Starline

by Imogene Nix

  Duvall ushered her out of the office quickly before he said, “That is a Ru’Edan track system. Once you touch it, they have your DNA sequence transmitted remotely to their data banks. They usually also pack a series of micro-transmitters into it, making you trackable anywhere within the galaxy.” He looked at her. “Did you touch it?” He growled the question, and she mutely shook her head.

  Thankful that she had seen it before making contact, she swallowed hard. She still had so much to learn.

  Duvall released a pent-up breath, his agitation clear. “I can see they entered this area looking for you and the handbook. We need to get started, but before we do, Chowd, update the clock.” He looked over at Chowd.

  “Captain, we have eleven hours and fifty-five minutes.” With a brief nod, they returned to the stairs, and Duvall urged her up them.

  “Mellissa, anything that you need that is urgent or of great personal value, pack it quickly. You have twenty minutes to get it in place.” With a small push, he hurried her toward the bedroom.

  She looked at him, surprised, then understanding lit and filled her, and she smiled. He meant that she should have the few important things from her previous life and had built the time for that into their schedule. She turned quickly and gave him a kiss, quick and hard against his lips, a wordless thank you. She pulled him with her as she headed for the bedroom.

  Packing her life took no time. She had little of value, underwear and clothing, her few photos, and the items from her time at the orphanage. The files she had accessed thinking she might one day seek her parents, intending to ask why? The answers she had sought were contained inside the file, so she’d held onto the documents.

  She shoved it into a box with other photos and documents. added a few books, and closed it. Then she threw clothing into several bags, knowing that they would be checked once they arrived on the Elector for trackers. She headed back to the living room after giving Duvall quick and careful directions and grabbed a few more books and knick-knacks she wanted to take with her.

  Looking at the pile on the floor at the end, she realized that the majority of her belongings held no importance to her. The three bags and five small boxes didn’t seem like much.

  Each item received a transmission tag from Duvall, before he pressed the remote, and they disappeared. Chowd, who had appeared briefly, retreated once more to the stairs, giving them a moment of privacy.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked him.

  He grinned sheepishly. “Elara suggested it. Grayson, Chowd, and I had arranged for you to have some of your things once we were here so that you’d feel more settled. I just arranged for time. Elara assured me you’d manage to pack light, but most women I’ve met would need a lot more than that.”

  “So I surprised you again, did I?”

  He grinned. “All I had to do was activate the function, and they’d transfer to the Elector, so long as the tag is securely attached.” He cleared his throat. “I told you I wouldn’t let you go, but Elara was right. You needed your items around you.”

  Her eyes burned with welling tears at the friends who thought about her needs.

  Chowd came stomping back into the room. “Time to move, Captain.”

  Duvall looked at Mellissa. “Contact Jemma and find out where she is and with whom.”

  She nodded and reached for the telephone.

  He grabbed her hand. “Keep it simple. Don’t tell her where you are. Try to set up a meeting in a busy area, that way they are less likely to try anything if Feinstein is with her.” His mouth thinned.

  Mellissa nodded and picked up the handset. As soon as she heard a dial tone, she dialed Jem’s number.

  “Hey, Jem here.” The bouncy voice filtered down the line.

  Mellissa took a deep breath. “Hey Jem, it’s Liss. What are you doing right now?”

  She kept her voice as neutral as possible, watching Duvall’s face. He tensed beside her, watching her and ready to transmit if he thought a threat existed.

  “Hey, girl! I’m here at home on my own. Andurs and I had a fight last night, and he wandered out. He’s supposed to get back here...oh, about six-ish. We’d planned to go to the movies, but his boss called him in to work.” She sounded pissed still, and Mellissa tightened her grasp on the receiver, her gaze flicking between the phone and Duvall.

  “How about I head on over to Coffee Pop and we can catch up? I have a new friend I want you to meet.” Duvall had told her that friend to meet was the code for all clear. He subsided a little, and she watched him.

  “Sure, can you give me like fifteen minutes though?”

  “Yeah, that works for me.”

  They hung up without a goodbye, as if they had only been talking yesterday, which to Jem they had.

  Mellissa took a deep breath as she replaced the receiver in the cradle. “Okay, we’re on. The Coffee Pop is down the road a little way. We can walk there.”

  She picked up her bag as Duvall’s hand shot out.

  She knew he was concerned, and leaned in. “We’ll be in broad daylight, on the street, and it is literally just down the road. It would look really weird for me to pull the car out to drive a couple of blocks.”

  He opened his mouth to disagree.

  “Look, I know this place well. I go there a lot. People around here are used to seeing me walk. If I drove, that would raise the questions you’re hoping to avoid.”

  His frown told her of his warring concerns. Her safety versus the questions and scrutiny.

  “I understand, Duvall, but you told me how important it is to continue to operate within normal behavior. Plus, I’ve got you and Chowd here. What about if I promise to stay between you?”

  He thought for a moment before consenting. “If I say to do something, you do it,” he said, stroking her face with one hand.

  “Okay,” she acquiesced. She accepted that he was worried, and while she wanted to help him, she knew anything other than what she’d proposed could jeopardize everything they’d done so far.

  The three of them walked back downstairs, and when she headed to the back door, he stopped her, indicating Chowd should go first. They watched as Chowd peered around the door outside and disappeared through the doorway, one hand on the pocket with the laser concealed beneath his shirt. They waited silently until finally he ducked his head in. “All clear.”

  Careful not to touch anything, they made their way out the door, which led to a hidden driveway. They walked past her little blue car. Chowd took point, and his gaze darted here and there, checking for any sign of a tail or threat. Duvall held her hand and kept her close as they exited the driveway and turned right into a small street. Several steps took them to a corner, and they turned to the left on her direction, the crunch of their boots on the pavement sounding over the traffic noise from nearby streets.

  They moved briskly, and soon the Coffee Pop came into view. They stopped, and she nodded at the vibrant orange façade of the building. Chowd once more at the front, Duvall slipped in behind her as they entered.

  The coffee house was popular, and they had to squeeze in to join the line for coffee. Chowd wasn’t impressed with so many people; every line of his body tensed, but she knew that the location was as public as they could get.

  Duvall instructed her to order so that they fit in, whispering it in her ear so that they looked like two lovers. Neither had experienced a mocha latte, though they both liked chocolate.

  At the counter she greeted the cashier. “Hey, Snyder, can I get three mocha lattes for here, and Jemma’s going to want a macchiato.”

  The staff at the Coffee Pop knew of Jemma’s partiality for the strong drink, and Snyder looked around, clearly expecting her friend to appear at any second.

  “She’s on her way,” Mellissa said.

  The cashier nodded. “Nineteen dollars, please.”

  Mellissa paid and made her way to the table Chowd had chosen, with the metal order number stand. Chowd had likely picked the table because of its defensiv
e location, she thought.

  Subtle, low music filled the air, in direct contrast to the loud blue and yellow décor, which had always pepped her up. It made Coffee Pop the perfect meeting place under normal circumstances. Today, though, it just seemed overwhelming after the grays and blues she had become used to on board the Elector. She looked forward to the end of the mission when she could go home. With Duvall.

  Snyder delivered their coffees as Jem entered alone, breathless and dressed in a loud red outfit that screamed I don’t care what you think. Teetering on high-heeled boots, her black hair swept up to reveal the long line of her throat. Seeing Mellissa’s wave, Jem wriggled her way toward the table. Duvall crowded Mellissa into the corner before they turned to meet Jem.

  “Hey, girl!” she cooed, all the while checking out the two men flanking Mellissa, running her gaze up and down both Duvall and Chowd like something tasty on the menu. Mellissa fought down a possessive need to grab her and say Duvall is taken, but he held her hand as she introduced Jem, moving closer. She smiled privately to herself.

  “Hey, Jem. Glad you could make it. I want you to meet Duvall and Stuart.” She indicated to Duvall and Chowd in turn. Jem noted Duvall’s closeness to Mellissa and smiled a broad grin, her eyes lighting up.

  “Girl, you have some mighty good taste.”

  Mellissa blushed at Jemma’s grin.

  “So…Stuart.” Jemma swung toward him. “Come here often?”

  He looked like a rabbit in the headlights, thought Mellissa, nearly coughing on her coffee.

  “Err, no,” he answered truthfully, blushing beet red. Mellissa nearly laughed seeing the rough-and-tough security officer intimidated by a bundle of energy.

  Mellissa grinned. “Stuart is a security analyst.” She nodded to Duvall. “And he’s here with Duvall on business. I wondered if you felt like hanging out for a while? You know, maybe lunch?”

  They had decided they shouldn’t look too obvious in gathering the information from Jem, so they’d take whatever time they needed to do the job right. To ask straight-out increased the risk, and Mellissa agreed that minimisation was the right option, especially where Jem was concerned.

  She sighed inwardly. Maybe the obituary was wrong, but she knew Duvall wanted to take every chance to leave the timeline intact.

  She’d hoped to talk Duvall into taking Jem back with them, but so far she hadn’t had time. Besides which, she’d prefer to give Jemma an opportunity to agree, but she doubted the headstrong woman would even believe her. After all, it was a pretty far-fetched situation.

  “So, what have you been up to? How are George and Eliza getting on?”

  Mellissa watched her friend take a sip of her steaming beverage while she thought rapidly. Where was I up to? “Oh well, you know. It’s slow at the moment.”

  Jemma laughed. “I’ll bet.” A wink accompanied the words and Mellissa blushed. “But you need to hurry up and get it finished so I can see how they get together.”

  She knew Duvall kept half an ear on the conversation. His gaze flicked around the coffee shop as he kept a watch out with Chowd; she knew he’d protect her.

  Time passed while Mellissa and Jemma talked about the latest goings-on before she finally asked casually, “Where did you say Andurs was?” She waited with her head down for the answer.

  “Oh, he had to work a run for his boss last night, then he got called in again this morning. He doesn’t expect to be back until later tonight.” She made no attempt to hide her dissatisfaction.

  “Who does he deliver for?” asked Duvall, and it sounded like polite conversation.

  “Uh, he works for Roo Edan Industries. Always reminds me of jumping critters eating cheese.” She laughed. “They’re reasonably new in town, and only have a couple of staff at the moment. He does pickups from the airport and delivers all over the place.” She turned to Mellissa. “Remember? That’s how I met him. He came into the shop after a delivery, looking for an audio book. I thought he showed interest in you, but you didn’t seem all that interested, so he asked me out.”

  Duvall stirred uneasily beside her. She remembered the first time Andurs had asked her for coffee. She’d brushed him off, and he’d accepted it with good graces. Now she was pleased she’d done that, but worried about Jem.

  Mellissa felt Duvall touch her hand, reminding her of the passing time. The clock continued to wind down, and they needed to get done here.

  “Are you planning on catching up with him today?” burst through Mellissa’s lips. “Err, so we can do dinner. You know.” She smiled weakly at Jem, who paid little attention, her eyes on Chowd. Mellissa could see she had picked her next target.

  “What? Oh yeah, dinner sounds great,” she answered as her cellphone rang, the tsst tsst tsst of her ringtone loud and the phone vibrating all over the table. Mellissa almost had to grab Duvall and Chowd as they reached for their pockets. They caught her look though and settled back to watch and wait

  Mellissa sweated profusely as she considered the business of spying on friends. It was harder than she’d ever imagined, and she closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Duvall squeezed her hand under the table, giving her the support to keep going. She opened her eyes, listening to Jem’s side of the conversation.

  “No, I’m not hanging around waiting for you. You can come to my place at twelve-thirty or not at all. And if it’s not at all, don’t bother coming back.” She flipped the top of the phone down, obviously angry, and Mellissa surmised Andurs Feinstein was the recipient of the outburst.

  Jem’s face glowed red, and she pushed the long strands of hair that had escaped the tie out of the way in a fast, angry move. “Gah! Whatever possessed me to think he was worth the effort?” she muttered to herself. She plunked the phone down on the table and took a swallow of the strong brew.

  “Ahh, don’t tell me that was Andurs breaking off your date?”

  “No, not exactly. He wants me to join you at the shop and pick us both up for dinner,” she replied. “But he was supposed to check that leaking tap, and then I was going to make lunch before he went back to work. Lately, he does that sort of thing all the time—we make a date and something comes up.” She pursed her lips. Looking at Chowd, she asked, “Don’t suppose you are any good with taps?”

  Before Chowd could answer, Mellissa replied, “Yeah, he’s fantastic. Let’s go now.”

  Duvall scowled at the sudden decision, and Chowd opened his mouth.

  With a shake of her head at Chowd, she leaned over to kiss Duvall on the cheek. “Trust me,” she whispered. “I have an idea about a safe way to grab him.” She gripped his arm. She could tell the plan change upset him, but she had bought them the entry they needed.

  Jem rose, getting out of her seat and smiling at Chowd in a way that made Mellissa think of a hot dinner or ice cream and hungry mouths. They moved out of the Coffee Pop, Mellissa calling her thank you to the staff as they left, just as she had always done, trying to look like there was nothing unusual taking place.

  They found themselves on the street, and Mellissa quickly suggested they grab her car and drive to the flat where Jem lived, about ten minutes away. Thankfully, Jem had chosen not to ride her bike and had instead opted for a taxi. It made it so much easier. They made their way, moving quickly. As before, Chowd moved to the front and Jemma kept pace. A couple of times Jemma craned her neck and Mellissa nearly laughed when she realized it was so she could view his backside.

  Perhaps she could… No. When the mission was complete, they would leave here. She would never see Jem again, unless she could talk Duvall into letting her go with them. And if she could get Jem to agree, that was. That stopped her in her tracks. Duvall pulled up, looking and scanning. She gulped. Oh God! That hadn’t really hit her until now. She looked at Duvall, who looked grim as well as concerned.

  He pushed her to the side of the building, crowding her with his body. That was how it looked, she realized; in actuality though, he used his body to shield her. From the road it would look like h
e kissed her neck as he asked, “What did you see?”

  “No.” The word escaped, broken, and a tear trickled down her face. “Jemma? Will I ever get to see her again?” Her eyes burned once more.

  “Mellissa…” he started, as Jem chose that minute to look back.

  “Oh, come on! You can do that later!” The good-natured comment broke the moment.

  Duvall pulled away from her and, gripping her tightly, promised, “We can discuss this after.” He pulled her toward the building.

  Chapter 14

  Jem opened the door to her little apartment. Strangely, Duvall had expected something loud, in tune with the tough attitude that Jem radiated. Instead, he walked into a tastefully furnished flat, decorated in shades of blue and gray that harmonized, the furniture obviously older but chosen with care and neat. Every piece was functional but soothing.

  Mellissa dropped her bag on the lounge and set to work looking in the fridge and making drinks, obviously very at home there, Duvall thought with a pang. They were just about to sit down when a knocking started at the door.

  Chowd moved swiftly, out of sight, and Duvall grabbed Mellissa, placing her behind him, out of the line of fire. Jem looked shocked as she opened the door until she saw the man about to enter. Andurs Feinstein had arrived, and Duvall had only a moment to see the shock on his face before Chowd moved in, grabbing him in a headlock.

  Feinstein hadn’t expected it, but his surprise was only momentary before he began struggling. Jem screamed, and Duvall let go of Mellissa, moving toward Chowd to help hold him. The captive twisted and turned, but Duvall grabbed him, pulling him to the floor.

  “Let me go!” Andurs spoke in short bites of sound. He fought to free his hands, but Duvall held on grimly.

  Mellissa grabbed Jem and tried to calm her. Jem looked at her with horror in her eyes. “What are you doing?” she yelled, trying to twist out of Mellissa’s arms.

  “Jem, hang on and I’ll explain,” she said, desperately, and he could see her attempts to settle Jemma were failing. Her eyes entreated Jemma to listen, but she was almost hysterical now, crying and twisting in Mellissa’s arms.