by M. D. Cooper
“Good boy, Dex. Come and have some water. I don’t know how fast you get dehydrated, but better to be safe.” She emptied a water pouch into a cup and held it for him. After giving a curious look, he lowered his head and drank.
“How much do you think he understands?” Kippy straightened and turned sideways, letting his legs hang over the side of his lounger.
“I haven’t figured it out yet. Sometimes he seems to pick a word out that I wouldn’t have expected, and other times he pretends he doesn’t know what I’m saying when I know he does.”
Kippy chuckled. “Sounds like he’s pretty smart, then. What’s that he gave you?”
“Sea glass.” She put it on her palm and held it out to him. “Surprisingly pretty, isn’t it? Almost like a gem, even though it’s just glass.”
He plucked it from her hand and examined it. “Yeah, it is pretty.”
She sat on the edge of her chair, sideways like him, expecting him to keep talking. But he went quiet, and she couldn’t think of anything to add.
Reece looked down at Dex to avoid making eye contact with Kippy. Somehow, looking him in the eye and not talking felt like something…kind of dangerous—and not in a good way.
In a scary way. A what-if-I-screw-this-up-and-we-can’t-ever-go-back way.
She couldn’t imagine her life without the funny, warm, loyal, man sitting across from her. And when had he gotten so sexy? That was kind of a problem for her at the moment, since he’d gone shirtless and shoeless, and looked entirely like he needed her hands on his tanned skin.
But if she did that, and they became a couple, and things went wrong, she’d lose the person she cared about most.
“I think I’ll go cool off, too.” Before he could answer, she hurriedly shrugged off her lightweight coverup. Her sea green bikini was a much more sporty type than Raya’s red scraps. It was the kind of thing she could play beach volleyball in or do some tai chi or something.
All the better for her way of life. She’d never be comfortable wearing something that could have the slightest shift and give her a massive wedgie.
The idea of Raya with a monster wedgie made her laugh as she splashed out into the water.
Kippy came running behind her, then dove under an incoming wave that she let carry her backward two steps.
“What’s so funny?” he asked catching sight of her grin.
“Butts.”
“Butts?” He looked bewildered, but amused. “Like…your butt?”
“No! My butt has never done anything funny, ever.”
His mouth twisted. “Well, there was that one time at school in our sixth year,”
She’d waded out chest deep by that point, and let her knees buckle to plunge her beneath the water, letting the waves wash over her and end the annoying conversation.
* * * * *
Trey had planned their day at the beach so well that he’d even rented a storage space near the shore to hold the chairs, fans, and other supplies.
It saved them from the worst part of going to the beach: hauling sandy stuff back to your home.
Tired from all the relaxation and fun, Reece immediately felt lulled by the motion of the autotaxi. She let Kippy, Raya, and Trey’s conversation become white noise and drifted off.
When awareness returned, Reece realized she’d leaned over in her sleep, and her head now rested on Kippy’s shoulder.
He smelled nice.
He also hadn’t moved her.
She kept her eyes closed and stayed that way for an extra minute before drawing in a deep breath and sitting up. They were about to arrive at the metro station. She didn’t have any message alerts, but she checked her queues anyway via her Link.
Nothing. Kind of strange. She’d put in a call to Schramm two days ago to see if he’d be okay with her taking a proper vacation for a few days—maybe even going to visit Ed.
Schramm had warned her that he’d be extremely busy for the next couple of weeks, but he’d never gone so long without returning a call.
She shoved her feet into her shoes and reached for her bag as the autotaxi pulled up to the station.
She’d enjoyed taking some time to relax today and suspected it would be good for her if she did more of that kind of thing. But as she left the autotaxi, her mind was already filled with concern at Schramm’s strange absence.
If she didn’t hear from her boss the next day, she’d go see him in person.
SCHRAMM
DATE: 05.24.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Rexcare HQ, Ohiyo, Akonwara
REGION: Machete System, PED 4B, Orion Freedom Alliance
“What do you mean, ‘he’s not in’? He’s always in.” A wave of suspicion rolled through Reece.
Tavin rolled his shoulders in a tiny shrug. “You’re having some time off. Why shouldn’t he?”
In the lobby of Rexcare, Reece faced off against the dragons’ lair of receptionists who controlled access to the entire building and all the people within. Reece and Tavin had always had a good relationship, but he seemed a little too nonchalant about Schramm’s absence.
At the very least, Tavin should know when Schramm would return. Yet he didn’t offer that information, which meant he didn’t know it—or wasn’t sharing.
Reece’s suspicion morphed into unease. Something wasn’t right.
“I’d like to see Erving, then,” Reece decided. Schramm’s personal assistant would know anything there was to know.
“I’ll see if he’s free.” Tavin gave her a small, apologetic smile.
A moment later, Tavin nodded and gestured to the elevator bank. “Go on up. Car four.”
At least one thing was going right. Reece let out a breath as she waited for elevator four’s doors to open. The fact that she didn’t have unfettered access to the building usually didn’t rub her the wrong way, but today it did.
Shouldn’t I be able to come and go as I please? she thought as the doors opened and she stepped into the elevator.
Of course not. She wasn’t an exec, or the support staff of an exec. Such a vaunted status would never be hers.
She snorted.
When the doors opened on her destination level, she strode directly to Erving’s office. He looked up and smiled when she entered, and she instantly knew something was off. She couldn’t put her finger on what, or why she felt that way—maybe it was because Erving so rarely smiled.
Rather than waste time with pleasantries, Reece got right to the point. “What the hell’s going on? Where’s Schramm?”
Erving blinked, but recovered quickly. “Mr. Matthews is working out of the office.”
“On what?” Reece demanded.
“I can’t disclose that.”
Reece took a step closer, not blinking and not breaking eye contact. “You’d better.”
Erving’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as the man swallowed hard.
Oh, good. He responded to directness and a threatening manner. That was fortunate, because those two traits were right in her wheelhouse.
Reece pushed her right hip forward and half-sat on the front of Erving’s desk, causing him to push his chair back a half meter while he stared up at her.
“You and I have been working for Schramm, together but entirely separate, for how long now?” she asked. “Three years? Four? You must know by now that when shit goes wrong, I’m the one Schramm calls to clean it up.”
She paused. Actually, that wasn’t the mental image she’d intended to create, but the damage was done now.
“What I mean is, there’s nothing on the gray side of things I haven’t seen. No secret I haven’t squashed. No lie I haven’t told. If Schramm is in a tight spot, I need to know, so I can go in with guns blazing and get him out.”
To underscore her words, she flipped her jacket open to better show Lefty, snugly holstered in her weapons belt.
Like most citizens who didn’t see genuine firepower on a daily basis, Erving focused on the pistol.
“Figurativ
ely speaking, of course,” she added. “Unless the situation calls for actual weaponry. But I won’t know that until you tell me. Either way, think about it. Is there anyone more qualified to help Schramm with whatever’s gone wrong than me?”
Erving’s eyes popped up from Lefty to meet Reece’s gaze, then returned to Lefty, and then flicked to the left in the unmistakable gesture of someone checking their Link.
Reece waited.
Erving hesitated.
Hesitation was good. It meant a wavering of one’s resolve. But it was important not to push too hard, too fast, and risk pushing someone to become defensive.
“Schramm’s important to me, too, you know,” she said confidentially. “On a personal level. He’s the one who brought me in here, and the one who has stood by my—sometimes unconventional—methods. You know I’m loyal to him, beyond anything else.”
Beyond the company, in other words. Beyond Rexcare.
It was a dangerously bold statement, and it caught Erving’s attention. He stared at her, blinking rapidly, as if he were a computer processing a great deal of data all at once.
Trust me, she silently implored.
Erving folded his hands in his lap. “Well… the truth is, I don’t know where he is.”
It was Erving’s job to know every excruciating detail about Schramm’s life, both professional and not. Alarm bells, sirens, and claxons went off in Reece’s mind, but she remained still, with an outward appearance of calm. “Has that ever happened before?”
“No.” Erving’s eyes widened a hair, revealing his fear.
“Why haven’t you called in help to look for him? What if he’s been injured or something?” Reece’s own concern rose like a mushroom cloud in her brain.
Erving’s eyes darted to the left, then to the right, and then they widened into big circles.
After a moment of confusion, Reece understood. He had something to say, but feared saying it within Rexcare, where someone might be listening.
A realization made her chest feel heavy. This was bigger than she’d thought. She pointed to the door and Erving nodded.
Reece went through the motions of thanking Erving for his help while he offered to share her elevator on his way downstairs. They got into the elevator and descended in silence.
Once out on the street, they still said nothing. Erving pointed in the direction of the metro station and she understood. In a strange, silent agreement, they boarded the first available metro train, took it to its first stop, and disembarked. Once on the street again, they ducked down a service alley where—finally— Erving seemed willing to speak aloud.
Sort of. His voice barely reached a whisper. His fear and paranoia were evident, and—considering what he must know about the inner workings of Rexcare—that scared the hell out of Reece.
“Things aren’t right,” he whispered.
“What things?” she hissed back. She wasn’t good at whispering. Her volume sounded more like a stage whisper.
“I have to get back in the office before they realize I’ve gone out for more than just a drink or to grab some lunch,” he said. “Meet me tonight, somewhere off the Rexcare grid.”
“The Debtor’s Haven,” she said immediately. She could think of nowhere more acutely aware of the need of privacy and a lack of monitoring devices. “At 20:00.”
Erving nodded. “Don’t go anywhere unusual. Don’t say anything to anyone that they might hear. They’ll be listening. Be careful.”
Reece frowned. “I will. You be careful, too.”
He nodded. “I’ll take the train back. You wait and take a train to some other destination before heading to wherever you really want to go. Understand?”
“Yeah. I understand.”
Erving nodded again, looking grim but satisfied. He strode away without looking back.
Well, hell. What is going on?
* * * * *
“You seem tense, honey.” Aunt Ruth looked at Reece, a concerned frown wrinkling her brow. “You barely touched your seafood burrito, and you love those.”
Aunt Ruth wasn’t the only one who had picked up on Reece’s unease. Rio had curled up in her lap—something he normally only did when she was sick.
“It’s just work,” Reece said lightly, scratching Rio’s ears. “You know how it is with some jobs.”
Aunt Ruth nodded, but didn’t look entirely convinced. “Well, I’ll wash up the dishes. Should have them done in time for The Zillion Prize. Why don’t you watch with me?”
Aunt Ruth wanted to keep an eye on her. It was sweet. Reece picked Rio up. “Sure. I’ll go put it on. But I can do the dishes, too.”
“Nope. You’ll just put them in the autowash. I like washing the dishes. It reminds me of when I was a young girl.”
Reece felt bad about leaving the tedious job to Aunt Ruth. Still, if her aunt truly wanted to do it, Reece shouldn’t deprive her of it. “Okay. I’ll go get your show ready.”
The blinking lights, silly exploits, and inane chatter of the game show might take her mind off whatever was going on with Schramm.
At least, she hoped it would.
* * * * *
Trey met Reece at the Debtor’s Haven.
“No Dex?” Reece asked, since Trey tended to bring Dex to most places he went.
“I didn’t like your tone when you told me about this meeting,” he said. “I thought it best to leave Dex at home. Besides, I took him to the park and he climbed so many trees he’s exhausted.”
“My tone?” she asked. “We talked via the Link. In text.”
He shrugged. “You still had tone.”
How she could have a tone when communicating via text, she couldn’t fathom, but since leaving Dex behind was probably the right choice, she decided to let it go.
They hadn’t gotten three meters into the betting lounge when Marky greeted them, hugging first Reece, then Trey.
“No Dex?” she asked.
Reece wondered if Marky was making conversation, or actually disappointed—Reece would bet on the latter.
“Not tonight,” Trey said. “How’s the gaming?”
“Fantastic. Got a couple of high rollers playing some King Sweep. There’s a big take building.” Marky smiled. “Care to get in on it?”
“Not sure I’ll be able to,” Trey said. “We don’t know how long our meeting will take.”
Marky nodded. “The back room is ready for you. Take all the time you need. But if you get a chance, join my table. I’m confident you’d come out ahead.”
“Doesn’t it violate some sort of ethics to give advice like that?” Reece demanded. She didn’t actually mind if the house stacked the deck—figuratively speaking, of course—in favor of its friends. It was fun to have a chance to tease Marky, though.
“Betting lounges and ethics aren’t the closest of acquaintances,” Marky drawled. She winked, then moved past them to greet someone else who’d just arrived.
It wasn’t Erving.
Reece didn’t know who the new arrival was, but judging by the amount of attention Marky gave her, the woman must be a regular at the Debtor’s Haven.
“Where do you want to wait?” Trey asked.
“In the room. I don’t think I’d have any fun playing games while we wait.”
“That bad, huh?” He started back toward the room.
One nice thing about traveling with Trey was that, even in a crowded place, when people saw him coming, they immediately got out of his way.
Reece kind of envied that. People would move for her, too, but she had to project a whole lot of disgruntlement, and even then, sometimes she had to make sure her guns were visible.
The back room didn’t offer much more than a table and chairs. After twenty minutes, Reece had gotten bored. After forty, she’d started to get annoyed. An hour after the proscribed meeting time, she had become worried.
She didn’t want to contact Erving via the Link—just in case someone at Rexcare might be monitoring his communications. That would be high
ly illegal, of course, but also par for the course for a corporation.
“What should we do?” Trey asked.
“Go ahead and play some King Sweep. I’ll stay here and wait.”
“You sure?” He didn’t move from his chair.
“Yeah. There’s no sense in both of us sitting here and staring at the walls.”
“You’re such a star.” He gave her head a pat as he got up and left.
After a second hour, she gave up hope that Erving would come. But she had to find out why he hadn’t.
She caught Trey’s eye as she crossed the lounge and he nodded. A minute later—after playing his hand—he closed out his winnings device by transferring everything to his personal account.
Since Marky was busy running the King Sweep game, Reece simply waved at her before leaving.
After a short walk, they arrived at the metro station. Going to Erving’s apartment was risky—since cameras might record their presence—but it was a better option than electronic communication, in which every word had the potential of being recorded.
Reece hurried toward the Metro’s scanners. Using her credentials, she always swept through them without even having to pause.
Except this time, the scanner beeped and refused to open. Trey bumped into her from behind as she came to a sudden stop.
The system had experienced a temporary glitch. Things like that happened sometimes.
But when she tried again, she got the same dismissive beep.
“What’s wrong?” Trey asked.
“Try yours,” she said, moving out of his way.
He got the same result.
She stilled her mind amid the whirlwind of horror and shock that went through her. “We have to go back out. They’ll know we’re at the station. They’ll note what we’re doing and where we’re going.”
Without hesitation, Trey reversed course and she hurried after him.
“Who is ‘they’?” he asked as they hustled out.
“There are only a few possibilities,” she said, thinking aloud. “It has to be someone at the top of Rexcare.”
They got back out to the street and waved down an unoccupied taxi.
