zsak held up his hands and kept going, though he spun and walked backward, dodging tables. “Hey, not by me. I’m not suffering from cold sheets.” He turned around and strode off. Gem barely caught his muttered, “Besides, she’d freeze it off.”
Gem opened her mouth, but Zsak was already gone. Frustrated, she turned her attention to Blue. “We need to talk,” she said.
She walked toward her office, but halted when she realized he wasn’t keeping pace. A glance showed he was following, walking with the same control he seemed to be exerting over his expression.
Straightening her spine, Gem entered her office and motioned for him to close the door. She glanced at the log of visitors. “We’ve got a guest moving out this afternoon. You can move your equipment to that room.”
“Why?” he asked. His stern face and bright eyes were making her nervous.
“We need our privacy. Besides, Brandy and I have reputations to maintain. We don’t bring men to our rooms, and they don’t stay overnight. You can’t be seen coming and going from our suite at all hours. As a former employee—or current one, whatever—it would look doubly bad.”
“So you’d rather look good than live?”
Gem took a deep breath to lock down her temper. “We need another solution rather than having you camped outside our door.”
He smiled without humor. “As I recall, we tried to install the equipment in here. Close, but not underfoot. Discreet.”
A slow burn of chagrin started in her gut and spread to Gem’s head. He had tried, and she’d screwed it up. She’d forced him into working in her family suite.
She fiddled with her wristwatch, giving herself a moment to find her voice. “I apologize. I don’t do well when things are sprung on me. I’m a planner; spur of the moment things confuse me. In the future, if you have something you want to do like this, please warn me. Is there anything you need to do?”
He shook his head, a glitter in his eye. “You don’t want to go offering me carte blanche like that.”
She rolled her eyes for show and slipped behind her desk, needing its bulk between her and Blue. Needing a chair to rest her weak knees. She was three seconds from sinking to the ground before him and begging him to finish that aborted kiss. It was appalling, but she couldn’t seem to wipe the fog from her mind.
“Probably not,” she finally said. Her faintly shaky voice made her frown. Clearing her throat, she added more sternly, “About your pay—”
“I told you, I’m not on your payroll.”
“And then you asked for a huge amount of money,” she pointed out. There, that was better. Business was clearing her head.
“That was before,” he remarked.
“Before what?” She shook her head. “As Jaq pointed out, you are actually doing the job. Of course, how does he know anything? He’s a great listener, but I hadn’t pictured you spilling everything to the first available ear.”
Blue canted his head. “Jaq’s no ordinary ear, and I asked him to be our backup. He’s the closest thing you have to muscle around here, and he already knew what was happening. He’s smart and capable. I trust him.”
“Lucky thing for you that I do, too,” she said with a hint of amusement. Then, realizing that there was no easy answer and she didn’t feel like dealing with the situation, she added, “Well, I’m sure you have t
hings to do.” Pulling some paperwork in front of her, she glanced down at it.
“One last thing,” he said. He placed both hands on her desk and leaned close. “That was the last time you leave this place without me.” His eyes offered no compromise.
“Blue…”
“I’m discreet,” he said. “If you have someone to meet at night, or you need to be alone and—”
“Blue!” she choked out, realizing what he was implying. “I don’t go out at night and I don’t ‘meet anyone alone,’ okay? Back off! I’ll take you with us next time. Now, go…do something.” She waved him away before she died of embarrassment. She didn’t know how he’d been raised, but her family had been much more traditional and very strict. Not to mention that she’d be ruined personally and professionally if she did the things he suggested.
“Fine.” He straightened.
She waited until the door clicked closed behind him, then put her head in her arms. She had to do something about this. He was turning her into something she was not—a spineless shadow of herself. She didn’t know how to deal with desire this strong, but giving in wasn’t an option. What was the solution?
For the first time, Gem started to realize what drove Brandy. Her sister had always been a passionate person. Maybe she really was frustrated, as Zsak had implied; maybe they both were. They were both getting older. Perhaps it was time Gem admitted certain needs to herself and got serious about a search for a husband.
Unfortunately, the only true candidate had broken her heart. But while she wasn’t stupid enough to go back to him, maybe investigating the reasons behind Cirrus’s new interest would give her a new direction.
God help her, she needed something.
Chapter Seven
“What are you doing?” Blue asked.
Gem looked up in annoyance. Brandy was right about one thing: Blue hadn’t surrendered his real estate in her office. In fact, he’d taken it over as he originally planned, ignoring her protests and the offered guest room. And every time she brought up this fact, he changed the subject.