03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (10 page)

Brandy was almost surprised at his
persistence. Had he always been this protective? “Azure,” she said
seriously. “Gem doesn’t need to know, of course.” She knew he’d be
discreet, for Gem meant the world to him, and she had to trust
someone with the information. As she’d learned from painful
experience, keeping secrets could be deadly.

His knowledge, however, wouldn’t necessarily
affect her actions. She still wanted to know more about Azure. She
was…curious. It wasn’t everyday she met someone like him. He’d
certainly never hold her reputation against her. That would be
refreshing.

He was silent for a moment, his expression
unreadable. “Where did you meet him?”

She canted her head curiously. Did he know
the guy? “At the track, after Azor told me I was lucky to be alive.
He rides a nice tryck. We did a couple of laps. He called once.
That was it.”

There was a thick silence. Blue had his arms
crossed and was regarding her like a suspect he’d relish
interrogating. Finally he said, “All right.”

He didn’t say anything else, though. It was
probably a bad sign. She knew him well enough to suspect he
wouldn’t let it go.

That was fine. Unlike her sister, he could
handle the stress. He could do her snooping for her. If he dug up
any dirt on her caller, he’d be prompt about sharing. As a former
cop, he was good at that sort of thing. It would save her all kinds
of work, and in the meanwhile, she’d enjoy a flirtation that was a
welcome distraction from the chaos of her life.

In fact, if she got the opportunity…or made
one herself, she wanted to see him. The idea occupied her mind long
after Blue quite hovering. How hard would it be to dig up a
location on the club? There were ways finding things out,
especially if you offered a bribe. Wouldn’t it be interesting to
see how Azure would react to seeing her tonight? If he were
displeased, it would be revealing, and if he were glad…her heart
rate sped at the idea. Her evening should be anything but boring
tonight.

Azor was at his desk, working, when the com
rang. He picked it up and answered absently, “Azor.”

“What are you doing?” Blue demanded, not
bothering to identify himself.

His concentration broken, Azor said
curiously, “Doing? Working, or I was. I need to wrap a few things
up before we leave.”

“More than one,” Blue said ominously. “Brandy
tells me she’s been getting calls from a guy who calls himself
Azure. Ring a bell?”

“Ah.” Azor sat back. Blue knew a few things
about his background, enough to recognize the grains of truth in
the story Brandy must have told him. It was his fault for assuming
she’d keep their interaction to herself. She’d changed over the
years, grown cautious about secrets. He was glad, but not eager
that her openness had led to this conversation. “At the time, it
seemed like a way to comfort her.” That fact that he'd been
wondering what it would be like to kiss her he kept private. Blue
wouldn't appreciate the honesty.

There was a long silence. His lip lifted in a
snarl. “Comfort her? You’re going to have to explain that one,
because from where I sit, you’re looking like a fool, my friend.”
Blue didn’t like scandals upsetting his wife; definitely not when
she was in a delicate situation.

Azor sighed. Already he was regretting his
offer to let Blue and his family tag along on his vacation. The man
had his back up over Brandy already, and they weren’t even on
board. “There’s a tea house across the street. Meet me over there
in about twenty minutes, all right? We’ll talk there.”

“Twenty, then.” Blue hung up.

He was already waiting when Azor walked in,
and he had two cups of tea and a tray of appetizers in front of
him. Obviously, he was impatient.

Azor joined him at the hand hewn, highly
polished table. The bead curtain in front of their alcove was made
of a dampening material that muted sound. From outside, all he
could hear was soft music and the sound of falling water from the
fountain mounted on the wall. The potted ferns and delicate
moonflowers dotted around the restaurant added to the air of
serenity.

There was little of that in Blue’s hard gaze,
though. He waited until the waitress took their order, then said
impatiently, “You realize she wants to see ‘Azure’, don’t you?”

Azor took a sip of tea and considered what it
was safe to say. “She was very upset, that first morning. I
followed her to the track, guessing she’d go there. She’s
predictable in her habits.” He looked at Blue. “She’d been crying,
which isn’t the safest thing to do on a tryck. I had a helmet on,
so she didn’t know it was me. I figured it was better that way,
since we didn’t have a history of peaceful interaction.” The sight
of her tears had done something to him, twisted his heart. He'd
wanted to make it better.

Blue nodded to show he was following Azor’s
reasoning.

“I revved my tryck a few times to let her
know I was willing to go a few rounds. As a distraction, it worked
great. She seemed to feel better. Then she asked me for my name.”
He paused, remembering how he’d felt then. There’d been peace
between them, and it was restful. He didn’t want to see her
interest fade to her usual annoyance. “I said I’d call.”

“Thus ensuring she’d be left with a memorable
impression. You knew she’d expect to hear from you. You knew she’d
be upset if you didn’t.” Blue frowned. “You’re too good a cop to
make a mistake like that, ‘zor. Don’t tell me you didn’t want to
call her.”

Azor frowned. “It just happened. Everybody
slips up.”

“But then you told her you were a stripper.
Why didn’t you just tell her you were involved with someone?”

“I was trying to get her to lose interest,”
he defended himself. “I didn’t want her to think I was scum.”

“Strippers aren’t scum?” Blue said
mildly.

Azor’s eyes narrowed. “Watch it.” Blue knew
Azor had gone to the academy via juvenile corrections. Azor had
never pretended to have a pretty past, but then neither did
Blue.

“Fine, you were ineligible, but she was still
interested. Couldn’t you have tried harder?”

“I told her I was younger than her,” Azor
said wearily. “Usually that sends women running. Didn’t work with
her.” Another surprise, one that had made dissuading her difficult.
It had been a lot easier talking to her in disguise, and she’d been
surprisingly kind. It had made him wish he really had known her
years ago, before the investigation had made her hate him. She was
always so acerbic with him, and he hadn’t known she was such a soft
touch.

Thinking of her touch made him remember their
almost-kiss. He deeply regretted missing out on that. Given enough
time and privacy, he would have enjoyed seeing where it would
go.

He wasn’t from Polaris, and while the
Kiuyians who came here adapted, they weren’t known for being
restrained in their passions. He would have taken pleasure in
giving Brandy the release she so obviously needed. His mind began
to follow that thought, but his companion didn't give him a
chance.

Blue was still harping. “And now she’ll want
to meet this mystery man! You know Brandy. I’ll bet you a weeks pay
that she’ll try to visit that club before we leave. With two days
time, she’ll have the opportunity.” Blue’s eyes tightened at the
corners. “I’m not interested in seeing my wife stressed any more
than she already is. You need to talk with that girl.”

Azor nodded. He could easily picture Brandy
tracking down her amorous stripper. If he weren’t the man in
question, he might feel jealous. Even if he didn’t have a rightful
claim on her, Kiuyian men tended to be possessive.

And he had to agree; the last thing she
needed was to be seen in a strip joint. Speaking up would protect
her from her more ruinous impulses. “You’re right, though you
realize it’s going to make getting her on my ship difficult. She’s
going to want blood.”

Blue grimaced. “Has to be done. On the bright
side, the wife won’t feel the need to chaperone anymore once Brandy
hates you again.”

Azor smiled acerbically. It was a happy
thought—the lack of chaperone, not the hating. That he would
regret. It would simplify his life, however. At least their old
pattern was familiar…if not as much fun. “I’ll tell her
tonight.”

CHAPTER 7

Brandy was at the back door to the stripper’s
club late that afternoon, about an hour before opening. A hefty
bribe to the suspicious manager got Brandy in, and she offered the
older woman a couple of bottles of aged liquor that was older than
she was. The gift won her a seat to herself at the empty bar while
she waited for the strippers to show up for their shift. Azure
wasn’t scheduled to dance that night, but for the promise of three
cases of Nebula, premium draft, a com call was made, asking him to
show. The manager made certain to mention that a “special lady” was
waiting to meet him.

Of course the message had to be entrusted to
his voice mail, so it wasn’t a sure thing, but Brandy was content
to wait. Since she was there, she decided to soak up the atmosphere
and consider why men like him did the job they did. She also
considered the ambiance.

Once, The Spark had been more like this
place, less polished, a touch dangerous. It was almost nostalgic to
see the battered tables and feel the occasional chipped tile
underfoot. Dim lighting gleamed off the self-cleaning glasstic mugs
on the shelf behind the bar and limned the poured concrete counter.
Music came softly from somewhere back stage, made her think of days
she’d spent cleaning bathrooms and changing sheets. They’d been
hard days, but good.

She had to wonder if her days were good now.
Was her desire to meet Azure an attempt to reach for something
more? Would seeing him in person really change anything?

When Azor reached The Spark that night, Blue
told him Brandy wasn’t home. “I can’t get her on her com, either.”
They’d already searched her empty apartment, looking for clues. He
stared at Azor as if he were to blame.

Azor thought about where she might be and
felt a moment’s unease. He opened his com to try to call her
himself and saw he had a message on one of his accounts. He checked
it, listened to it twice. His face was expressionless as he glanced
at Blue. “I think I know where she is.”

Blue’s jaw tightened. “I don’t like your
expression.”

Azor drew in a breath. “I guess I’m going to
work tonight. I can’t show up there as myself.”

“By “there”, you mean that strip club, don’t
you?” Blue growled. “You think she’s there.”

“Gut feeling,” Azor confirmed, gesturing with
his com. “The message asking me to come in says there’s a lady who
badly wants to meet me.” He’d already requested the time off for
vacation, leaving the option of coming back to the cover later. The
lady who’d run the club was disappointed, but she’d allowed him the
time off. After all, he’d made her good money, and he worked as a
free agent. She wouldn’t be calling unless she’d been given a hefty
bribe.

Of course, it might not be Brandy. If his
cover had been blown again, it could be bad news waiting instead.
He looked at Blue. “I could use some backup. You’re the only one I
can think of who’s motivated to keep this under wraps.”

“Great,” Blue said dourly. “Now I have to
find an excuse Gem will believe. Fine, I’ll be there, but let’s
make this fast. The quicker we retrieve the girl, the less damage
she’s likely to cause. I swear she’s going through a second
adolescence.” He cast a look over his shoulder as he headed out of
Brandy’s apartment, where they’d been talking. “I blame you.”

The place was beginning to fill up. Brandy
nursed her bottle of water as she watched the gathering crowd of
masked women. Looked like the place did good business.

She absently touched her own silkskin mask,
marveling that the lightweight material felt so insubstantial, yet
provided such opaque coverage as it hugged her skin. The filmy
substance could be peeled off and tucked in a pocket when she was
done, all without disturbing her makeup, the clerk who’d sold her
the mask had promised.

When she’d gone looking for masks, she’d been
surprised by the number to be found behind the room of a local
cosmetics shop, proving that the serving girl at The Spark knew
what she was talking about. The shop did a mint in black market
disguise, and there’d been glitter and sparkle and feathers galore
to choose from. She’d opted for simplicity in the plain mask. After
all, she wanted to be found.

Her mouth curved in a half smile as she
wondered why she’d never done anything this crazy before. She’d
been so busy trying to clean up her act for the last few years,
she’d never had the fun of flaunting convention. It was a juvenile
delight that was long overdue. Maybe she needed that stage in her
life.

Maybe it would be fun to rebel. Aspiring to
follow her sister’s example had led her nowhere. She savored the
thought as she took a bite of the pickled veggies and savory black
noodles she’d ordered, using the disposable, wooden mini rake
they’d provided to capture the noodles. She twirled another bite
around the tines, using the food as a way to ignore the other women
as she thought. For the first time, she thought about ditching
responsibility and simply having fun.

She wasn’t the elder sister. She didn’t have
to be diligent and save the family with hard work and sacrifice.
The family was saved. There was no reason for her to grind her life
away on the stone of responsibility. She could try being
herself.

Maybe she could figure out who that was.

The firing of the stage lights made her
glance up. Sensual music with a hard beat made her put down the
little rake. She frowned. She hadn’t actually planned to watch any
dancing, was pretty sure she didn’t want to see Azure baring his
body in front of a crowd of strangers. It wasn’t what she’d come
for, but now it was too late to back out, for his name was
projected onto the smoke effects on the stage, spelled out in blue
laser lights.