Solar Flare

by Autumn Dawn

  They were fixed on her sister, Xera.

  Brandy drew a sharp breath and shook her head. The image faded, but the fear lingered. It was hard to focus. What was happening to her?

  Darren looked at her carefully. “You seem a little distracted. Would you like to find a quieter place to talk?”

  Normally she would say no to such a suggestion, but her mind seemed oddly muddied. “Sure.” She followed him passively, still wondering desperately what was wrong with her. Was she ill? If so, it had struck quickly. She couldn’t think what to do about it.

  She could see wisps of smoke trailing on the edge of her vision. The image was just a heartbeat away. Maybe if she kept walking she could leave it behind.

  Darren led her to a set of stairs and up to a private room. He ushered her in and closed the door. It was quieter here, but she could still hear the dancers. The bass thumped the floor.

  There was nowhere to sit but the floor and a bed. He gestured to it. “Why don’t you sit down until your head clears?”

  Alarms, deep seated and intense, went off in her heart. She didn’t feel well, but this wasn’t right. “No.” She meant to add more, but the words slipped away. Smoke filled her head, made it hard to think.

  “It’s okay,” he said with a smile she didn’t trust. “You can trust me.”

  As if her brain had gone on vacation, she missed the transition from refusal to being in his arms. Adrenaline fueled panic cleared a window in her mind. Suddenly she knew if she didn’t run now, she wouldn’t get another chance.

  He was all over her, his mouth on her ear, his hands under her shirt. Fear rose, but fury was stronger. She’d been raised in a bar, had dealt with more than one straying hand, though none had ever had his advantage. As his hand slid into her pants, she grabbed his hair and rammed her forehead into his nose. There was a telltale crunch. He howled and grabbed for his face. Blood bubbled down his upper lip.

  Brandy lurched to the side and kicked out. She barely registered the noise as his knee collapsed under her practical black shoe. She grabbed her jacket from the floor and darted for the door. The room was fuzzy, details vague, but she got out. The stairs were like a long, black tunnel, and she shoved through dancers it would have been easier to get around.

  Maybe she shouldn’t have driven, but she wasn’t thinking straight. It wasn’t until several blocks later when she ran onto a curb and nearly kissed a light pole that she had the sense to stop.

  She sat there, trembling. Everything was fuzzy, and she needed help. She needed her com.

  She fumbled for her jacket and got the com, but couldn’t think what to do…until a picture of Azor entering his number flashed in her mind. She drew in a thick breath and searched for his name in her address book. Seconds later he picked up.

  “Hello?”

  She sobbed, too overcome to say her name.

  “Brandy? Where are you?”

  She gulped and tried to look around. “I’m…close to the club. There’s a tea house outside.”

  “Are you alone?”

  “Y-yes.”

  “I’ll be there in five minutes. Stay there.”

  Time wasn’t working properly for her, because it seemed he was there almost instantly. She jumped when he knocked on the window and stared as he opened her door.

  “You should have locked the door,” he said, then brushed her hair from her eyes. “I called for a tow. Come on, we’re going to the hospital.”

  Her eyes widened. She despised hospitals. “No! Why?”

  He helped her out of the car and glanced at the light post, mere inches away. “That’s why.”

  She looked at it and drew in a shuddering breath. “I’m not drunk.”

  “Tell me what happened,” he said as he escorted her to his transport and gently helped her in. He did up the seatbelt and she barely noticed.

  Her breathing sped up with stress. “He…he took me to a room.”

  Azor looked at her grimly, but there was sorrow there, too. “How bad did he hurt you?”

  She stared at him, confused. “No, I hurt him. His leg…I think.”

  He looked relieved. “Good girl!” he said fiercely. He stood up, but rested his forearm on the top of the transport. He stood like that for several heartbeats. She could only see the top of his chin, but his head was bent. In a moment, he glanced at her and shut her door. His face was shadowed, but there was something in his expression….

  He waited until they were well on the way before he asked, “Did he give you anything to eat or drink?”

  She frowned. It was so hard to think. “He had a drink. It was too sweet.”

  “How much did you have?” he asked, concerned.

  “Just a taste. I ordered a scotch.”

  That surprised a laugh from him. He actually grinned at her. “Thank God for whiskey snobs!”

  She frowned at him. “It was scotch.”

  He didn’t answer, but his foot got heavier on the accelerator.

  They pulled into the hospital and he escorted her into the waiting room. She looked around the room with dismay, having forgotten they were going to a hospital.

  “Easy,” he said when she tried to leave. “A quick blood test and we go, I promise.” He told the receptionist what he wanted and escorted Brandy to a chair at the side of the room. He brushed her hair from her face and looked at her carefully. “Are you sure he didn’t hurt you? We can do something about that here.”

  She stared at him until his meaning penetrated. Heat flushed her skin. “He…” She had to pause and swallow. “He got his hand in my…d-down my pants,” she whispered, unable to look at him. “That’s when I hit him.”

  Azor opened his mouth to say something, then his face hardened. He stared at something over her shoulder.

  Chilled, she looked and saw a man come in on a stretcher. He was clutching his knee. The nightmare continued. “It’s him,” she said softly.

  Azor nodded and gripped her hand reassuringly, then went over and spoke to an orderly. The exchange only lasted a moment, and then he returned to her side. “Come on. It’s time for your blood test.”

  She stared at him, not comprehending. Her attacker was here and Azor wanted her blood?

  “He’s not going anywhere,” he assured her, interpreting her look. “They think you dislocated his knee. I’ll have plenty of time to arrest him after we take care of you.”

  She took in a shaky breath and nodded. “I’m glad I hurt him.”

  The next half hour was confusing. She had to ask twice why they were there. Azor stepped out once or twice, but it seemed he was back quickly each time. He drove her home and walked her up to her suite. She wasn’t afraid to have him there.

  “You should try to rest,” he suggested once he had her inside. “Unless you want to wait for your sister. She’ll be here soon.”

  Brandy frowned. “Why? You’re here.” The terrors of the night had shown her how foolish her attitude about Azor had been. Yes, they’d once been adversaries, and she’d remember that. She’d also remember his kindness to her tonight. He’d been much more than the sum of her memories, which is where she’d been living. It was time she gave him a second chance.

  He looked down. “I shouldn’t be here long. You need your family.”

  She sighed. “You’re wrong, but I’m tired. If I can sleep, I want to.”

  He nodded and brushed the hair from her face. “You can still call me. I’ll answer.”

  “You keep doing that,” she told him solemnly. “Touching my hair.”

  He immediately stopped. “I’m sorry.”

  “It doesn’t hurt.” She looked at him for a moment. “Thank you. For tonight.”

  “I’m glad you called. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” He hesitated. “Remember what they said about after effects. If you have problems later….”

  “I’ll tell someone,” she promised.

  “Good.” There was an awkward pause. “Goodnight.”

  “Night.” She stared at t
he door, then headed for her room. She was so very tired.

  CHAPTER 4

  Azor went to the bar after he dropped Brandy off and had a quiet word with the bartender. He never had to issue any threats—the cold look in his eyes spoke for him. The bartender swore he hadn’t doctored the drink. He also told him the club’s owners rented rooms occasionally and gave him a contact number.

  Azor promised he’d be in touch. The barkeep didn’t look thrilled to hear it.

  Renting rooms was hardly an offense. The owners could claim it was for patrons who were too intoxicated to drive, but it was a weak sell, since there were plenty of cabs willing to ferry drunks.

  He had a look at one of the rooms in question. It was tiny and bare of everything but a bed, toilet and sink. There was nothing to incriminate Darren Topek, though. He hadn’t thought there would be.

  A few people remembered Brandy pushing her way out, but nothing else. By the time he was through it was getting late—or early—and the place was thinning out.

  Though he didn’t yet have a warrant, Azor wasn’t the kind of man to let that slow him down. He found Darren Topek’s address and parked two blocks away, in front of bakery. It didn’t take long for him to find a quiet alley and shift into a more useful form.

  Shifting was as easy for him as moving from air to water. His muscles quivered and changed, malleable as jelly. His skin loosened, then tightened over his form as he became more feline, lithe and dense muscled. Fine, pale hair coved his skin, chaffing slightly under his clothes. Half man, he need not shed his clothes. That was good—it was annoying to take them off and on, though he removed the shoes from his clawed toes; they pinched. Half beast, he gained a sharp sense of smell and superior ears. His nose would help him search Topek’s home, and the ears would alert him to trouble.

  There were very few people around at that time of night. He had no trouble breaking into Topek’s apartment; a nice little place in a quiet part of town. The place was tidy, and he couldn’t smell anyone else around. The streetlights allowed his cats eyes to pick out details without turning on the lights. He smelled his way though the apartment, looking for traces of drugs. In the bathroom he got lucky. There was an empty bag on the bathroom counter. Careful not to touch it, he leaned in for a closer smell. The bag had held the drug he was looking for. Nice.

  He smiled and leaned back. It was nice to know they’d find something when it came time to search the place tomorrow. He’d make certain he was a part of the team who served the warrant. It wouldn’t do to miss this little gem. And meanwhile, he’d put a watch on the place, make certain no one came by to dispose of evidence, if Topek were cagey enough to think of it.

  Satisfied, he decided to call it a night. Tonight he’d be able to get to sleep. Tomorrow, Brandy would get her justice.

  He found Brandy hard at work in a corner of The Spark’s huge kitchen. It wasn’t the early hour—it was barely seven AM—but her chosen work station that surprised him. He studied her as she measured ingredients into a fermentation vessel. “I thought you built an entire wing for that sort of thing.”

  She glanced up, but kept working. “I leave the actual grunt work for our brew master. This is where I experiment.”

  He considered her words. She’d earned her title years ago, but he hadn’t realized they’d hired someone to take her place. Now he wondered when it had happened.

  They’d found her in the brewery, years ago, when he’d still been investigating The Spark. Brandy had been tied to some pipes and tortured unmercifully. It was a testimony to her strength that she’d survived, but he knew her spirit couldn’t have escaped unscathed. He wondered now what unseen damage had been done. “How long have you had that arrangement?”

  She met his gaze. “I worked in the brewery with an assistant for nine months after I healed. When Chazer got his license, we promoted him. I still perform quality control. He’s good.”

  “I hadn’t noticed a change.”

  “You rarely drink. I think I could count on one hand the times I’ve seen you heft a beer. My father would have kicked you out,” she said, but she smiled a little. “The beer, however, is the same. We use the same recipes.” She put the lid on her bucket. “This is soda for Gem’s kids. It’s a holiday present.”

  “Ah. I like the new melon flavor.” Brandy had added several to the menu in the last few years, and they were wildly popular. That wasn’t why he’d come, though.

  She beat him to it. “You have news?”

  He glanced around the busy kitchen.

  “Give me a minute to clean up. We’ll go upstairs.”

  “Gem’s still here?”

  “Hovering, though I tried to send her home. Maybe she’ll leave once she hears what you have to say.”

  “She’s trying to help.”

  “She’s disturbing me. Remember that next time you feel the need to call my family.” She wiped the counter with a rag and tossed it in a sink. She headed for the door. “For the record, you were doing fine.”

  That won a half smile from him. “You barely like me.”

  “At the moment, I feel the same about Gem. She’s trying to mother me.” She grimaced and shot him a mildly apologetic look. “Look, I know you did your best under trying circumstances.”

  “Shouldn’t I be the one comforting you?”

  “Don’t go there. Pity is no help. I hurt the guy, didn’t I? Pity him.”

  “Oh, I do. I haven’t had my turn with him, either.” His voice purred with menace.

  She shot him a wary look. “Don’t be hasty.”

  “I won’t do anything…illegal,” he said carefully. “I plan to have the chief in the room with me.”

  “As if that will help. You know he’s practically an uncle.”

  “I know.” He softened his expression. “It will be fine, I promise. I won’t jeopardize my job.” He waited a moment, then asked hesitantly, “Did you contact your doctor yet? The ER recommended a checkup to make certain there are no lingering side effects.”

  She made a face. “Dr. Vhanee called me. Guess he heard about the incident this morning when he went on call. He’s already badgering me about a follow up.”

  He nodded. “Good.”

  They reached her room and found Gem in residence. She hurried to Azor’s side and hugged him, much to his discomfort. Gem didn’t let it bother her. “I never thanked you properly last night.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Brandy gave an aggravated sigh. “You’re making him uncomfortable.”

  “Maybe it’s you,” Gem suggested. “You’ve been difficult.”

  “That’s me. Now turn him loose and sit down. The man has something to say.” Brandy claimed a seat on the couch and Gem joined her with an expression of tried patience.

  Azor took an armchair and arranged it so he sat across from them. “I didn’t tell you last night, but you were very lucky. If you had finished your drink, I’d be arresting your date for murder.”

  That got their attention.

  “He put too much in your drink.” Azor’s voice was calm, but his face was hard. “Maybe he’d never used it before and didn’t understand the dangers, or maybe he’d had a date under-dose. Either way, he wasn’t taking chances.

  “Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out like he planned. Instead of gratification, he ended up with a dislocated knee.”

  Gem smiled fiercely. “Good! I hope it burns like acid.”

  Brandy didn’t look as happy. “Why did he choose me? I think I understand the place; it was loud, no one would hear anything. He had privacy. But why me? I was clear when I told him I wasn’t the type to mess around.”

  He was silent for a long moment. “Rape is a hard crime to prove. If it came down to his word against yours…”

  She drew in a tight breath. “My reputation. I see now.”

  Gem placed her hand on her arm. Brandy tolerated it for a moment, and then stood up to make a slow circuit of the room.

  Azor stood, too. “It
didn’t turn out how he’d hoped. He couldn’t have known what a fighter you were, or that you would fight in that condition. He didn’t know you had a cop on quick connect, or that I would take you to the doctor for a blood test. He didn’t know I’d be there to arrest him at the hospital.”

  “It was a very bad night for him,” Gem added grimly. “God willing, he’ll go away for a very long time.”

  “That’s the goal,” Azor affirmed. He kept his eyes on Brandy.

  “I’ll have to go to trial again,” Brandy said tonelessly. “It’ll get out, go public. No matter his sentence, these kind of things never go down well for the woman.”

  No one could offer any hope for that. She was right. Her recent attempts to date would soon be a memory.

  Gem cleared her throat. She didn’t look happy as she suggested, “There are other worlds than Polaris, sis. You could—“

  Brandy rounded on her in disgust. “What? Run? This is my home. I didn’t live down one nightmare to run from this one now.”

  Gem stood up. “You shouldn’t have to go through this again. Once was enough! You deserve to be happy.”

  “I am happy!” Brandy shouted, then grudgingly modulated her tone. “At least, I will be.” She glanced at Azor. “Look, you shouldn’t have to listen to this. If that was all you had to say, why don’t I walk you out? I’m sure you’d rather be out saving the world.” She made a face, as if pained by her thoughtlessness, but didn’t apologize. She did place a hand on his shoulder as she walked by, though. She gripped lightly, reassuring without words. She wasn’t upset at him.

  Azor beat her to the handle and opened the door for her. He waited until they were in the hall, well away from the door, then suggested, “Maybe you should think about her advice.”

  She looked at him sharply, but his expression was hard to read. “I’m comfortable here.”