by Jamie Davis
“You know the bedroom was never our issue, Kurt. Besides, I never heard you complaining at the time.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a guy and you’re taking advantage of biology to control me.”
“So sue me.”
“Where’s your car. I’ll go get your bag. I know you well enough to know you came packed and expecting me to say yes.”
“I, uh, already brought them in and stuck them in the closet at the bottom of the stairs.”
“Like I said, you play me like a fiddle.”
The toast had popped up in the middle of their conversation and the bread was cold again. Kurt popped the lever down again to reheat it.
“I’ll go and take your stuff upstairs. Keep an eye on my toast for me. Don’t burn it.”
Asking Clara to do anything resembling cooking was a hit or miss proposition but even she couldn’t screw up toast too badly. As he walked to the foyer to grab her bag, Kurt pondered how he found himself once again at Clara Carter’s beck and call.
Chapter 5
In the afternoon Kurt started to ping Trent’s personal comm, then stopped himself. He’d tried several times to complete the call before he finally decided to finish what he started. Trent wasn’t going to be happy he was putting the delivery job on hold in favor of helping Clara out of a jamb.
He opted to make the call while out picking up some extra food, including some of her favorites. Clara didn’t need to hear him defending her to Trent. She’d only tell Kurt to conference her into the comm circuit so she could give the guy a piece of her mind.
Kurt didn’t need that kind of grief on top of everything else right now.
While Trent was usually polite with her on the few times they all ran into each other at the same time, he had sided with Kurt after the divorce. Other mutual friends, like Marci, had tried to maintain a sort of middle ground where they didn’t take sides.
That wasn’t the case with Trent. He had a definite opinion about who was at fault for the breakup.
Kurt tapped the contact entry on the data pad then waited as his implanted comm chip reached out to the network to connect him to his friend.
Trent picked up on the third ring.
“I knew you’d come around. Couldn’t turn down the last big job, could ya?”
“How’d you know that was why I was calling?” Kurt asked.
“Because I know you, buddy. Probably better than you know yourself. You can’t turn down a challenge unless you have to take care of family business.”
“As I said, that’s why I’m calling.”
“Uh-oh, I don’t like the sound of that. Let me guess, Clara came by for a booty call last night and asked you to bail her out of a jam by batting her eyes across the pillow.”
“We didn’t have sex, Trent.”
“But she did come by,” Trent said, confirming his own suspicions.
Kurt didn’t answer.
Trent shouted, “I knew it! What does she need you to do? Did you tell her she has to go through me to get your services any more? She does realize she has to pay you now just like everyone else, right?”
“No, I didn’t tell her that. Look, she just had a run of bad luck and needs me to do a little transport job for her.”
“So why call and tell me unless you just wanted to rub my nose in the fact you weren’t going to take the job I got you.”
“I will still do that job. I need you to put off the client for about ten days. Once I’m done helping Clara, I can and will take the new job you arranged.”
“Unless something else shiny passes you by, you mean. Alright, what do you need for the Clara job? I’m gonna help out because then I can keep an eye on you and make sure you get through it in one piece to do the job I need you for afterward.”
“First, don’t tell Marci about this one. I don’t think I’ll need her help and this could get a little dicey. Second, can you make me an appointment with Jonesey and get me a line of credit with her against the big job we have coming up?”
“She doesn’t do credit, Kurt. You know that. Too much risk she won’t get paid if you get splattered by a client or otherwise fail to come back.”
“I’m hoping you can get her to make an exception for me this time.”
“I think it’ll depend on what you need for the job and how much it’ll cost. What does Clara have you doing for her anyway?”
“It’s better if you don’t know.”
“Alright, now I have to know,” Trent demanded. “Come on, tell me.”
“She had one of her black market transfers stopped and confiscated by the GEU. The package is in their impound warehouse outside Atlanta.”
“Alright, that’s no big deal. You just make a quick entry, slip the item in your pocket and you’re out of there. You’ve probably got the tech already in your arsenal to pull that off.”
“It’s not a slip into the pocket kind of thing.” Kurt paused. “It weighs eight hundred kilos.”
“Seriously? Good God, Kurt, what made her think she was going to get that past the gate cops in the first place?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure. She said it came in by one gate and needed to be delivered through an unknown and unregistered gate. It doesn’t matter. I need to get it out of there. Once that is done, I’ll get it onto a transport of some sort and take it through the gate for transfer to the buyer.”
Trent didn’t answer for a few seconds.
“I don’t know, buddy. Jonesey might do the job on spec just to stick it to the GEU. She hates those guys, not that she’s alone in that thought. The way they get rich on tribute paid for legitimate gate traffic on top of the exorbitant prices they charge for any sort of black market transfer is infuriating.”
“You won’t get any argument from me on that, Trent. They are my number one pain in the ass. So, will you get ahold of Jonesey for me and set up a meeting? It’ll need to be sooner rather than later, of course.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Keep your comm channel open. She’ll likely have to squeeze you into her schedule between other clients. We’re not the only ones she supplies gear for, you know.”
“I know. Thanks for getting me in with her. I’ll be waiting for your call.” Kurt closed the connection.
The U.S. Military implanted free comm chips into all their soldiers. It was one of the few perks they got to keep for free upon discharge from their enlistment obligation. Kurt’s had a few additional enhancements that helped him out in his current line of work. There were perks to getting the upgrades special ops troops got beyond the typical infantry package.
As long as he was on the network, he could keep a permanent connection open for a dedicated call. It would make sure he didn’t miss Jonesey’s call. She didn’t like to leave a message.
Kurt continued down the street to the corner market. Trent had taken the news better than he’d expected and it put him in a good mood. Now to make the rest of the night perfect.
Clara preferred fresh food items and he didn’t have much in the way of vegetables and fruit in the apartment unless it came out of a can or was included as part of a frozen meal pack. He’d been pretty much living off carry out food and frozen dinners since she moved out two years before.
Kurt pondered the potential menu options as he walked along the sidewalk. He almost made it to the store but had to stop as a standard government issue compact electric car pulled over and a woman in a U.S. Customs Service GEU uniform climbed out. She shut the door to her car and turned to face Kurt, blocking his path.
“Detective Henderson, somebody let you out of your cage this late in the day? To what do I owe this honor?”
“Cut the crap, Kurt,” she tapped her collar insignia. “It’s Captain Henderson now.”
“I heard through the grapevine that a group of GEU pity promotions finally came through. Congratulations on the recognition.”
She poked him in the chest again and backed him up against the wall of a nearby building. Her expression darkened. Kurt wondered if
maybe he’d gone too far with this particular insult.
“I’ll have you know I earned this promotion through hard work locking up tariff dodging black marketers like you.”
“I’m an honest businessman. I only offer my consultation services to legitimate gate transport companies.”
“Bullshit, Kurt. Everyone knows you’re the guy to call when something needs to get slipped through a gate under the radar.”
“Is this going somewhere in particular? I’ve got dinner plans and I need to get to the store.”
“Where were you three days ago?”
“I don’t have to account for my whereabouts to you. Why, where do you think I was?”
“There was an unauthorized gate opening here in Baltimore two days ago. We picked up on it and upon investigation found out two people, one of them meeting your description, were responsible for four deaths on the other side. We’re cooperating with the local authorities through the gateway, but they are relatively low tech and don’t have widespread closed circuit video coverage.”
“Surely you have video coverage from this side of the gate?” Kurt asked knowing the answer ahead of time.
“The video system on this side of the portal was down for maintenance since the gateway was inactive for several more days.”
“That’s a shame. I’m sure you’ll get to the bottom of it. It wasn’t me, though. You’re wasting your time here. I don’t have anything to tell you.”
“I figured you’d say that. Consider this a courtesy visit. I wanted to let you know that I thought it was important to relay my own suspicions about you to my counterpart on the other side. He was most interested in hearing your name. The lead investigator, an Elven gentleman by the name of Sergeant Jag, personally thanked me for the assistance with their investigation. I believe he and some of his associates want to have a few words with you.”
Kurt kept his facial expression passive and didn’t react to the name she dropped. Inside, though, he cringed. He knew what she was doing. Captain Shareen Henderson had it in for him the first time they met at Clara’s and his engagement party. When she got the job with the GEU and was assigned to investigate illegal gate transfers and smuggling in this region, the pressure ratcheted up exponentially.
The world he’d visited on his last delivery didn’t have much in the way of organized government. That function was handled by a consortium of criminal organizations, including, apparently, the Hell’s Gate Clan.
By sharing his identity directly with the one she’d called an investigator, she’d outed him to them. That was going to cause him an additional level of difficulties locally.
Kurt had hoped the Hell’s Gaters wouldn’t be able to trace who he was for a while, giving him a chance to pay off the blood debt before they came after him. Now it was much more complicated, forcing him to deal with having a price on his head, all while conducting regular business. He needed to fix Clara’s problem in a hurry and pick up that other job for Trent if he was going to have enough to pay off the debt.
Shareen knew precisely what she’d done, judging from the smug smile on her face.
“I’m always happy to comply with law enforcement investigations, Captain. Thanks for giving me the heads up. I’ll be able to keep an eye out for them now.”
“That would probably be a good idea. Of course, you could always come with me and make an official statement down at my headquarters. I’m sure we can clear all this up and I’ll make sure to tell my contact on the other side you’re not to blame for the deaths.”
There was no way he was going anywhere near her headquarters or making an official statement. He’d be put under oath and they’d be within their rights to use magical means to verify his truthfulness. Nope, he’d have to resolve this one on his own, after he helped Clara with her little problem.
“I appreciate the offer, Captain. I will have to think about it. Anyway, I have plans this evening so it’s not convenient at this time.”
“Suit yourself,” she shrugged and pulled open her car door. “I’d watch your back, though. My friend on the other side seemed very interested in chatting with you.”
Shareen climbed back into her car and let the autopilot pull safely back into traffic. Kurt watched her drive away while he considered what to do.
That gate he’d used to come home was on a random three to five-day sequence. That meant he probably had at least three days before anyone was likely to come through looking for him unless they sent word ahead to their chapters on Earth Prime. Hopefully, they had not. Three days should be plenty of time to do both Clara’s job in Atlanta and maybe even finish the extra gig Trent had for him. With the money he made, he should be able to pay off the blood debt and call off the hounds.
Kurt had to make sure this operation for his ex-wife went off without any delays. He was sure Clara was leaving something out of what she’d told him. Time to get as much information out of her as he could and that meant plying her with food and wine. He continued to the corner and entered the market to pick up dinner.
His comm chirped on the way back to the apartment. Kurt automatically clenched his jaw muscles in the sequence that activated his comm chip and answered it.
It was Trent.
“Tell me you’ve got good news for me.”
“Jonesey will see you, but it has to be tonight. She’s going out of town to another realm for a few days and won’t be around after tonight.”
“I’ll make it work. She’s alright with the idea of credit?”
“She positively lit up with glee over our holovid call at the chance to get someone into the GEU warehouse in Atlanta. Honestly, it was kind of strange. She offered to front the whole job for you if you also picked up another item for her while you’re inside.”
Glee was not an emotion he’d ever have ascribed to Jonesey. Kurt’s internal trouble radar went up. “Trent, I’m not going to be there on a sightseeing tour. I need to get an eight hundred kilo gold sarcophagus out of impound.”
“Perfect, what’re another few kilos at that point?”
Kurt wanted to grumble but he had little choice. “What does she need me to pick up for her?”
“She’ll fill you in on that when you see her tonight. Nine o’clock. Don’t be late.”
Trent cut the connection on his end, leaving Kurt standing on the street pondering what the elven tech wizard was up to. While he was glad Jonesey squeezed him into her busy schedule, he figured it would be sometime tomorrow. Now it was going to cut into his chance to spend some quality time with Clara tonight. He’d hoped the dinner together would help remind her of the good times they’d had in the past.
Deep down, he knew it was a long shot, but Kurt never believed their break up was forever, no matter what the divorce terms said. He still held out hope they’d get back together and this was the perfect opportunity to try and move that process along.
Shifting the heavy grocery bags in his hands to make the load more comfortable, Kurt continued down the street. He’d just have to make sure the dinner part of the evening was perfect. He decided to stop at the liquor store on the way home and pick up a bottle of Clara’s favorite Moscato.
Chapter 6
“That was delicious,” Clara remarked, sliding her chair back and starting to clear her dishes.
Kurt jumped up and tried to wave her back into her seat. “I’ll get that. You sit.”
“Nonsense, Kurt. You don’t have to wait on me. You made a great dinner. Let me clean up.”
“Why don’t we do it together.”
“Excellent, you wash. I’ll dry. Go get started and I’ll clear the table.”
Kurt headed for the kitchen. He thought the dinner went well. The two of them were getting along better than they had in months. Their occasional phone calls usually ended in arguments.
Perhaps all they needed was some time face to face.
Filling the sink with soapy water, Kurt began wiping off the plates and silverware, rinsing them and stacking the cle
an plates to one side to wait for Clara to start drying.
She finished clearing the table and joined him by the sink, grabbing a dish towel from the drawer by the stove and started drying the dishes as Kurt finished.
As she dried off the plates and put them away, Clara asked, “Maybe we can have a glass of wine and watch a holovid after we clean up?”
“I’d like that but I have to run out for a bit first. I have to meet Jonesey at nine. It’s to gather some special gear to deal with your problem. Tell you what, start on the wine while I’m gone. I won’t be long. I’ll join you when I get back.”
“It seems awfully late to be heading out for a business meeting. Doesn’t that crazy elf keep regular office hours?”
Kurt chuckled. “I don’t think she knows what regular means. That’s probably what makes her devices and gadgets so unique and sought after by people like me. I shouldn’t be long, but I have to see her tonight. She’s heading out somewhere on a trip for a bit.”
“Elves, they’re so weird. They say they’ve been coming here for thousands of years to observe us and shepherd those of us who could use magic. To me, it’s always given me the creeps to think about them spying on us for so long. I almost side with those who say we shouldn’t allow all the other races in. What possible reason could they have to come here unless it was to take advantage of us?”
“It’s a little late to shut the gate on migration now, Clara.” Kurt realized they were heading down a path to one of their usual arguments and he decided to change the subject.
“Besides, Jonesey prefers technology to magic, at least for the most part. It’s that technology that’s going to help you out of your jam. If anyone can figure a way into that warehouse and get out again in one piece, it’s her.”
“All I know is the few times I’ve met her, she’s given me shivers in the way she looks at me. And whoever heard of an elf who chain-smokes? Smoking’s been out of vogue for decades now. It’s nearly impossible to find tobacco anywhere except in the most exclusive specialty stores.”