Killer Be Killed (The Frontier Book 1)

by Travis E. Hughes

  “It’s a local fruit, similar, it’s citrusy,” the man rocked his hand back and forth.

  “I’ll try it,” smiled Roslyn.

  “Bug juice,” said Talbert curtly, sliding his empty mug forward. “Neat. Hold the fruit.”

  “I’ll just take a bottle of water, please,” said Hattie, grinning politely.

  “Charlie, this round’s on the house. Charge this pretty little one double for her water,” said the man with a grin at Hattie and then one for Roslyn. “Lucky man. Though I’d suspect some days are better than others?”

  “Oh, we’re not a thing, we’re…” Roslyn hesitated. What was their cover story again? “We’re business partners. We’re out here to prospect.”

  “Bill’s here to protect our interests,” Hattie said, nudging against Talbert.

  “So you must be a tough guy, huh?” the man said, holding up his hands, mockingly.

  Talbert did his best impression of a smile, though it failed to reach his piercing eyes.

  “Sorry, forgot my manners,” said the man extending his hand to Talbert. “Jules Divine. I own the joint.”

  “Bill Brown,” said Talbert shaking. “My associates, Hattie Epps and Roslyn Graves.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Roslyn said shaking his hand. But he kissed the back of it instead. He followed up with Hattie’s hand next. Hattie gave off a soft giggle.

  “Well, welcome to Danaus,” said Jules before strolling down the bar to talk to a man leaning, staring into his warm pint of ale.

  Talbert and the ladies turned to survey the busy room. Gambling tables gave way to video poker and slots along the wall.

  “If Holly is in town, he’ll make the rounds to this place,” said Talbert under his breath. “I suspect everybody finds the Golden Jewel in Phoenix City.”

  They were onto their second round when Roslyn noticed a scruffy, burly man hurry into the club and rush to find Jules typing numbers into a holoscreen. The scruffy man put his hand over his mouth and delivered a message. Roslyn nudged Hattie to pay attention.

  Jules and the scruffy man strolled together back down the bar. As they passed, Roslyn heard Jules say, “Dogg Holly… Nothing can ever be simple, can it?”

  Jules and his scruffy companion exited the front door and stood on the walkway watching something or someone across the thoroughfare. Roslyn wanted to go take a peek but thought better of it.

  “Looks like our intel was good,” said Roslyn to her companions.

  After a few minutes Jules returned to the bar. Scruffy was Jules’ number two. All good number ones needed a solid number two. She wondered how solid he was. Both men seemed perturbed.

  “See, now I’m left wondering if he wasn’t hired by one of these little upstart pricks to protect their interests,” said Jules to Scruffy. Roslyn tried to lean forward to hear over the din of the room.

  “What if he’s just here to gamble?” asked Scruffy.

  “Well, that’d be just wonderful. But I sure as shit can’t expect to sit by and hope for it to be the case, can I? A man in my position, Drago…”

  “No, Sir, you’re right there. Not a man in your position,” said Drago the Scruff.

  “Why don’t you go and figure out his intentions, then?” ordered Jules. “No not you, you’d provoke him into a fight. Someone unassuming.”

  “Squirrely-Eyed Dave?” Drago suggested.

  “Yep,” Jules answered, clapping Drago on the back.

  Curiosity and eagerness to move forward on the case caused Roslyn to motion for Charlie to close out their account.

  Talbert scooted up behind her and whispered.

  “Don’t be too eager to rush out and find him just yet. We have to be fixtures already in place,” Talbert advised.

  Roslyn sighed her compliance. His logic was sound. She went ahead and closed out her account and excused herself to the hotel, just the same, because baulking to do so could cause notice. Besides, she desperately needed a shower and a good night’s sleep. She didn’t sleep well aboard space ships, she found. Hattie agreed to accompany her back and the pair left Talbert to another round of bug juice.

  *

  Talbert

  The walls began to melt in his peripherals and Talbert knew he’d had enough bug juice for the night. He’d sleep quite well, floor or no floor. He tried not to think about the two very attractive women in his room. One was Allan’s kid; the other her college roommate. They were work colleagues. Thoughts echoed through his mind, loud in their reverberations. He turned hoping to see Manny, his war buddy, but realized he wasn’t on Shiva. He was back on Danaus.

  Scanning the room, he spotted something out of place. It confused him. Who was that guy, staring at him? He recalled the feeling the man had given him before. But where? Then it struck him.

  It was the round-eyed, dandy man-child from Shiva. It took a moment to place him. When he did, Talbert sobered. There was something about that kid. Had he followed him there? But before Talbert could stand, the man vanished in the crowd. Talbert stood to try and see him, but he was gone. Was that him? No. But…

  It had to be, he was dressed the same. Someone was seriously fucking with him. Talbert fingered his gun’s pearl handle. Time to close out and go back to the hotel.

  He tried to keep his wobbly head on a swivel as he strolled up the boardwalk toward the hotel. Had that dandy man-child been a figment of his imagination?

  If it was someone trying to buffalo him, Talbert would do what he did best and kill the bastard. The Birds can bite it, at that point. His mind reeled and fragments of thoughts competed for focus.

  A shadow moving along a wall caused Talbert to stop and draw his pistol. He aimed at the shadow. The shadow held its hands up and stepped out from under the awning. It was a young man, covered in shimmering dirt, blinking in Talbert’s flashlight beam. It was just another prospector.

  “Carry’n, son,” Talbert slurred and turned off his flashlight.

  He made it back to the room and sat against the wall, staring at double moonbeams coming into the room at two separate angles.

  One of the moons had moved high enough for its beam to reach the bed. Hattie was bathed in a pale blue light. Talbert was struck with how peaceful and beautiful she looked. It dipped his heart in grief. What would his daughter look like today? He wouldn’t know Emyah if he passed her on the street? Would he know Amanda? Would she know him?

  That wicked voice, but the one that protected him, said those words again: They are both dead and gone. Time to move on with life. But hope, that prickly bastard, lingered somewhere inside of him; torturing him.

  Finally the bug juice eased him down onto the floor and the next thing he realized, he was walking into a cave. Where? His dream had yet to reveal.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Roslyn

  The next morning in line for breakfast, Roslyn waited behind a beautiful woman in tight leather pants and a velvet vest. When she turned around, Roslyn nearly gasped. Her eyes were enormous. It reminded her of a child’s eyes in proportion to its face. What race she was, Roslyn had no clue; perhaps a newcomer to the frontier from the other direction?

  “Are you new to town?” asked Roslyn.

  “I have just arrived back in town, recently,” she spoke in a clipped accent. “But I’ve been here many times before.”

  “Where are you from, if you don’t mind me asking?” Roslyn said.

  “Athena,” she answered.

  “Huh,” said Roslyn. Her species was new to Roslyn but she didn’t want to press further. “Nice to meet you. I’m Roslyn.”

  “I’m Grace. People know me as Big Eyes Grace or Graceless. It doesn’t bother me. It helps people remember me. Beeg deal.”

  “Why would it? Your eyes are gorgeous,” Roslyn said.

  “Oh, thank you,” Grace said. They passed a moment to move up in line by nodding and grinning.

  “Are you eating alone?” asked Roslyn.

  “Well, I was. My man is late riser,” Grace said.

&n
bsp; “My security guard is too,” said Roslyn. “Drinker?”

  “Him too?” Grace answered, shaking her head. “Aren’t they all? These tough guys. They are tough because they are in half the bag all the time. Am I right or what?”

  As they received their trays of food, Roslyn spotted Drago, Jules Divine’s number two, his security officer, the scruffy bastard, eating at a table alone. He stood and waved them over. She debated whether or not to pretend she hadn’t seen him. But the room was crowded and there weren’t any other tables available. A lot of these schmucks stood leaning against the wall, trying to balance their trays and eat at the same time. It provided a dinner show at least. But Roslyn preferred to be in the audience and not on stage.

  “Please. I feel guilty having the whole table to myself. It’s rude actually. So please, share it with me.” Drago pulled out their chairs.

  Drago appeared far less scruffy than he’d been the night before. His long, not-so-greasy hair was pulled up into a ponytail; his scraggly beard had been tied up in colorful ribbons. He wore a pinstriped suit and a nice tie. The cut of the suit made him look like he’d lost fifty pounds. This was an entirely different man.

  “Special occasion?” Roslyn asked as they settled in.

  “What’s that?” asked Drago, then noticing she was referencing his attire. ‘Oh, right. I’m going to Griffen today. That’s where we were set up last. I’m going to tie up some loose ends.”

  Roslyn nodded politely and tried her soup. It was too salty but other than that not too bad. Her rule was never look into the bowl.

  “What would your security guard do right now, if he walked in here and saw us eating together?” Drago asked, tilting his head to the side and squinting at her.

  “Why would he do anything? I don’t understand the question.” Roslyn shrugged.

  “Well, I mean, you two have a thing, I mean, you’re a couple aren’t you?” Drago asked. “Is he the kind of guy who doesn’t like his woman hanging around other men?”

  “What? No. We don’t even know each other, really. We just started working together. I’m sorry. That was… This is our first attempt at prospecting, actually,” Roslyn said flustered.

  “Oh, but I can tell these things,” Drago said in a playful voice. It made Roslyn uncomfortable, but somehow it came with a jolt.

  “Bullshit. We’re all professionals, here. This isn’t band camp,” Roslyn said, shaking her head annoyed. He was creepy and weird.

  “Okay, whatever. Sorry I brought it up. I just thought it was kind of interesting, you girls sitting with me when your security detail is sleeping off a hangover. Maybe it’s time to hire a new detail. All I’m trying to say.”

  “This is Grace not Hattie, first off. And you are, so, soliciting your services to us, right now.” Roslyn said.

  “I mean, you were quick to sit with me, when you had no other security around,” Drago said, in a dismissive voice.

  “What? There wasn’t any place else to sit,” Roslyn said. “You offered to share your table with Grace and me to be nice. That’s it.”

  “Oh, don’t mind me. I’m just hungry and want to fix hangover,” Grace laughed. She chewed on a roll covered in lard.

  “I take it he doesn’t like me much?” Drago pried. “That’s the way it is with guys like us. I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me. You can tell right away. He’d better watch his ass around me, that’s all I’ll say.”

  “I don’t get where you’re coming from about that,” Roslyn said, taken aback and confused. “Am I missing something?”

  “There are three types of people in this galaxy,” Drago said, holding up three fingers. “Those you got to watch out for, is the variety your security guard is and so am I. Trust me. We’re on each other’s radar right away.”

  “He doesn’t talk about you one way or the other. I doubt he pays you much mind at all, actually,” Roslyn said and tried not to grin. She found it odd that he thought so much about Talbert. Perhaps in his line of work he had to be able to recognize a threat right away?

  Drago snorted and bobbed his head. He cracked his neck and then his knuckles.

  “Is that why you invited us to your table, Drago?” Roslyn pushed. “To bait my security guard into a fight? Why? So I’ll be forced to hire you, if you kill him?”

  “Your man does not want to get into a fight with me, ma’am. I assure you.” Drago’s veins throbbed on his forehead, but he smiled through it.

  Roslyn grinned and shrugged, giving up the press too easily, as if to suggest she didn’t need this victory, she’d already won the war. “Whatever.”

  “Ladies, I apologize. But, if you’ll excuse me?” Drago gathered his breakfast quickly and hurried out of the restaurant.

  Roslyn looked up at Grace sheepishly. “I think he was embarrassed a little bit, huh?”

  “I fucking like you,” Grace said and laughed. Roslyn smiled and joined her laugh.

  Roslyn spent the rest of the day walking around, watching people, listening to conversations, observing. There was talk of Dogg Holly being in town but she hadn’t pinpointed his location by dinner. She returned to the room and her and Hattie set out to find a good meal. She’d skipped lunch.

  The wait for a table was forty-five standard minutes. The girls put their name in and strolled along the boardwalk, looking in shop windows. On their way back to check on their table, they encountered Talbert. He was freshly shaven and sported a clean, conservative suit. He wore it well. Why, Devil Bill, are you on the prowl or what?

  “Figured I’d grab a bite. Care to join me?” asked Talbert.

  “Sure,” said Hattie quickly.

  “We’ve already put in for a table for two,” said Roslyn, pretending to look concerned. She wasn’t in the mood for Talbert. He’d insulted her before and she wasn’t eager to be insulted again.

  “They can always pull up an extra chair,” Talbert said followed by a snort. “It may look a bit odd, me eating alone while you ladies are eating in the same damn restaurant.”

  “See, I don’t know, though,” said Roslyn. “I mean it seems more effective that if you’re our security detail then you’d sit at a different table, with a good view of our table. Back in New York, the gangsters I knew--”

  “We want to lay low, not call attention to the idea that you can afford a security detail,” Talbert said, cutting her off by shaking his head.

  “What are you even talking about?” she asked, looking at Hattie.

  “It’s okay, Ros, he can eat with us,” Hattie said. “You’re being paranoid.”

  “All right, whatever, but I doubt they have extra chairs,” said Roslyn.

  “There’s always an extra chair, even if it’s half broken,” Talbert said, taking a seat on the bench beside the entrance. Roslyn shrugged and sat next to him. Was he wearing cologne? Normally Roslyn wasn’t a cologne fan, but somehow Talbert had found the right mix with his natural pheromones because it didn’t smell half bad.

  “Brown, table for three,” said the android hostess, walking through the crowd. “Brown, for three.”

  “That’s us,” Talbert said.

  But another man, sleeveless, enormous arms, approached the hostess before she noticed Talbert.

  “That’s me. I’m Brown,” said the muscular man with melon-ball shoulders.

  “You got an ID to prove that, friend?” Talbert asked coming up behind him.

  “Excuse me?” asked Muscles.

  “I’m Brown,” he said in his lowest voice. “Nice try, big fella.”

  “Fuck you. My name is Brown. Nice try to you, bud.” Muscles flared his pecks and raised his melon-ball shoulders.

  “Do you have another Brown, further down the list?” Talbert asked the android.

  “No,” replied the hostess.

  Everyone had grown quiet in the vicinity.

  “Sir, I can vouch that this man’s name is Brown,” said Roslyn stepping between them. “We have IDs to verify…”

  “IDs issued by who? Are y
ou serious?” laughed Muscles.

  “Yeah, right. We went and got fake IDs so we could use the name Brown to take your table,” Roslyn said.

  “You aren’t on Earth any more, bitch,” Muscle said.

  Before the big man blinked, Talbert punched him in the jaw, clapping his teeth together and down he fell, asleep by the time he touched the sidewalk. There was a quick twitch before he went fully still.

  Roslyn wondered if he’d dipped his fist in Hattie’s toxin. The thought was disturbing. But then a sight across the square distracted her.

  Her new friend Big Eyed Grace had witnessed the scene. But what was even more alarming was the company she kept. She stood with a dandy in a bolo hat and slick suit, complete with a red velvet vest. He was a frail man leaning on a cane and coughing occasionally. A prominent forehead and dark eyes served as his primary features upon first glance. Eyes Roslyn had seen only before in holograms. They stared at Talbert fixedly and then as if the spell had broken, he motioned for Grace to continue on.

  “No, this my friend,” said Grace, walking up to Roslyn and giving her a hug.

  A table for three turned into a table for five. Roslyn’s heart thundered in her chest. Stomach lurching, she lost her appetite. But she needed to eat. At least order something and push it around.

  “So, Mr. Brown, what is it you do back on Earth? If you don’t mind my asking, sir.” Dogg Holly asked, sipping a glass of whiskey. His skin was pale and clammy. His eyes were outlined and spider-webbed red. When he coughed, he’d do so into a velvet-red kerchief.

  “I’m in the security business,” said Talbert. “I’m not from Earth. I’m from Athena.”

  “We’re hoping to take some gold back to Earth,” Roslyn added.

  “And that’s why you’re out here?” Dogg said, cutting a sliver of meat from a creature Roslyn assumed was mammalian at first. Though she realized given what she’d seen of Danaus so far, it was probably reptilian. With no more Earth laws to abide, the ban on killing aliens and eating them had not been observed in the wide-open territory of North Vader. Since beef had become so very expensive, people on planets other than Athena, had begun to sample the local fare.