Salvaged Destiny

by Lynn Rae

  Del retreating—Lazlo never would have thought he’d see such a thing. With a hop he was out, water sloshing around him as he marched over and caught her. Stiff and frowning, she tried to hold on to the edges of her robe as he tugged at them.

  “You’re getting me wet,” Del protested, wriggling in his arms in a wonderful way. Swimming, then back to bed, Lazlo decided.

  “Good. And I’m going to get you wetter,” he promised, finally sliding her robe off and tossing it on the chaise. Scooping her up, he carried her to the pool edge and stepped down into the water as she twisted and whispered contrarily.

  “Relax. It’s not going to hurt you.”

  “Yes it is. Drowning. I’ve read about it and seen it in an entertainment. It seems horrible with all of that coughing and choking,” Del rambled, clinging to his arm as she hopped in the water. “This feels strange. It’s unnatural to be immersed.”

  Lazlo wanted to laugh at the anxious expression on her face, but didn’t want her to think he was mocking her. He had to keep in mind this was a threatening environment for her and reassure her as he would a recruit having to hit a door under live fire for the first time. ”It’s natural and fun. Calm down. I want to teach you to float.”

  “I don’t like this.” Somehow she’d twisted herself around his waist and as enjoyable as that sensation was, they were there to swim and not indulge in aquatic foreplay.

  “It’s going to be fine. Lean back, I’ll hold you up.” Del shot him a suspicious glance and clutched at his arm as he tried to lower her in the water. Light glinted on the surface as she thrashed, her red suit getting wetter and clinging to her round breasts. Maybe aquatic foreplay wasn’t such a bad idea.

  “It’s easy. Just lean against my arm.” Lazlo tried not to laugh again as she took a deep breath and then slowly bent back, stiff as a stick. Reaching down, he caught her up under the knees and lifted her so that she was horizontal next to him. “Take a breath. Relax. Let the water hold you up.”

  Del’s eyes were squeezed shut and her mouth was tight as she sucked in a breath as if it were her last. He began to move her along, walking slowly in the waist-deep water as he looked over her tense body. Del had her hands wrapped tightly around his arm, fingertips pressing in as if she expected a tidal wave at any second. She needed to relax and stop thinking about it. “So what entertainments did you see where people drowned?”

  “When I was a kid, I saw one where the solarship crashed into the water planet and they had to try to inflate the sails to keep from sinking. Lots of drowning in that one. And there was another one, on Freton, where there was a terrible storm that swept people away. I was ten when I saw that. Very traumatizing.” But her body was loosening now, the tension floating away as he walked her in a big circle in the water.

  “I remember it. They vided it near where I lived.”

  “Really?” Her eyes popped open at that and he smiled at her, appreciating how good it felt to be with her in the warm water in this lovely place.

  “Yes, a friend of mine was even in it. He was one of the kids who was waving in the opening.”

  “Those were real kids out in that ocean? I thought they were faked.”

  “Real kids. We did that sort of thing all the time,” Lazlo assured her, remembering how much time he’d spent on the water riding his board. Feeling like a living part of Freton. He’d love to take her there sometime.

  “But aren’t there big serpents out there?”

  “Yes.”

  “Eating-people type serpents?”

  “Sometimes they do. Not often. They mostly aren’t interested in humans. I suppose we don’t taste very good.” Silly serpents. If they’d gotten a whiff of Del, they would have crawled across a desert to find her. Just thinking about how good she tasted was making him aroused.

  This was her first swim lesson, so he should probably keep it short so she didn’t feel overwhelmed. Get her back to the room to dry off and put her feet up for an hour or so.

  “Have you seen one?”

  Lazlo nodded and shifted his hands under her. This was pleasant—she had relaxed her grip on his arms and was letting her hands float beside her body. Progress. “Were you scared?”

  “Too impressed to be scared. I saw it surface about thirty meters away. It was purplish-black and looked as big as a freighter. I stuck my head underwater when it dove and watched until it disappeared. Then I swam back. By the time I was on shore, I was so petrified I couldn’t walk, and just lay on the sand until I caught my breath.”

  “So you’re really good at this water stuff,” Del said as she allowed her head to fall farther back in the water and watched him through eyes squinting from the sunshine reflecting everywhere.

  “That’s right, just like you know the Outlands.”

  “So I should just listen to you in the pool, as you listened to me when we were out there.”

  “That’s right,” Lazlo assured her. Del quirked a smile at him and then closed her eyes and started to float in his arms. He kept his arms around her. There was no way he was going to let her drift away. They only had nineteen hours left together.

  “You’ll keep me safe.”

  “I’ll keep you safe,” he replied quietly, exulting in her presence and dreading her departure in equal amounts.

  *

  “I’m so glad you’re home!” Dee Dee crowed as she took a seat opposite Del in a booth at the Bunker. She had arrived back on Sayre a few hours previously and was still feeling woozy from everything. The jump, the time change and, most of all, leaving Lazlo.

  “Yes, I’m back. I can start hauling again tomorrow morning.” Del frowned at the metal tabletop in front of her, not wanting Dee Dee to notice the pain she was feeling.

  “I’m not glad you’re back to work. I’m glad to see you.” Dee Dee reached out to grab one of Del’s hands. “Was it bad? Seeing him again?”

  Sniffing back tears, Del nodded, and Dee crowded over to her side of the booth, pulling her in for a hug.

  “We can go, if you aren’t up to this,” her sister whispered as she stroked Del’s back. “I’m sorry I suggested it. Your place would be quieter if you feel like crying.”

  “I’ll be all right,” Del assured her, sitting up and taking a deep breath. If she said it often enough she’d feel like it might come true. She was here again, on Sayre where she belonged, in the Bunker and surrounded by people like her. Right where she should be.

  “I’ll get us some drinks and something to eat.” Dee Dee rose to walk to the bar, where Emil waited for her with a smile. “Then you need to tell me everything.”

  Del didn’t want to tell Dee Dee anything. She didn’t want to think about anything to do with her quick trip to Weave, or what she had done there, or Lazlo Casta. She didn’t want to think about swimming with him or how they ended up sharing a chaise, talking about nothing in particular for an hour as they pressed their feet together. She didn’t want to think about their solitary night together, any part of it, or any part of their frantic morning.

  Del certainly did not want to recall how it had been when she’d had to leave him just a few hours ago. She’d been grieving ever since she’d walked away from him and headed toward the ship that would take her back to Sayre and away from him. They’d kissed until the final call, Lazlo so gentle that he’d broken her a little bit more with each soft touch of his lips to hers.

  Dee Dee returned and Del stopped her melancholy review to accept a small glass of whiskey, a large glass of water and a plate of samosas.

  “Oh sis, you look so sad.”

  “I am so sad. I never should’ve gone there.”

  “Clean break, that’s always been best in my experience.” Dee Dee nodded, taking a bite of samosa and looking at Del with concern. “I’ve never seen you this upset. But then again, you have never gone off-planet before either, so maybe you’re just shaky from the jump. I’ve heard it can make you sick in the head.”

  “It’s not the jump.”

  �
�You tell me what you want to tell me. Or tell me to just talk and you can be quiet. But eat something.” Dee Dee pushed the plate of samosas toward Del, who took one and began to break it into small pieces. She tried not to think of the meals she and Lazlo had shared.

  Despite his best efforts to take her out to restaurants with views and fabulous menus, they’d ended up ordering room service the whole time she’d been there. And she’d never see him again. Everything in her body hurt at that realization.

  “Did you make plans to see each other again?”

  “No. Our whole agreement was we weren’t going to have anything permanent. He’s gone and busy with classes. He’s still dealing with a bad relationship ending. I’m here and I need to work and I can’t afford to leave. So no, no plans were made.”

  “That’s kind of a silly agreement.”

  “No, it’s practical.”

  Dee Dee snorted and ate a huge bite of samosa. “Del, you don’t have to be practical all the time. And try as hard as you might, you aren’t being practical about this. Just looking at how miserable you are, I can tell.”

  “Tell what?”

  “That you’re in love with him.”

  Del sucked in a shocked breath and her stomach turned over. She was glad she hadn’t tried to eat any of the samosa. In love with Lazlo Casta? What a horrible thought.

  “I can’t be.”

  “Why not? Because it’s hard and it hurts too much and you can’t see how it will work out? Come on, that’s what makes it love. If you didn’t love him, you wouldn’t be suffering now.” Dee Dee gave her a wise look as she selected a samosa and then bit down. As she swallowed and grimaced, a large bouquet of mixed flowers arrived at their table supported by a creaking deliverybot.

  “Del Browen?” it managed to grind out in a metallic voice and Del held out her datpad for validation, glad for the interruption to the dreadful direction the conversation had just taken.

  The bot scanned her and shuddered, then set the bouquet on the table and wheeled away, narrowly avoiding tables, chairs and people’s legs. It must have an unrecalibrated scanner, Del mused.

  She turned her attention to the garish collection of blooms in front of her. Dee Dee was clapping her hands and making excited noises.

  “They’re from him, I know it! It’s so romantic! Oh Del, you’re so lucky!”

  Del frowned, somehow knowing Lazlo would not have sent her such a thing. And why would he send her anything? They were distant acquaintances now, nothing more. They were never going to see each other again. She searched for the ecard and activated the chip to find something terribly strange. Her mind almost couldn’t understand it, so she handed it over to Dee Dee for confirmation.

  As her sister read it, her expression morphed from excited to confused to angry. “What in Nebula’s Balls is this?”

  “It’s not from Lazlo, that’s for certain,” Del replied and took a tiny sip of her whiskey. If she was going to start to think about it, she’d drink too much.

  “Avo Kirk sent you flowers to apologize for how he treated you? The man assaulted you, was willing to be a party to your murder—”

  “Attempted murder,” Del corrected her.

  “MURDER. And he sent you flowers today?” Dee Dee scowled and poked at the flowers as if they might contain a sharp object. “How did he even do this? He’s locked up.”

  “Must not be anymore.” Del was starting to feel nervous. If Avo was out and able to send her something like these gaudy flowers, could it be that the sheriff was free and plotting to track her down? Maybe the terrible deputies who had assaulted her were on the loose too.

  “I’m calling Arturo. This is frightening.” As Dee Dee hurriedly contacted their advocate, Del looked at the flowers. She really wanted to throw them away, but knew she needed them as evidence of what Avo had done. She did push them to the farthest edge of their table and waited for Dee Dee to end her call. At least her misery over Lazlo had been replaced by growing fear over Avo and why he had contacted her.

  Soon enough, Arturo Yee was striding into the Bunker, heading directly for Dee Dee, who glowed at the sight of him. Knowing she should be happy for her sister, Del tried to not feel jealous that Dee Dee had someone she liked right next to her and anxious to help while Del was most definitely alone, light-years away from what she wanted.

  After murmuring a greeting to the fluttering Dee Dee, Arturo turned his dark eyes to Del and started to ask questions. She answered as best she could and he looked more and more unhappy. Arturo was a handsome man and Del felt a twinge of guilt that her situation had altered his face into a frown, although Advocate Yee’s frown was still very attractive.

  “What should we do, Arturo?” Dee Dee asked.

  “I’ll document this and call a contact at security to report it. I checked on my way over here and Avo has been released pending trial. His claim of economic necessity apparently worked.”

  “What about Harata?” Del was much more frightened of the sheriff. The menace in his eyes as he’d held the stunner on her made her cold whenever she thought of it.

  “No, he’s still in, but making a lot of effort to be released as well. Since they haven’t scheduled the trial yet, he is claiming undue delay. The deputies are all still incarcerated, but who knows how long that will last.”

  “But his advocates are causing the delay!” Dee Dee broke in, her hands fluttering around Arturo’s arm but not settling in. Del admired her restraint. If Lazlo had been sitting there she would have been holding on to him tightly. Sitting in his lap, even. But he wasn’t and she was on her own. Well, she had Dee Dee and Arturo Yee’s help. And she needed to stop thinking about Lazlo.

  Arturo shrugged, not impressed with the machinations of legal proceedings. He took a few digimas of the bouquet and then took the ecard with Del’s nodded agreement. He then tossed the flowers.

  “Let’s get out of here, Del,” Dee Dee decided. “I’ll get a box for the snacks and I’ll get you home.”

  Arturo brightened at that news and offered to walk them back. Del noticed Dee Dee was blushing and realized her sister wanted some time with the advocate. Nodding agreement, Del made sure Arturo escorted her to her own apartment first. Dee Dee stopped looking at Arturo long enough to question her.

  “Are you going to be all right tonight? I know you’re upset about Lazlo and then this thing with the flowers on top of it. Do you want me to stay over? Or you can come to my place.”

  Her sister was sweet to ask, but interrupting Dee Dee’s interlude with Arturo was the last thing Del wanted to do. Shaking her head and assuring her that she was going to be all right, she shut the door on her sister, sure Dee Dee was going to take the longest, slowest route to her own door. And the way that Arturo Yee was looking at Dee Dee seemed to indicate he would not mind the journey.

  Locking the door and checking her windows, Del nervously circled the room a few times, unwilling to sit and unable to relax. Where was Avo Kirk now? Had he been watching? How had the deliverybot known where she was if he hadn’t given it some direction? Of course, he knew she spent time at the Bunker because he did too. Stars, she’d even shared a table with him about a month before Lazlo had strode into her life like a hero out of an entertainment.

  She didn’t feel safe in her apartment—that was all. The deputies had found her, assaulted her and her family right in her home. How was she going to sleep here, knowing Avo Kirk was loose out there and Harata might soon be joining him? This fear, coming on top of her battered emotions from seeing and leaving Lazlo, nearly overwhelmed her. Del found a blanket and wrapped it around herself as she took a seat at her window to keep watch on her family’s property as the night loomed.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Lazlo was drifting in his elections law seminar. He’d already read the material, because without Del’s presence all he had to do with his spare time was to study. He missed her. He was missing her more as the hours passed, not less.

  Remembering how she’d held on
to him at the departures gate, her arms tightening with each call for boarding and kissing him as if she didn’t want to move a millimeter, made Lazlo ache. Thinking about anything else they had done during her twenty-three hours on Weave was impossible. He might as well walk out of class and stroll along a park path for all of the focus he would have.

  Noticing all of his classmates gathering their things and leaving the classroom was Lazlo’s first clue that the seminar was complete. He slowly collected his jacket and materials and said goodbye to the instructors, then headed to the commons, hoping some fresh air would clear his head.

  Nodding greetings to a few classmates who said hello, Lazlo wandered down a path to find an unoccupied bench and take a seat. The stony mountains on the horizon made him think of Del. He opened his datpad and hoped she might have sent him a message. It had been fourteen hours since she’d left, which was just enough time for her to relay a ping through a data pod if she responded to the one he’d already sent.

  There were several messages waiting for him, two with Sayre as the origin, but neither from Del. That was disappointing. One was a general message to all of Sayre security personnel, of which he was still a part, but he decided not to look at that right away. And one was from someone he didn’t know—Arturo Yee. That name sounded familiar. Was he someone Del had mentioned?

  Lazlo shifted to a more comfortable position on the bench and opened the message.

  To L. Casta

  Lt. Casta, allow me an introduction. I am Arturo Yee, the Browen family advocate. I know you were involved in the raid on the family property and you will be interested to know that Avo Kirk has been released from incarceration, as of 2347.12.897. At the time of this message, no other parties under arrest for the crime have been released, nor do I expect them to be.

  However, as disturbing as Citizen Kirk’s release is, he has subsequently made contact with Citizen Del Browen. The means by which he did so are also troubling. He sent her a bouquet of flowers and a note of apology. I immediately documented this and informed security. I am aware you have an acquaintance with Citizen Browen and felt you would appreciate being appraised of this situation.