03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (7 page)

Darren talked faster. “Look, they say she’s
dealt drugs herself, that her family was rich and bribed a judge to
let her go. Her sister’s supposed to be a slut, too—“

“Careful,” Azor warned softly. The urge to
strike was hard to resist. He had to fight to keep his hand loose,
to keep from forming a fist.

He must have seen the change from cop to
predator, for Darren held up his cuffed hands in a gesture of
peace. “Look, I’m just telling you what I heard. There’s always
been rumors about them. I mean, there was all that stuff about them
a few years ago; it was in all the papers. I thought…well, I
thought a girl like that wouldn’t really mind…you know. I thought
it might even be a kind of justice—you know, if she got what she
deserved.”

“Very righteous of you,” Azor said with a
curl to his lip. He stood up, disgusted with the whole
conversation. “I have some pictures for you to look at. You’re
going to help us find the dealer.”

“I don’t really remember much about him,”
Darren said nervously.

A hard light gleamed in Azor’s eyes. “Let’s
see if we can help you remember.”

Chief Puyta didn’t look happy when they left
the interrogation room. “I hate the rumor mill. Those girls don’t
deserve to go through this again.” He meant the upcoming trial, of
course, and the media circus that would go with it.

Azor grunted. It was little consolation that
Topek had identified the suspect. They could throw him in jail, but
it seemed there was always another one to take his place. “She
ought to take a long vacation—off world.”

“Yes. You should let her tag along when you
take your vacation. I’d feel happier if she traveled with an
escort; that is, if you two can keep from bickering for once.”

That earned him a quelling glance, though it
was milder than normal. After all, this was his boss. “Believe it
or not, I tried. Anyone with sense can see it’s in her best
interests. She’ll never do it, though. She won’t run.” She wasn’t
always wise, but she didn’t scare easily. He felt a reluctant
admiration for her stubbornness, but he still wished she’d wise
up.

“It would help if Gem got behind the idea.
She can make her sisters do anything. Maybe you should mention it
to her.” The chief looked at him expectantly.

Azor winced. “We’ll see. I can’t imagine
she’d like to travel far.” He thought about it for moment. “I’ll
dig up some travel brochures about Ictharus II.” It was a pleasant
little planet, and conveniently close to Polaris. If Brandy became
a pest, he wouldn’t have to tolerate her long. Besides, he’d
already offered to take her at least that far.

As he thought about their earlier
conversation, he was reminded of Brandy’s reaction when he’d
mentioned visiting her sister. Daydreams, spooky thoughts… He
remembered the rumors about the drug. Was she having more than
nightmares? Slowly, he asked, “Have we heard anything about
Euphoria’s side effects? Has there been any confirmation of
the…mental phenomena? The foreknowing?”

Puyta blinked. “Are you asking me if I’ve met
any prophets lately? Why? Does this have something to do with
Brandy? What did the doctors say?”

Azor shook his head. “I’m just wondering.
Maybe it’s just lingering a bit. If things were seriously wrong, it
would be obvious, wouldn’t it? She’s not matching any of the
symptoms on the checklist the doctor gave me.”

“Well, stay on it. Make her see a doctor if
things get worse.”

Azor nodded absently. He intended to keep a
close eye on the girl.

The call came that evening after dinner.
Brandy was immersed in a video feed and had actually forgotten her
afternoon’s encounter as she absently reached for the com.

“Hi.” There was a pause. “I said I’d
call.”

Brandy sat up. It was the guy from the track!
“Hi! Uh…I didn’t really think you would.”

There was an awkward pause. “Maybe I’d better
go.”

“No! I mean…I enjoyed riding with you today.
Are you often at the track?”

“Sometimes. You shouldn’t ride alone.
Accidents happen.”

She’d heard that note of concern before. “You
sound like my family.” She paused suspiciously. “This isn’t Blue,
is it?”

There was a choking noise. “Your brother in
law? Hardly.”

“How do you know my brother in law?”

He sighed. “Look, everyone knows your family.
That’s just one more reason I shouldn’t have called. They wouldn’t
like me. I don’t have the best reputation.”

“Why? Are you a drug dealer?” she asked
suspiciously. She was ready to hang up.

“No. I’m…a stripper.” He sounded suspiciously
grave. Was he laughing at her?

“Really,” she said doubtfully.

“I work at a club downtown. You know, one of
those places women go wearing masks.”

She’d heard of such places, of course. The
police were constantly raiding them. Not that it kept them closed
for long—they were too popular. “I’ve never been.”

“Yeah. I figured.”

“That sounds sarcastic.”

“It’s a complement. You don’t need to hang
out in a place like that.”

“What about you?” she asked curiously. He
sounded like a decent guy. What made him chose such a living?

There was a long pause. “I’ve got people
depending on me. Family.”

“So you’re married,” she said coldly. As far
as she was concerned, it was the end of the conversation. She
looked for the “end” button, but his urgent words were loud enough
to stop her.

“No! My sister. She’s been sick. She can’t
work, and she’s got kids. A laborer’s job won’t pay the bills.”
Another pause. He added almost shyly, “I’m going to school during
the day. Another year and I’ll get my degree.” He didn’t need to
add that he looked forward to changing his life; it was there in
his voice.

She digested that. Interesting. His
circumstances made her think he might be younger than her, though.
“How old are you?”

“Twenty-three.”

She winced. A younger man. That would seal
her infamy.

At her continued silence, he said coolly,
“Look, I’ve got to get back to work. I won’t call you again,
okay?”

“I’ve…” she began, uncertain what she’d say,
but found she was surprisingly unwilling to end the call. Was she
that lonely? “I respect that you’re trying to change your life.
I’ve been there.” She thought about it, and then added firmly, “You
can call again, but understand that I will mention it to my family.
I’m not into secret relationships.”

“You can tell anyone you like. They’ll talk
you out of me soon enough,” he said dryly. “Probably be best.”

“You can’t be worse than my last date,” she
said darkly.

He waited a moment, and then asked carefully,
“It went badly?”

She shut her mouth against the urge to tell
him, but something made her admit, “He tried to rape me.”

“I’m sorry.” His voice had deepened, become
grim. “I have a personal grudge against rapists.”

She swallowed hard. “Yeah.”

“I’m glad he didn’t succeed,” he added
softly. “You don’t deserve that kind of treatment.”

Her throat tightened. It wasn’t funny, but
she laughed. “You don’t really know me.”

“You think you deserved it?”

“No.”

“Good. Now I really do have to go. It’s my
shift.”

“Call again.”

He paused. “Maybe.”

“Please.” There was a discreet beep as the
com signaled she had another call. She frowned in annoyance as she
waited for his answer.

“I wish you the best.”

“That’s not a—“ She made a face at the dial
tone. He’d hung up.

The com chirped again. Annoyed, she took the
call. “Yes?”

“Hello, sis.” The voice was grainy, echoing,
but clearly Xera’s.

Brandy sat up, suddenly charged with
adrenaline. She forced herself to speak normally. Xera would think
she was crazy if she started spouting off about her nightmare. She
fought to keep the strain out of her voice. “Hey! You called me at
a decent hour. What is it, O-Dark-Thirty there?”

“I was up anyway. Couldn’t sleep.”

Brandy frowned. Xera calling at a decent hour
was always suspicious, and she knew Gem. “Why? Did Gem call and
wake you up?”

Xera stifled a yawn. “The baby. So how are
you?”

“Fine,” she said guardedly. “Yourself?”

Xera wasn’t one for small talk, at least with
her sisters. The poor connection made it necessary to get down to
details. The signal could break at any time. “I want you to come
visit.”

“What?”

“You know, hop on a ship and fly my way. It’s
easy. I want you to see my children.”

There was only one reason Xera would make
such an offer. She thought Brandy was in trouble. The offer was
hardly surprising, considering that Gem had mentioned the subject
of travel this very afternoon. Her sisters were trying to fix her
problems. “You said yourself it’s a hostile border. Besides, it
would take me most of a year to get there.”

“It would seem much shorter with the new
semi-suspension technology. You’d sleep for weeks, wake up for a
week, and sleep again. It’s no big deal. Besides, the border has
calmed down a great deal in the past few years. We’d meet you part
way and escort you the rest of the way here.” Xera had married into
a powerful family. She could have a couple of warships at her
disposal with little trouble.

Brandy hardly knew what to say. “What does
your husband think about all this?” She pictured Ryven’s face from
her hallucination and grimaced. He’d always seemed a rather grim
man in his pictures, cool at best. Was he the kind of man who could
harbor a killing passion?

“He’s curious about my family, and interested
in meeting you. I think you’ll like him.”

Brandy grunted. Xera’s marriage had been
unexpected, and not of her choosing, but she insisted she was happy
now. She must be, or she’d never feel safe enough to invite her
family to visit. She wasn’t the kind of woman who’d endanger
others.

Since they’d never met Xera’s husband, Brandy
and Gem had always wondered how she was really doing. It would be
an opportunity to see for herself. It was almost enough to convince
her to go. “I don’t know. I’ve got…things…I’m doing here.” It was
an excuse, and she didn’t feel guilty. It would take more than
guilt to make her trek across the galaxy.

Sharp and painful, her hallucination flashed
before her eyes. She locked her jaw and pushed it aside. It had no
place in reality.

“Think it over. I’ll pay for your return
trip, if you like.”

Hm. Round trip, it would be sixteen months
travel time. If she stayed for a month, maybe two, it would make it
closer to eighteen months before she returned. It might make things
easier, after the trial, at least. It would certainly be easier on
Gem if Brandy weren’t around to provoke the gossips. Would that
make it worthwhile? She wasn’t sure. “I’ll consider it.” She heard
a baby’s faint cry. “You’d better deal with that.”

“I already am. Take care of yourself, sis. I
would enjoy a visit.”

“You, too. Love ya. Bye.” She looked
thoughtfully at the com, then shook her head and went back to
watching her show. She didn’t need to go all the way to another
star system to fix her troubles, not when she had a remote. Booze
wasn’t the only way to numb a brain.

She couldn’t concentrate on the program,
though. Xera had made her think, made her worry. Her sisters must
think things were pretty dire if they were tag teaming her. Brandy
had to admit it looked pretty grim. Just the thought of living down
a second scandal—though not of her making—was enough to exhaust
her. It had been hard enough the first time. She was looking at
years of work ahead of her.

She didn’t want to think about it, so she
deliberately stopped, turned her thoughts to the pleasant mystery
of her smitten young stripper. A smile quirked at her lips as she
considered the absurdity. He was too young, too wild, for a woman
who was interested in respectably. Not for the first time, she felt
the bite of rebellion at the thought. Maybe she didn’t care about
respectability anymore. Maybe she’d gone too far to worry about
it.

She examined the thought, savored it. She
wanted to talk to him again. He made her feel better about herself.
He’d made her smile. She looked at her com and checked the menu.
She found his number listed under recent calls and hit the dial
button. She got a recording:

“This is Azure. Leave a message and I’ll get
back to you.”

She sighed and disconnected without leaving a
message. At least now she knew his name. Strange that she hadn’t
wondered what it was before. Maybe it was because he’d seemed so
easy, so familiar. It made her want to talk to him even more.

She sat back and considered what a
relationship with him would be like. He must be interested, or he’d
never have called. Gem would dislike him on the spot, and Blue
would be suspicious. They’d hover.

On the plus side, he was refreshing. If he
was a stripper, he had to be at least passably attractive, right?
And maybe it was shallow of her, but he had to be interested in the
physical side of a relationship. After M’acht, that mattered.

Thinking of her failed marriage made her
wonder—this Azure wasn’t Kiuyian, was he? She felt a stab of
anxiety, but told herself sternly that it was unlikely. Azure
wasn’t a Kiuyian name. Of course, he was stripper. He probably
didn't go by his birth name.

She bit her lip. She’d ask him the next time
he called…if he called. Her experience with M’acht had been too
painful to repeat.

They’d only tried to make love twice. Each
time had been a disaster. The first time she’d been too tense to
relax. It wasn’t what she’d expected and he’d been…fumbling.
Between her nervousness and his failure to remain hard, they’d
gotten nowhere. He hadn’t been enthusiastic when she’d wanted to
try again a week later. He’d managed to break her maidenhead, but
had gone soft almost instantly afterward. She was so ignorant, she
wouldn’t have known it wasn’t supposed to be that way if she hadn’t
talked to her sister…after it was too late.