Space Wrangler (16 page)

“Makes sense.”

“Does it? He still has to expend time and energy—with the attendant risks—to catch the additional thugs. Why not keep the droid carcasses? Less bio-metal, maybe, but overall, a net gain.”

“So you think he's not really throwing the bodies back? You think—what? He's recycling them illegally? Getting a better rate of return on the black market?”

“That's one theory,” TJ said carefully. “And that's where you come in. You operate in that world, so you can find out if he's circumventing Sea-Mont and selling droid carcasses to some illicit processing facility.”

“Do such facilities even exist?”

TJ eyed him coolly. “You tell me.”

The smuggler chuckled. “If I knew, I'd tell you. But it doesn't really matter, because even if there
is
a black market in bio-metal, Gage isn't the type to profit from it. He doesn't even buy
chocolate
from us, for fuck's sake.”

“I hope you're right. Rick's a valued wrangler, not to mention a friend.”

“A friend?” Zeke burst out laughing. “Seems like we define that word differently.”

“Shut up and listen.” TJ stepped closer to the smuggler, hoping he noticed which of them was bigger and more powerfully built, and could probably break a scrawny pirate's neck if he felt so inclined. “I want you to look into this for me. Is that a problem or not?”

“No problem. Especially since you'll pay me twenty-thousand credits if I find something, right?”

“Right. And…” TJ resumed a casual tone. “Even if he's not selling droids on the black market, I want you to confirm that he's actually throwing them back into space, rather than—well, sending them elsewhere.”

“Elsewhere?” The smuggler eyed him curiously. “What does that mean? Who else would want them?”

“None of your business.”

But a glimmer of understanding had appeared in the young man's eyes. “You think he's sending the bodies E-side for scientific study? Is that it? You're crazy, Seaton. Gage isn't stupid enough to cross you like that. It's not just illegal—it's dangerous. And there's no profit in it.”

TJ wanted to retort. To remind this fool that the profit in such an enterprise could be mind-boggling. If someone other than Sea-Mont discovered how to create
new
bio-metal, rather than just recycling the existing supply, the payoff would be so great, it wouldn't matter that they had technically violated Sea-Mont's patents and licenses. The world would worship at that person's—or company's—feet the same way it had worshipped at Roberto's and Trent's.

And for a multitude of reasons, TJ didn't want the world worshipping at Rick Gage's feet. It was bad enough Alexia found the guy so heroic. Calling him “cowboy” for fuck's sake. But at least when it came down to power and influence, TJ had more than Gage. Or at least, TJ's asshole of a father did.

“Find out about the recycling,” he said finally. “And look into whether he's really throwing the carcasses back. That's all I want to know. And frankly, I hope you discover he's doing exactly what he told me—throwing them back to save cargo space for thugs.”

“No,” Zeke murmured. “You hope he's doing something illegal. What the hell did he do to you, anyway?”

“Do we have a deal or don't we?”

Zeke leaned back as though pondering the question. Finally he flashed a conciliatory smile. “I can find out about the black market easily. But someone will have to physically trail him to know if he's jettisoning the carcasses. Do you know where he is at the moment?”

“On his way to Sector Fourteen.”

“What?” Zeke's eyes widened. “My guys don't go there. And Gage shouldn't either.”

“He likes exploring new sectors.”

“
He
likes it?” Zeke laughed. “You're the one sending him into the snake pit. He's
your
wrangler. Man, you must really want him dead.”

TJ forced himself not to react to the punk's outrageous suggestion. “It's my job to protect Sea-Mont's interests. That's all I'm doing. Personally, I hope to clear Rick's name. He's a friend, like I said.”

“Makes me glad
I'm
not your friend.”

“I couldn't agree more. Do we have a deal or not?”

The smuggler stood and stretched out his hand. “For twenty-thousand credits? Yeah, we've got a deal.”

TJ ignored the attempted handshake and gestured toward the door. “Barbara will show you out.”

“Why not? She's shown me everything else,” Zeke said with a laugh. Then he turned and ambled into the reception area.

“Fucking pirate,” TJ muttered.

He already regretted the bargain, not just because Angelus was a criminal, but because TJ knew in his heart that the kid was correct. There was no way Rick had lied about the droid carcasses. His explanation that the thugs were a better use of cargo space was completely credible, while the idea he would do something underhanded or greedy was preposterous.

Wasn't that the problem? Rick was incapable of deception. He had always been honest with TJ, not just about the droids, but about whether he and Alexia had had sex during the trip to the Titans.

Rick Gage was exactly what Alexia thought him to be—a decent, honorable man.

But so was TJ. Or at least, it was what he aspired to be despite the slimy example set by the monster. So wasn't it time to convince Alexia that her schoolgirl heartthrob was every bit as worthy as the emotionally damaged drifter who preferred sex with bio-girls and life in Sector Fourteen?

Alexia would have happily slept until noon had her pulse band not buzzed at eight a.m. She knew it wasn't Rick—she didn't even
want
it to be Rick, did she?—yet still she grabbed for it, then smiled when the display opened before her eyes with a message from TJ. As crazy as it seemed, she had missed him a little, and was anxious to get on with their reunion. She wanted that for sentimental reasons. And she needed it if she hoped to find Trent.

But two things had changed, hadn't they? She wasn't going to lie to her former lover from this day forward, nor would she promise sex or marriage.

Those possibilities were off the table now, and the sooner she broke the news to TJ, the better. He might be upset or even furious at first, but she'd make him understand. And somehow, even without sex or lies, she would convince him to share the Sea-Mont sentient with her using the most powerful weapons at her disposal: love, trust and history.

Inspired, she opened his message, which read:
G'morning, Lex. Hope you're feeling better. You have an appointment with Dr. Margaret Bodin at ten this morning in the infirmary. If you need help getting there let me know. Otherwise I'll see you afterwards. It's great having you here. Love, TJ

“Ugh,” she muttered aloud. “So much for being honest.”

She would have to lie about the headache for a day or two more, just enough for a transition between sexy Alexia and the more sisterly version. And if he asked about Rick, she might have to lie about that too, just to protect the wrangler from his employer's wrath. Rick needed fuel cells, and Sea-Mont was the only source. Or at least, the only legal source.

TJ won't ask
, she assured herself as she showered and dressed in jeans and a black tank top.
Rick's miles away by now, and won't be back until long after you've gone home.

To her surprise, she didn't miss the cowboy at all, or at least, not yet. She just felt great in body, mind and spirit. Even the platform looked better today, to the point where she couldn't wait to grab a latte in the Trading Post before her appointment. And when she wandered into the bar and saw Jamie, the waitress from her first day, she felt a sense of calm wash over her, almost as though she were just where she belonged.

Jamie was off duty but still insisted on serving her, bringing them both coffee drinks and scones. The bio-girl wanted to talk about Trent again, and while it was usually Alexia's favorite topic, she still felt guilty for bringing up sinkhole percentages during their last conversation, so she insisted her new friend talk about herself instead. She quickly learned Jamie was a super student who had been admitted to Harvard and Yale with excellent but not full scholarships. Being a bio-girl for three years would take care of that, and since she planned on becoming an economist, she loved having the inside track on Earth's most profitable and productive colony.

A second bio-girl—a freakishly tall blonde named Lana—joined them. She was friendly, but also projected some sort of rivalry with Alexia, asking pointed questions about both TJ and Rick. Apparently Lana had seen the wrangler buying her a drink and had imagined something erotic was transpiring.

In other words, Lana was perceptive.

“I'm a flirt,” Alexia admitted. “And let's face it, that cowboy is gorgeous. But it was just good, clean fun. My actual date was with TJ.”

“Are you planning on marrying him? TJ, I mean?”

“Lana,” Jamie said with a laugh. Then she explained to Alexia, “She has a crush on Captain Gage so obviously, she wants to be sure you're with TJ.”

Lana laughed too. “It's true. Of course, I also have a crush on TJ, so it's okay either way. It's not like either one of them wants me for anything but—what did you call it? Good, clean fun?”

Jamie giggled again. “Or maybe you'll be the next Barbara.” She sent Alexia a conspiratorial glance. “Have you met
her
yet? The new Gabrielle?”

Alexia's radar went up at the mention of TJ's old girlfriend and current communications director. And rumored to be sleeping with a smuggler. “There's an
old
Gabrielle?” she asked carefully.

“Little Miss Perfect,” Lana interjected. “We like her but she's tough competition, so we also hate her.”

“It's true. Gabby's perfect,” Jamie explained to Alexia with a grin. “Barbara's just a bio-girl with delusions of grandeur.”

“What does that mean?”

“She's been TJ's mistress ever since he broke up with the last one. And she lords it over all us because of it.”

“Jamie…” Lana shook her head, then told Alexia, “She's just kidding. We like Barbara a lot. I'm sure you will too. Just don't get jealous, because I'm sure he stopped sleeping with her the instant you stepped foot on the platform. He's been pining for you, you know. We've all heard about the biggest mistake he ever made waah, waah, waah. Right, Jamie?”

“The biggest mistake?” Alexia murmured. TJ had made so many of those, although to be fair, so had she.

“He should have married you years ago. Or so he says. Anyway, enough gossip,” Jamie insisted with a breezy smile. “We don't mean any of it. And we're actually a close-knit family. When one of us has a problem, we all rally. Like right now, our friend Kai is heartbroken because she fell in love with one of the—”

“
Jamie!
” Lana glared at the bio-girl. “She's management, remember?” Turning to Alexia, she added coldly, “Sorry, but I just had to say it. We like you but you're our boss, not our friend.”

When Jamie started to dispute this, Alexia raised her palm and smiled. “I guess it's true, at least in a way. I never think of myself as part of Sea-Mont management, but it's a fair criticism.”

Lana's glare receded and she explained, “We get crushes on the guys, and even possessive about them. But if we ever
really
got hung up on someone, to the point where it interferes with our job, the Seatons would deport us in a heartbeat. For our own good, according to TJ, because he doesn't want any babies running around the platform. Or something like that.”

“And if we get deported, we lose our bonus,” Jamie added. “So please don't tell him about Kai.”

Alexia shrugged again. “Kai, Barbara, Gabrielle—I can't possibly keep these names straight, much less rat anyone out. Plus, I'm off to the infirmary for my appointment. Any gossip about Dr. Bodin?” she added teasingly.

“You're sick?” Lana's entire demeanor changed. “What's wrong?”

“She's got D-side poisoning,” Jamie explained. “But it's mild, right, Alexia?”

“Just a headache. And this latte tastes like blutanium. But I'll survive.”

When she stood up, the bio-girls did so too. Then Lana said, “Jamie has to get ready for work. But I'll walk you over. No arguments. I already feel like shit for giving you shit when you're sick.”

Before Alexia could protest, the blonde linked arms with her. “Come on, metal mouth. I'll give you the dirt on Dr. Meg while we walk.”

The dirt on Dr. Meg proved fairly benign. According to Lana, the physician had been here since the early days when the platform was just a layover between the sinkhole and the planet. She was fiercely loyal to the Seatons, especially TJ, and always took their side in a dispute over fitness for work or severity of injuries.

“And Meg really
is
a rat,” Lana finished as they stood in the doorway to the clinic. “It's in our contracts, believe it or not. So for example, if I accidentally got pregnant, she has my permission to tell TJ, and boom. My illustrious career would end.”

Alexia felt a stab of indignation, which she assumed was a bolt from beyond the grave from her activist mother. “You're saying there's no doctor-patient confidentiality?”

“We sign a waiver before we transit.”

“That doesn't sound legal. If you ever want to fight it, I know some great lawyers.”

Lana grinned. “There's a reason they styled this place like the Old West. No law in these parts except David Seaton, the hanging judge. He'd execute any lawyer who dared come through the sinkhole.” Her smile faded and she touched Alexia's temple. “How's the headache?”