“Not directed at me,” Zane said. He had clearly noticed her disbelief. “At Jimmy.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Jimmy. “Do you want to explain why you were walking into the Red Zone, making an easy target of yourself? You asked to meet us at the main visitor entrance, but Grier was supposed to bring you in my transport.”
Jimmy shrugged. “I wanted to travel by tube, get to see some of the real sights of Omphalos. It wasn’t a big deal. Grier stuck to my side like a cocklebur.” Jenna swiveled to face Jimmy, who was lounging against the wall and grinning.
“You’re making a joke out of your safety,” Zane reprimanded sternly. Jimmy laughed dismissively.
“Who in the entire Union would bother to try and knock me off? I’m useless. Hence the reason my father shipped me out here,” Jimmy explained, amusement making his eyes dance. Zane frowned. He started to speak and then glanced at Jenna, closing his mouth again. For some reason, Zane didn’t want to discuss it in front of her. Probably trying to protect her again. However, Jenna’s thoughts raced ahead. If Zane was right, it still didn’t explain why anyone would ever try to intentionally attack someone only feet away from the main entrance of the QE, where security would be alert and ready. Unless the man had been on a suicide mission. Jenna frowned thoughtfully. If she hadn’t been armed, he could have killed Jimmy before the security forces arrived, even though he never would have escaped. She stared uneasily at Jimmy. Was it an attempted hit? Why would someone want him dead?
The screen on the table buzzed, and a hologram flicked to life above it. It was clearly a security guard.
“Mr. Quintan, your assailant has tested positive for nanospeed. We suspect prolonged addiction resulting in hyperconfidence. He admitted to us while under the influence of the truth serum that he was tipped off by an acquaintance that Mr. Forrest was rich and recently arrived from Terra. He wanted a cash card or a finance chip so that he could purchase more nanospeed,” the guard reported without emotion.
Jimmy pointed at Jenna. “Looks like you were right, Ms. Donnell. A junkie.”
Zane was frowning. Clearly he wasn’t ready to give up on his assassination theory. “How did he know Mr. Forrest would be arriving at the QE front entrance?” he asked the security guard.
“He said that his acquaintance commed him with the details and an estimated arrival time,” the security guard answered, his voice low. Clearly he was not happy with the situation. “We have the name and location of the acquaintance. We would like to apprehend, but the direction is outside of the Red Zone.”
Jenna understood at once. The security forces of the QE had free rein to do what they wanted, but only within the confines of the Red Zone, where there were no rules at all. They could hardly go after a regular citizen living elsewhere in the city.
Zane grimaced. “Well, pass the information on to Ms. Toure. She can speak with our Armada contact. This is very disturbing, and certainly the Armada will want to know that there appears to be a spy network targeting new arrivals in Omphalos.”
The holo winked out, and Zane turned to face Jenna and Jimmy. “I need to go visit Grier, and then I’ll have to comm my father. He’s going to be furious. We have you as a guest for only a few hours, and then this happens,” he grumbled. “I’m so sorry.”
Jimmy shrugged. “No sweat off my back. Seeing as how I’m alive, a little adventure is a perfect way to start out my stay on a frontier planet!” Zane smiled, though it was a little strained. Jenna could only imagine the worry. She wouldn’t want to be the one to comm Lev Quintan and tell him about this.
Zane sighed heavily and took her hand. “Some date this is turning out to be,” he said regretfully. “I’m sorry to have to do this, but do you mind showing Jimmy around the QE? You can get some dinner if you’re hungry. Just charge it to my account,” he said, handing her a gold QE cash card. “Once I have things under control, I’ll comm you and meet up with you guys.”
“OK,” Jenna agreed hesitantly. It was a little unnerving to be handed off like that to a complete stranger. But she straightened her spine and slid off the stool. She was the local here. Jimmy didn’t know his way around, and this was his first night on Zenith. He hardly deserved to be left to find his way around this labyrinth on his own.
“Sounds fine to me,” assented Jimmy pleasantly. “Shall we?” He gestured back toward the door they had come in, and Jenna turned to go. She threw a parting wave at Zane, who was already frowning at the table screen, and headed out the door.
Now to face the evening with a stranger from another planet. Hopefully the time would pass quickly!
2. Exploring the Resort
Jimmy stared at the drink in his hand. It was electric blue and smoking slightly.
“What is it?” he asked warily, holding it away from his body.
Jenna laughed. “Zenithian Blue,” she said. She had nothing but water with floating green cubes in it. Green was not Jimmy’s first choice of color for his ice either, but at least her drink wasn’t smoking.
“You asked for the local specialty,” Jenna pointed out, her eyes mocking him lightheartedly. “Well, Zenithian Blue is about as local as it gets. Invented here in Omphalos and drunk by the vatful by all University students.”
“I’d really rather not get drunk tonight, if it’s all the same to you.” He put the drink back on the table. “You’d take advantage of me, a poor, helpless, smashed Terran, unable to say no to his only hope of getting out of the resort labyrinth alive,” he teased. She laughed again. He loved her laugh already. It sounded like silvery bells pealing through the air.
Who was he kidding? After just a few hours in her company, he would give anything to be taken advantage of. In fact, it was absolutely necessary that he did not get drunk, or he might throw himself at her.
“It’s not alcoholic, you clueless Terran,” Jenna said. “Though it’s laced with something that will give you enough energy to go thirty-six hours without sleep. At least if you guzzle it like a University student.”
“Well, in that case,” Jimmy conceded. “I’m going to need to be awake for thirty-six hours if I’m ever going to find my way out of this place.” He tipped the drink to his mouth and took a cautious swallow. It tasted like peppermint-flavored fire. He could feel the buzz immediately. It was as if he had swept his brain free of cobwebs. His eyes widened, and he guzzled half the glass.
“I hope you don’t have any plans for tomorrow,” Jenna smirked, her turquoise eyes crinkling at the corners.
“You said this stuff wasn’t alcoholic!” he protested. “Now you tell me I’m going to get a hangover?”
“Not exactly.” She shook her head, her golden hair catching the light. Jimmy had an irrational urge to run his fingers through her hair. “But people often push their bodies much harder than normal. The Blue keeps you from feeling your normal limits. You might feel very, very sore tomorrow. And exhausted, when it all wears off.”
Jimmy figured that made sense. He put the rest of the drink down. “Then half will be good enough for me. Where to next?”
For the first hour, Jenna had led him on a tour of sorts around the resort. They had seen the casino, the virtual reality holodeck, some of the nightclubs, and the pool deck before Jenna had taken him here to the café to eat. He’d eaten an excellent steak sandwich while peppering Jenna with questions about herself. He hadn’t had the courage to ask her the most pressing concern on his mind: was she or was she not Zane Quintan’s girlfriend?
He was afraid of finding out the answer.
It wasn’t just that she was beautiful—though she was. Her long blonde hair and turquoise eyes were exotically rare, at least on Terra. She was just so confident and so fragile at the same time. And something drew him to her, like a magnetic pull—or an electric current that buzzed whenever he got close.
“Well, I can take you over to the racetrack. That’s Zane’s favorite place in the resort. He�
��s got a custom-built rocket sledge, and he races every weekend,” Jenna suggested. Jimmy shrugged noncommittedly. “Well, if it’s Zane’s favorite place, then I’m sure I’ll see it soon enough. What about your favorite place?”
Jenna smiled impishly. “I don’t have one yet. I don’t get to try nearly as many things as I would like to. But I’m hoping to find the ice rink sometime. Are you interested?”
Jimmy readily agreed, though he had never in his life had the slightest desire to ice-skate. It was worth it just to see the enthusiasm bloom on Jenna’s face, dissolving the last of her stoic manner.
Jenna asked directions from the bartender and then led Jimmy down a bewildering maze of turns and never-ending hallways. They took one lift and had to transfer to another one.
“This place is enormous,” he grumbled. “How do they afford to keep it running?”
Jenna raised her eyebrows. “Hey, you’re the owner’s son. You tell me.”
“My father is a very silent partner in the QE. He’s too busy running the Terran half of the empire. And I don’t follow any of it, remember? I’m the lazy sack he shipped off to the Quintans to get out of his hair,” Jimmy explained, his tone wry. It was mostly the truth. His father had lectured him over and over about not caring enough about the business, his supposed inheritance. The reality was his sister was a much better business manager, and she actually cared, so he had long expected that she would inherit everything of their father’s business—both the money and the responsibility. Jimmy didn’t want any of it. It was an attitude that infuriated his father. Jay Forrest had intended the business to be the legacy of all of his children. When problems had cropped up with the resort expansion project, he had put his foot down and sent Jimmy to Zenith with orders to finally do something helpful. Jimmy had sullenly agreed to go, but he wasn’t here on Zenith to make his father happy, that was certain.
Jenna accepted his answer silently, though he could tell she was still thinking it over. What did she really think of him? That he was truly a rich man’s lazy son who had never done a day of work in his life? It bothered him. He had a feeling that Jenna would never be interested in a chronic partier.
Finally, they reached a pair of heavy, frosted glass doors. Fancy scrollwork on the outside designated it as “Winter Wonderland.” Jenna swiped Zane’s card at the sensor, and the doors slid open. Jimmy followed her into a completely white reception room with frost-blue accents. There were windows all along the far side of the room, looking out over what appeared to be an ice-skating rink filled with skaters in brightly colored outfits. In the distance, Jimmy could see what appeared to be a mountain of snow with people skiing down its slope. He shivered, rubbing at his arms. The cold seemed to be seeping into the reception area. If it was this cold in here, he wasn’t sure he wanted to go out on the ice.
Jenna seemed to read his mind. “Come on.” She waved at him. “We’ll need clothes.” Her eyes sparkled. He drifted after her, slightly apprehensive, as she purposely strode toward a desk at the end of the reception room.
A man in a shiny red-and-black uniform stood as they approached the desk. “Welcome to Winter Wonderland!” he greeted cheerfully. “My name is Yeon. What can I do for you?”
“We’re guests of Zane Quintan tonight,” Jenna said primly, handing the card over to desk attendant. “We would like to go ice-skating, please.”
“Certainly!” Yeon said, taking the card. “Would you like skating attire as well as the skates?”
Jenna shot Jimmy a questioning look. He shrugged again. He didn’t know what skating attire was, but it was probably warmer than what he was wearing now.
“Yes, please,” she requested. Yeon left his desk and came into the waiting area. “Right this way,” he directed, opening another door to the left that Jimmy had not noticed.
They followed him into a hallway where another attendant whisked Jenna away. Yeon guided Jimmy into a changing room. He stopped at a small bank of lockers and typed in a few codes. Then he looked Jimmy up and down and typed in a few more numbers. Sizes, Jimmy guessed. Was this guy so good he could guess by sight what would fit a guest?
After a minute, the locker beeped, and Yeon had Jimmy press his thumb to the screen lock. It popped open, and he found a very long slimsuit hanging inside as well as a pair of blood-red ice skates.
“You may change in here and store your personal belongings in the locker. It will open for your thumbprint,” Yeon instructed. “Leave the skates off for now, though. Return to the desk to meet your companion, and then I will escort you out to the rink.”
“Thanks,” Jimmy said politely.
“If you need any assistance, please press the help pad on the wall,” Yeon said, pointing at a button, before he quickly retreated from the changing room.
Jimmy pulled out the slimsuit and looked at it. It was a flimsy-feeling red tube with streaks of turquoise slashed across his chest. He sighed. It looked even less warm than the clothes he was wearing, and he was going to look ridiculous to boot.
But Jenna wanted to do this, he reminded himself. She looked so excited. He wasn’t going to disappoint her.
He stripped down, neatly hung his normal clothes back in the locker, and pulled on the slimsuit. It felt surprisingly warm. The fit was looser than he had expected, which was a relief—at least until the pant legs reached his ankles. Then they suddenly narrowed, fitting more tightly and then encasing his feet. Weird feeling but not uncomfortable, he decided after twisting and turning a bit. He picked up the skates and then shut the locker, ready to conquer this ice-skating feat or die trying.
The things a man would do for a beautiful woman.
At the desk, Jenna was already waiting for him. She looked radiant. She was wearing a similar slimsuit, its turquoise lines accenting her curves and bringing out the jewel-blue sparkle of her eyes. Jimmy swallowed nervously. Yeon waited solicitously before another sliding glass door.
“Ready?” he asked. Jenna nodded, and Jimmy gave a bright, “Yep!” He was surprised at how confident he sounded, as if he routinely went out to skim around the top of a sheet of ice with nothing but a flimsy sheet of fabric protecting him from frostbite.
Outside the reception area, a blast of chilly air swept them. Yeon led them to the right, where a line of benches stood in front of the reception area’s windows. “Here you can put on your ice skates,” he said. “If you get too cold or too warm, the buttons inside your left sleeve will raise or lower the suit temperature according to your preference.” Jimmy fumbled inside his left sleeve and found two small, almost unnoticeable pressure buttons. A couple experimental clicks, and his suit warmed comfortably. Hey, maybe this won’t be that bad after all, he thought hopefully.
“Enjoy!” called Yeon, already on his way back into the reception room.
Jimmy sat down next to Jenna, who had already strapped her feet into her skates. They were easy to figure out, he discovered. He just had to slip his feet in and press a button, and they self-adjusted until they tightly gripped his feet.
Jenna stood, not even wobbling on her skates. She proffered a hand, and Jimmy looked at her dubiously. He doubted he would be able to stand, let alone keep from pulling her over when he lost his balance.
“Have you ever skated before?” Jenna asked, her hand still waiting. He gave up and let her help him off the bench.
“No,” he admitted. “I come from a warm area of Terra. We don’t do ice and snow. And I’ve never tried to find the local fake version of it either.”
“Oh, well, most people in Omphalos don’t do ice and snow either unless they do it in the VR,” Jenna agreed. They hobbled toward the rink. Well, Jimmy hobbled, hoping he wasn’t going to pitch over. Jenna somehow still managed to look graceful. She reached the ice and let go of his hand, stepping right on the rink and gliding away. Jimmy froze, watching her openmouthed. Jenna gracefully skated one length around the rink before slowing int
o a spin. He watched her spin until all her momentum drained away, and she slowly glided back toward him. He was still waiting at the edge, afraid to even step onto the ice.
“I take it that you are the exception to that Omphalos thing about ice,” he observed with a snort.
She grinned. “I grew up on Dos Cientos. It’s an Armada base in the far north, the biggest military base on the whole planet. There was plenty of snow and not a lot to do. When the local pond froze over, all of us base kids went skating.”
“Well, I’m never going to keep up with you,” Jimmy observed. Jenna laughed again. “It isn’t a race. It’s an adventure!”
“Well, if you put it that way,” he conceded, stepping onto the ice. His feet immediately slid out from under him, and he collapsed in heap. Jenna tugged him back up, and he grabbed onto the rail surrounding the rink. He gritted his teeth. No way was he giving up. This was an adventure, just like Jenna said, and he had never been one to say no to adventure.
Half an hour later, Jenna had him gliding slowly around the rink, barely wobbling at all. Granted, he was moving at a snail’s pace—any time he tried to push off to go a little faster, he quickly lost his balance. But as soon as he got the basic idea, Jenna flipped around so she was skating backward in front of him. Then she took his hands, pulling him forward while she skated backward. Suddenly he could balance. It went well for a few minutes.
But holding her hands—that was driving his concentration on skating clean out of his mind.
He found himself staring at their clasped hands, wondering if she could feel it too—the chemistry between them. Then before he could even figure out what had happened, his feet tangled, and he crashed to the ice, pulling Jenna down with him.
“Oof!” he grunted, landing hard on the cold, slick surface. He looked over at Jenna, and to his surprise, she was laughing.
“You should see the look on your face!”
“I have a feeling I should stick to virtual skating from now on. I bet it’s not as cold,” he declared, wiping his wet hands on his slimsuit.
The Quintan Edge (Roran Curse Book 2) Page 2