The Colossus Collection : A Space Opera Adventure (Books 1-7 + Bonus Material)

by Nicole Grotepas

  “Hello, we have a visitor,” one of them said. He wore a top-hat and suspenders. A jacket was draped over the back of his seat. He had the soft brown skin of a human. He was rather attractive, and when he caught Holly’s gaze, he tipped his hat at her. When the others shifted their heads to glance up at Holly, he rolled the dice.

  Holly bit her lip. She swore she saw his hands flash around the dice before the others looked back, but the movement was so quick, she blinked and questioned what she’d even seen.

  “Ah, see, another win for me,” the roller said.

  “Wait a minute!” one of the players cried. “Cheating! That was cheating, wasn’t it? Roll again, Darius.”

  “Setsuko, Setsuko. Please. Accuse me of cheating? Every single roll you accuse me of cheating. Come on now, why do we even play if every roll you’re going to drop the cheating card? It’s quite ridiculous,” the one called Darius said.

  “Roll again, Darius,” Setsuko said in a dangerous tone. He set a small one-hitter aether gun on its side on the table and aimed the barrel at Darius.

  Holly lifted an eyebrow and edged away from the group.

  “Yes, roll again, I agree with him,” the woman said.

  “Babette, not you too? This—why—I thought we were doing so well,” Darius said in a soothing voice. “But once again, the two of you team up against me. Because I win? Is that any reason to accuse me of cheating? What proof do you have except that I win?” he asked.

  Holly’s heart skipped a beat when the other two turned their gazes on her. She’d only managed to get back down the aisle, slipping between another table, where others played their own game. She swallowed. “What? I don’t know. I don’t know any of you. I was walking by. I stopped to watch. I don’t even know what game you’re playing.”

  “You saw him roll. Did he cheat?” the woman, Babette, asked Holly.

  “I’m not involved,” Holly said, setting her empty bottle down and beginning to back away.

  “Tell them,” Darius said, waving his hand at the other two dice-players. “Tell them I didn’t cheat. The dice fell as they were. I didn’t even have time to cheat. Please tell them.”

  “I don’t even know what cheating looks like in this game. Perhaps you cheated? No idea how to play dice games.” Holly lifted her arms in the universal sign of surrender.

  “She saw, Setsuko, Babette. I didn’t cheat. She’s just scared that you two monsters will make her pay if she vouches for me. Isn’t that true, sweetheart? You’re worried these two animals will make you pay if you say, ‘No, Darius didn’t cheat. Upstanding guy, that Darius, plus mighty handsome.’ Isn’t that right? What’s your name? Hey, why don’t you join us? Four would be a perfect number for this round.”

  “Not even interested in playing. And I’m not telling you my name and, oh, surprise, I’m not worried about your friends,” Holly scoffed. “I can take care of myself just fine, thanks.”

  “The game is over, Darius. I’m not paying you anything for that round. I know you. Distract us and then roll and sleight of hand. You’ve been doing it forever,” Babette said, pulling a knife out of her boot and beginning to pick at her fingernails with the sharp tip. “And this one, she is smart not to vouch for you, you terrible crab. I’ve never liked you.”

  “Oh please, Babette, you love me. You’re just frustrated that I’ve never bedded you. Setsuko can tell you, it’s a heavenly experience, isn’t that right, Setsuko. But it’ll be the last time, because you keep calling me a liar and a cheat. A man can only take so much.”

  Holly had backed off enough that she could pull her eyes away from the scene and head for the door without looking back.

  “What!” came a cry behind her.

  She jumped, startled and then hurried out the door.

  “Give it back, Darius!”

  There was a clatter and loud, sharp noises as the door swung closed behind her. Holly bolted, out of the alley and into the stream of people on the main thoroughfare, where vehicles and people jockeyed for position on the street.

  “Wait!” came a voice from behind her.

  Oh god, she plowed into the crowd, trying to lose whoever had followed her. She thought it was Darius but couldn’t be certain, until he grabbed her arm.

  “God, what the hell? Leave me alone,” Holly said, angrily, turning and confronting him. She jerked her arm away from him—her ire and panic rising, Darius’s liberty at touching her reminding her of Graf. They stopped in the crowd, which parted around them like a river.

  “Oh don’t be so mad,” Darius said, laughing. “That was fun, wasn’t it?”

  “Get away from me. I don’t know you,” Holly said, stifling the anger.

  “Ouch. Hey, come on now. Thanks for the help.” He took her hand—which was quivering—opened her fist, and placed a handful of Syndicate novas into her palm. “That’s for the help. Couldn’t have done it without you.”

  Holly stared, bewildered, at the coins in her hand. She’d only just contained an impulse to fight him. “I didn’t help you. You involved me and it was really rather low and it sucked. Never do it again. The last thing I need is a fight.”

  “Looks like you’ve had one of those recently anyway,” Darius said, his dark eyes glittering as he studied her face and very forwardly, brushed his hand across the bruises on her cheeks.

  She jerked her head away. “What the hell? How dare you? You don’t know me.” Holly turned and began walking away, as fast as she could.

  But Darius followed her. “Listen, sorry about that. I was raised in an orphanage by Constellations, you know? Touch is normal. That’s how they raised me. You know that’s how Constellations are?”

  “Well it’s not normal for me. People ask permission to touch, unless you’re doing a beso-in-greeting.”

  “One of my favorite ways to say hello. Anyway. Keep the novas.”

  “I am, if you didn’t notice. It’s the least you owe me for trying to get me killed back there.”

  “What? You mean Setsuko and Babette? They’d never hurt a fly.” He shrugged. “Well they might. But not me. Not you. Well, it was close, wasn’t it. We lost them, though. Thanks.”

  “We? I didn’t help you lose them. I’m trying to lose you.”

  “All the same. I want to make sure you get wherever you’re going without any incident.”

  “This is an incident,” she said, gesturing between them as her momentum was slowed by the crowded walkway. “You following me is an incident. Will you save me from you?”

  “I’m like a bodyguard. For you. A beautiful, kind stranger. Don’t worry, I’m not into ladies. I like a bit of meat on my lovers.”

  “I noticed. Yeah, I heard that when you mentioned sleeping with Setsuko. Wonderful. Is that supposed to make me feel safe?”

  “Yes, yes, of course. And by meat, I meant heft. Muscle. Larger stature. Not whatever crude concept your mind went to.”

  “I’m sure that is what you meant. Thanks for the clarification.”

  “So where we heading?” Darius asked.

  “Ah, here. Here’s my stop,” Holly said, picking a random shop to slip into. She hadn’t even noticed the sign in the window. “Thanks for the escort, farewell.” She let the door fall shut behind her.

  “Wonderful. Excellent. I’m glad I could help you,” Darius said, poking his head in. “Strange choice—men’s clothing shop. Anyway, thanks again for the assistance. By the way?” he paused in the door. “Setsuko and Babette?”

  “Yes?”

  “They’re total cheaters.” He laughed and slipped out the door. Through the window set into the door, Holly watched him vanish into the sea of bodies.

  Damn it, she thought, glancing around the badly picked shop. Men’s clothing. Not helpful.

  6

  Around two in the afternoon, Holly made it back home. She threw herself onto the couch and stared at the ceiling.

  Nothing. She’d accomplished absolutely zero, except for narrowly avoiding getting herself killed by mere
ly walking past a group of strangers. What a lofty accomplishment!

  What could she do? And what the hell had that bastard thought he was doing?

  “Darius,” she whispered, clenching her fists until a sweat broke out in her palms. He was terrible, involving her like that. That was very uncool. And just like a man. A man who claimed to have been raised in an orphanage by Constellations. Who made up such a terrible lie? She didn’t trust him—the way he’d so easily brushed off her opinions and concerns outside the lounge reminded her of Graf. Or maybe it was just the way he invaded her personal space. She didn’t feel safe around that sort of thing.

  She lay down all the away, put her feet up, and tried to cool down.

  After a while, her heart rate slowed and she began to feel a nap coming on—a nap would be so amazing. To be so relaxed. So at home, so unafraid in her life that she could drift into a lucid state.

  The doorbell rang.

  Dammit.

  Holly dragged herself to her feet. Her body was now exhausted with the encroaching state of sleep. She went to the door and glanced at the screen next to it, and saw a pleasantly familiar face. The one person that she still trusted in all the world, outside of Meg.

  She opened the door.

  “Hey kid,” Gabe said.

  “Gabe!” Holly said, giving him a quick hug. “Oh, and never call me that again. I’ll punch you next time. I’ve been to prison. I’ve earned the right to not be called a kid.”

  “Whatever. Ah, ah, not too tight. Got into a scrap with a suspect. Turned out to be totally innocent, except for the scrap. What a jerk, right? No one is ever this happy to see me. I deserve it though.”

  Holly let go and he strolled in like he owned the place. The door slid shut behind him.

  “Meg does well without me around messing her life up, eh?” he said, checking out the furnishings—the bamboo tables, the houseplants and blankets draped over fabric couches and armchairs. “And it always smells so nice. Why didn’t it smell this nice when we lived together?”

  “Maybe it’s you?”

  “Probably is,” he said and laughed. He went to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer. “Never to early for a drink. Don’t tell Meg. I’m still on the clock.”

  “Detectives are really good at following the rules I’ve noticed,” Holly said.

  “Oh? Did Meg have one yesterday when you guys got back? Not surprised. She had the faint glow of alcohol in the blood when we met up to question a suspect.”

  “You guys get along really well for a team of divorced detectives. Don’t complain to me about it.”

  “So, you happy to be out? What’s next on your slate? Got big plans? A return to teaching?”

  She gave him a look.

  “Oh hell, I’m so sorry I said that,” he sipped the beer. “OK, I meant to, if you want the truth. I think you should take the lead and follow it up. You’d be good at private detective work.”

  “What lead? What are you talking about?” Holly sat down and tried to get comfortable again. Maybe when Gabe left, she’d be ready to drift into sleep again. A nap. It would be so beautiful right now.

  “Didn’t Meg tell you about it?’

  “No.”

  “I told her to. She never listens to me. She’s so goddamn stubborn.”

  “Gabe, Gabe. Don’t bad-mouth my sister to me, I’ll take her side.” Holly put her feet up again and waited for that nap to start getting to her. “So, what’s the lead?”

  Gabe laughed and took another sip. “Blood is thicker than water, as they say. Yes, the lead. We just can’t look into it right now. Got this big case we’re closing in on. There are other reasons as well,” he said evasively. “Anyway, you should get Meg to tell you about it. It might go nowhere. Or, it could go somewhere interesting, and the client might pay well. All we have is a meeting place and a date. So . . . You should know, I never like to follow those kinds of leads in the first place. They’re usually some idiot accusing someone else of blackmail or it’s someone cheating on someone else. Which, let’s be honest, there are worse crimes happening in the City of Jade Spires at the moment. Who has time for blackmail or to care about an affair? If we need a special division for that, they should start one and hike up the taxes that pay for the service, which should be levied against the rich, honestly, because only the rich and powerful are worth blackmailing, right?”

  “Uh, sure,” Holly said, but she’d stop listening and only knew that she needed to answer because of the way Gabe’s voice rose at the end of his sentence. She drifted into a warm and cozy state. Prison really took it out of a person. And getting out, that excitement alone was enough to drain a body.

  “So how you doing, kid? You got big plans?” Gabe asked, ambling over to sit on the chair next to the sofa where Holly had accepted the fact that she was falling asleep.

  She blinked and heard the slurring in her speech as she answered Gabe again. “Not really. I just know I don’t want to keep living with Meg. She’s my sister, but this is hers and Lucy’s space. And I’m still a bit mad that Meg couldn’t pull strings or fight harder for me.”

  “That’s not Meg’s fault. But I understand why you’d feel that way.”

  That jostled her a little. She opened her eyes and glared at Gabe. She hadn’t even realized they’d been closed. “Why isn’t it Meg’s fault? Who’s fault is it, then?”

  “Didn’t she tell you what happened?” Gabe asked, his brow furrowing.

  “No.”

  “Come on, Holly. Let’s go for a walk before you fall asleep. Or a ride. I have some things to tell you, that you can’t be asleep for.”

  Twenty minutes later, they were gliding along in their own gondola, with the windows down and open to the elements, the breeze raking through their hair.

  “What’s so important, Gabe, that you can’t have me falling asleep for it? I gave up a nap for this. It better be Kota-shattering.”

  “OK, look. This can’t be repeated. Anywhere. Not to Meg, not to your friends, not to your goddamn mom—how is she by the way?”

  Holly shrugged. “Good, I guess. Haven’t spoken to her since getting out.”

  “Fine, well, does she know you’re out?”

  “I assume Meg told her. My communicator doesn’t have service to Helo.”

  “Huh, well, anyway. Look, Meg knows this. And I know. But Meg won’t know I’ve told you, apparently. Since she hasn’t told you.

  “Get to it already,” Holly said, feeling frustrated. He was really building this up.

  “OK.” He took a breath and then let it out. “You should have gotten off, Holly. The evidence was all there: abuse. Massive abuse. I don’t even need to tell you how bad the abuse was. You know. The point is, it was in the records.”

  She cringed and felt her guts turn. She hated to think about this. It was still too fresh. Too recent.

  Gabe went on. “Graf, I hated him. He was a the worst sort of bastard. Charismatic. Funny. Had everyone he worked with wrapped around his finger. He was such an upstanding guy. Fighting crime. Bringing down murderers, kidnappers, a man of justice. Right? God, I hated him. Sometimes it was all I could do not to just barge into your house and shoot the asshole myself. Meg and I suspected, always. We talked about it. But we never had solid proof. You kept it from us, not that I blame you for that, kid.”

  Holly inhaled. She was going to explode. Her heart raced. Sweat broke out all over her body.

  “What you did, Holly, that was the right goddamn thing. No one was going to believe you on that police force. And they did exactly what you’d expect. Meg and I think—we believe they destroyed the evidence, specifically the records at the hospital that documented all your injuries from the night you shot him.”

  Holly gasped and looked away. She focused on the windows of a building in the Amber Jade district as they glided through it. She could see people inside their condos in some of them—caught glimpses of other people’s lives. She wanted to vanish into their lives and leave her own behi
nd. Because hearing Gabe talking about this was like was reliving the night she’d shot Graf. She’d successfully avoided thinking about it during prison. The trial had been hard enough.

  “Why are we talking about this? I can’t—I don’t want to. Gabe. It’s too much.”

  “Holly? Didn’t you hear me?” he asked, moving close to her and taking her hand. His hands were huge and scarred and when he clasped both of them over her hand, his swallowed hers. He squeezed, pressing his calm into her and then he let go.

  Thinking about Graf and what he did made her want to hate Gabe as much as she hated Graf. She wanted to hate all men, but in that moment with the wind whistling through their gondola and as they zipped over the city, shimmering in the reflected light of Ixion and the brilliant sunlight, she knew that he would have killed Graf himself if he’d known for certain all the things the bastard had done. Gabe was like a brother. An older brother that teased her relentlessly, keeping her rooted in reality.

  “Did you hear me?” he repeated.

  Holly blinked, her eyes were stinging.

  “Sorry. My mind is full of noise right now. It’s hard to listen. When you talk about . . . him. All I can do is rage. Adrenalin floods me. I can’t think straight.”

  “Take some deep breaths, kid. We can stop talking about him. I do want you to know that you did the right thing. OK? It’s ugly, this shit. But if you hadn’t done it, he would have killed you. It was right. Don’t question that Holly, despite the trial. It shouldn’t even have gone to trial. It was self-defense.”

  Her shoulders relaxed. Some of the tension eased away. It helped to have him say that. Gabe had good judgment. He was a great detective and he’d been a decent husband to Meg. They were both just stubborn bastards. Holly still didn’t know why they’d separated.

  “OK, now listen. Listen, Meg. I think it was Graf’s own unit that destroyed the evidence. We think they set you up to lose the trial because they were loyal to Graf. And it’s dirty and disgusting, but that’s the only reason you lost the trial.”

  “Wait,” Holly shook her head, finally listening to him. “You’re saying the police are dirty? The cops?