by Autumn Dawn
He looked amused. “You have a plan to stop them? Intergalactic smugglers? After your bodyguard was shot? These aren’t local hoods, you know.”
She looked away to get a rein on her temper, then fixed him with a glare. “I guess if I can’t get you people to do your job, then yes, I will think of something. In the meantime, if you have nothing useful to add, I have a waiting room chair with my name on it. Thanks so much.”
She gave an insincere smile and brushed past, trying ignore his flunkies at the door. They stepped into her path.
“Gem?” Azor said mildly.
She made a slow turn, her temper simmering. “You have something to say?”
His smile was faint. “As of now, you’re in my custody. You’re a witness, darlin’. You get protection. I insist.”
She drew a breath, fighting fury. “Am I under arrest?”
He shrugged. “Not yet.”
“Mind if I’m in your protective custody in the waiting room?”
He sighed. “I do, as it’s not very secure. We can arrange a private waiting room for you, though. Least I can do.”
“How kind.”
One of Azor’s goons motioned that he would lead the way. Another fell into step behind her. Gem saw Zsak grimace, and could feel Azor’s eyes on her back as she walked away.
The doctor finally came out and briefed her about Blue. His soberness scared her.
“First of all, let me assure you that Mr. Blue is now stable. Unfortunately, his recovery is going to be slow and painful. The bullet entered his back through the left-hand side and created a messy exit wound in his chest. On the way through, it grazed his heart and perforated his lung. Fortunately, we got to him in time, and he’s a naturally healthy individual. If he tolerates the healing accelerators well, he should be able to leave in as little as two weeks—provided he has someone to look after him and plenty of rest.”
“Absolutely,” Gem assured him. “Whatever my family can do. Can I see him now?”
The doctor shook his head. “I’m afraid not. He’s still sedated, and he’ll be in the ICU until we’re certain he’s out of danger.”
“Out of danger?” she echoed. She was tired, but she didn’t like the sound of that—especially not when the doctor had just assured her Blue was stable.
The surgeon sighed. “We had to restart his heart more than once, and he lost a lot of blood. Fortunately, he has a very strong will to live. Don’t worry; he’ll be receiving ‘round-the-clock care. The best thing you can do for him now is to go home and get some rest so you can keep him company when he recovers.”
Gem nodded, but she felt just as terrible as she had when leaving Brandy’s sickbed. Except this time it was all her fault. A—she felt the blood draining from her face—nicked heart? A perforated lung? Her stupidity had nearly killed him.
Zsak, who’d been present for the briefing on his friend’s health, put a supporting hand under her elbow. “Let’s get you home,” he said. “You’re dead on your feet.”
Dead? She laughed without humor.
She didn’t remember the drive home. She would have been too tired to sleep, except that Zsak made her down several shots of eighty-proof. He and Blue apparently had a lot in common regarding their medicinal prescriptions, but the alcohol worked. Gem passed out cold and didn’t rise until late afternoon.
She wasn’t really up to her chores when she did wake, but lying around gave her too much time to think. Instead, she wandered into the kitchen and let Jamir fuss over her.
It was a wonder he hadn’t quit—they’d already had three resignations. Ironically, business was up as curious visitors from both Polaris and space came out to see what all the fuss was at The Spark.
“Cheer up,” Zsak said as he joined her at the kitchen table, a monstrously heaped plate in one hand. Apparently Jamir was being kind to him. “Blue’s survived worse.”
She looked at Zsak tiredly. “Really? How long have you known him?”
The man thought about it. “Four years? No, five. He saved my life more than once.”
Head propped on one hand, she studied him. “You were in the service with him?”
“I’ve been in the service, yeah.” He took a bite of sausage. “These are good. You know, he’s far gone on you.”
Gem blinked. “What?”
Zsak smiled. “I’ve never seen him carry on the way he does about you. If he’s not in love yet, he’s tipping.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. Hyna Blue was a hard man to read. Yes, they’d shared something very special and intimate, but that didn’t mean it was special to him. Men didn’t always equate intimacy and love. His best friend thought he knew what Blue felt. She knew what she herself felt, but…
“I don’t think he sees himself as the ‘settle down, raise a family’ type,” she thought aloud.
Zsak shrugged. “Men change.”
Gem sighed impatiently. “Have you ever seen him in love?”
Blue’s friend was silent for a long moment. “Yes,” he finally said. “I’ve seen him in love.” Sadness shadowed his eyes.
Gem needed to know: “How did it end?”
Zsak answered in a brisk voice. “She was involved in some ugly things. Blue wanted to believe in her innocence, and she let him. When her friends went down, when the police finally got them, she went down with them. Worse, he was cast under suspicion for a while. He’s never gotten over that. He might not look like it, but justice and integrity matter.”
“And here I am, in the middle of an investigation. I’m surprised he’s stuck around.”
“I’m not,” Zsak replied. “You’re quite a woman.” He flashed Gem a wolfish grin.
She felt herself color even as she smiled. She could see why Blue liked Zsak.
Before she could say as much, however, one of the newer barmaids walked up. “Ma’am? There’s a Mr. Cirrus to see you.”
Gem sighed. Closing her eyes, she debated whether or not to see him. She glanced at Zsak, who wore a guarded expression.
“Very well. Send him to my…” She frowned. The old office was no longer hers, and she wasn’t about to meet with Cirrus in her private rooms. “Send him to Jaq’s office,” she decided. After watching the barmaid walk off, Gem glanced at Zsak and said, “Might as well hang out in the bar while you wait—since I know you will.”
He gave her a small smile.
Gem rose from her seat. Azor’s agents watched her from across the room, but they gave her space as long as she was with Zsak. She wondered if they would be okay waiting outside while she spoke to Cirrus.
She headed for Jaq’s office. Located at the far end of the bar, the man’s lair looked nothing like her own neat workspace. The desk was piled haphazardly with stacks of paper. Odds and ends, old gun magazines and cracking, jam-packed binders filled the shelves. If those arsonist kids had started a fire in here, The Spark would be cinders by now.
She left the door open—both for Azor’s agents and herself.
Cirrus turned from his survey of the room as she walked in. “Gem. I was so sorry to hear of your recent troubles.” He took her hand and pressed it, looking earnest.
“Thank you. It’s been a long week,” Gem admitted tiredly, extracting her hand as she moved behind Jaq’s desk and took a seat. “Forgive the mess. Since I hired my new manager, I’ve moved myself out of my usual office. When things calm down, I’ll remedy that.”
“That’s quite all right,” he soothed. “I’m only concerned that your family isn’t available to comfort you in this trying time.”
“Actually, Xera will be home tonight,” Gem corrected. “If we can bring her here without incident, things should start to look up.”
“And your bodyguard, Blue? I’d heard he’s not doing well.” Cirrus’s eyes were searching.
“As well as can be expected. The doctors say he can come home in a week or two, if all goes well. I imagine he’ll be indisposed for a while, though.”
Cirrus looked thoughtful. �
�Home. So you’ll be bringing him back here?”
“It’s where he was staying beforehand,” she pointed out, a little annoyed. Had he come here just to gossip? If so, he was going to find his welcome would be short-lived.
He nodded. “Bear with me a moment—your charity is not in doubt. This is what concerns me.” He opened his briefcase and drew out a few papers. His gaze on hers, he handed them over.
Gem looked at the first page and froze. It was a picture of a younger Blue in a narcotics officer’s uniform. The article was a scathing commentary on police brutality on Enjor. It went on to allege certain things Blue had done. He wasn’t referred to as Hyna Blue, however. This man was called Officer Indigo Santana. “Blue Satan” the reporter had dubbed him, going for a dramatic splash.
A little unsteady, Gem slowly set that page aside and looked at the next. This article was dated a little later. It gleefully reported that Officer Santana had received a dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming.
“The discharge was just a ruse. It helped him to go undercover,” Cirrus explained.
She let her eyes meet his, unhappy that her shock was evident.
“Look at the next one,” he suggested gently.
It was a class photo of a military group, probably a graduating class. Blue and Captain Azor were both there.
Gem dropped the photo on the desk.
Cirrus looked sympathetic. “I know. I was outraged when I realized this supposed ‘drifter’ who was taking advantage of your kindness was actually an investigating officer with the IC’s Galactic Narcotics office. They used a very real danger to get as close to you as humanly possible—to exploit you. I’m sorry.”
She nodded, numb. She’d been giving room and board to a Narc? Not that she resented his job, but his treatment of her was abhorrent. Blue Satan, indeed!
Cirrus’s mouth tightened, and he left the room, returning shortly with a tumbler. He pressed this into her hands. “You need a drink.”
For once she didn’t argue. “I’m going to kick him out,” she was muttering. Him and his sweet-talking, lying friend. Zsak had to be part of the equation. No doubt he had a badge hidden somewhere, too.
Cirrus nodded. “I’ve been thinking about that. The trouble is, there really is someone trying to hurt you. I didn’t want to bring you this mess without offering some solution. If you’d accept him, I’d like to offer you the services of one of my bodyguards. He’s agreeable, if you’re willing. This is his resume.” Cirrus laid a folder on the desk in front of her.
She closed her eyes and bit her lip, despising that he witnessed her weakness but unable to get a grip. Blue was a traitor! A liar, too, if she wanted to think about that. And what he’d done to her body…What she’d done to his!
“Give me some time, Cirrus. I…appreciate what you’re trying to do for me.”
Taking his cue, the businessman nodded and stood. “Again, if you need me, Gem, I’m available day or night. Please, call me and tell me how you are once you’ve caught your breath.”
She nodded, then sat and stared at the door, horrified. She’d fallen in love with a traitor.
Love? she thought, closing her eyes in anguish. What a time to find a name for her feelings!
Zsak chose that moment to look in on her. If she’d been a cougar, Gem’s ears would have lain flat back on her head. She bared her teeth. “Get out!” He opened his mouth to speak, but she grabbed the gun Jaq kept stashed under his desk and aimed it at Blue’s friend. “I said, move it.”
The liar wisely ducked back out.
Gem set the gun aside and massaged the bridge of her nose. It was hard to remember a time before trouble had perched on her shoulder. Much more of this and she might actually think of selling The Spark.
Jaq looked in on her less than a minute later. One glance at her face and his own became set like stone. “What did he do?”
She stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out how to answer, how to plan for and overcome this disaster. At last, bested, she handed him the incriminating papers.
Jaq looked them over and grunted. His jaw worked as if he were chewing on a thought.
Tired of waiting, Gem threw out, “Obviously, we won’t bring him back here.”
Jaq tossed the papers on the desk, seeming unconcerned. “Don’t see why not. You’ve got nothing to hide. Me, I’d confront him with what I know and work some of my spleen off. Keep him here, where you can keep an eye on him. Better to know what the man is doing rather than send him off and wonder.”
She stared the old man down. “You want me to bring him back?”
He shrugged. “Man did save your life. You’re a big girl. Keep him around until you get your feelings worked out, then give him the boot if you like. Myself, I’d prefer the extra eyes watching out for you…even if he is a cripple.”
She scowled. “He’s not a cripple, just wounded.”
Jaq was making sense, though. She’d never run from a fight, and she did have fury she’d like to dump all over Blue’s head—if that was really his name. Dump it out and rub it in. Yeah, that sounded like just the thing.
It was either that or let her head explode.
Jaq saw her evil, calculating expression and shook his head. “Let him come out of ICU before you rip into him, girl. No sense in killing him twice.”
She grunted an agreement, despite her misgivings. The sympathy card didn’t play well with her at the moment, of course; she wasn’t feeling too torn up about his condition. But, okay. No revenge now. Maybe later. Not too much later, though.
Certain of Zsak’s true profession, and that he would search the office later, she folded the papers incriminating Blue and stuck them in her pocket. “Don’t suppose you have a handy line to feed Zsak, do you?”
Jaq grinned. “I’ll tell him you’re having man troubles.”
With a growl for his efforts, she led the way from the room.
Chapter Twelve
One minute Gem was going over what to say to Xera; the next she was grabbed by Azor’s flunkies and hustled out the door to a transport.
“What’s going on?” she demanded as the two men flanked her.
“Captain Azor has ordered you to be secured somewhere safe,” one of the officers replied. “You’ll be briefed as soon as we get there.”
“My sister is coming in—” she started to protest.
“We’ll take care of her,” one cop promised.
She didn’t know how to take that. What if these men meant to hurt Xera?
She looked around, but all the windows of the transport were black. She could get no idea where they were going. “Where are you taking me?”
“To a safe location,” was all they would say.
It took twenty-five minutes by her watch until they stopped, and then she was hustled out with the same speed in which she’d been collected. Captain Azor wasn’t present, but he was waiting on a teleconference in the hotel-like room to which she was escorted.
“Hello, Ms. Harrisdaughter. Comfortable?” He had a wicked gleam in his eye.
She didn’t appreciate any humor in the situation. She glared at the laptop sitting on the hotel table. “What’s going on?”
“We had to put you in a safe house. An explosive was found on your sister Xera’s ship—it was dismantled with no loss of life,” he hastened to say, cutting off any expostulation of concern. “However, your friend Cirrus’s current girlfriend was found dead about two hours ago. I understand he came to see you today?”
Gem’s mouth worked, but no sound came out for a moment. “He…he didn’t say anything about…” Had he known that the redhead was dead?
“He had some interesting things to say about Blue, though, didn’t he?” Azor remarked softly.
Gem just stared at the policeman’s image. How had Azor gotten this information? Jaq wouldn’t rat on her, would he?
Seeing her expression, the Narc explained. “I’m afraid we listened in. We can’t afford to have any more screwups like th
e one that brought down Blue. Cirrus is in custody. I’m afraid you’ll have to wait to find out the details of his case. Meanwhile, perhaps you could entertain me with any other details you might have remembered about your sister’s case? What was Jean Luc blackmailing her with?”
She was not ready to let go of that bit of information, so she clung to what she’d heard. “You said my sister Xera is all right?” Worry swamped her. She’d come close to losing Xera and hadn’t even known she was in danger.
“You’ll see her tonight, probably late. Now, what do you know about the blackmail?”
In desperation, she asked, “Brandy didn’t say anything?”
Azor didn’t blink. “You know it’s a federal crime to obstruct justice, don’t you, Ms. Harrisdaughter?”
He got a glare for that, but she knew this was one piece of sisterly confidence she couldn’t hide. It would eventually come out, and hiding it from the authorities could help nothing. “Brandy was covering for Xera. She saw her in a compromising situation. Jean Luc found out about it and held it over my sister’s head.”
“What sort of compromising situation?” Azor wouldn’t release her from his stare.
Gem told him.
His lips quirked. “And that was worth covering drug trafficking?”
Gem’s eyes narrowed. “Something like that could ruin Xera, could keep her from being respected or accepted on Polaris.”
“Better to ruin all of your lives, eh?” The policeman didn’t look impressed. “Who was the lover?”
Gem shrugged. “I don’t know. Some drifter.”
Azor considered for a moment. “Very well. I’ll look into it. Enjoy your stay under our protection. Try to stay out of trouble, won’t you? I’ll be in touch.” His image vanished off the laptop.
Gem’s head throbbed. She sat on the bed with a groan and ran her fingers through her hair. One of her guards collected the laptop and left.
Now what?
Xera was brought to Gem late that evening. With the bad luck that had become Gem’s lot, she wanted to talk.
