by M. D. Cooper
He bobbed his head slowly, then glanced at her. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
“No. Pretty much never.”
He let out a long-suffering sigh. “We need security. Sage wants security. That could be a win-win.”
“Wait, you’re suggesting we live in a liquor company?”
“Aren’t we already? And we wouldn’t be in Nizhoni’s way. We’d be in Sage’s way, while you make good on your side of the bargain you made with him. Plus, you could get that done a lot sooner and not having it following you around.”
A mean little smile kicked up the corners of her mouth.
“I see that,” Trey said, clearly pleased with himself.
“Fine. I kind of like that idea,” she admitted. “We could even route some of our work through them, so no one would see it going through Rexcare.”
“How opportunistic. I like it.”
“We can give it a try,” she decided. “I do like the idea of getting my work for him done during my downtime. I don’t like being in anyone’s debt.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“You did not,” she insisted, giving him a mock scowl.
“Did so.”
“Did not.”
Did he? Had he grown to understand her that well?
RESTLESS
DATE: 05.07.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: Ohiyo, Akonwara
REGION: Machete System, PED 4B, Orion Freedom Alliance
“That’s some strange-looking gear,” Sage said. “It almost looks like luggage. But I’m glad you’re fulfilling your end of the bargain so soon.”
“It is,” Reece said.
Sage’s face crinkled in confusion. “What is?”
“This.” She slapped her baggage. “It’s luggage. We’re moving in while we work on your building.”
Sage blinked at her slowly. Twice. “Uh, no. You’re not.”
“You want your security upped, don’t you?” Trey asked. “It’s a dangerous world. I mean, my apartment got bombed just recently. Don’t you want to make sure that doesn’t happen here?”
Sage half-sat on the edge of his desk. “It got bombed because you were there. Your being here instead doesn’t seem to increase safety. Quite the opposite.”
“No problem.” Reece turned toward the door. “I’ll start working on it when I have time from my duties at Rexcare.”
Sage nodded, satisfied. “Good.”
“See you in three months.”
She got to the hallway, with Trey on her heels, before Sage yelled, “Wait!”
She looked up at Trey and grinned.
He grinned back, then leaned down and whispered, “This is going to be fun, isn’t it?”
She bit back a laugh and whispered back. “Yeah. I think it will.”
* * * * *
Reece ducked under a punch aimed at her chest, going all the way down to one knee and throwing a quick jab into the crotch of the oncoming assailant. She pivoted while on the ground, then stood and used the force of the motion to drive her fist into the chin of the person behind her in a wicked uppercut.
She pulled the punch at the last second, causing it to merely make the man fall, rather than knocking him out entirely. “Better! Now, what did you do wrong that time?”
The one bent at the waist, and struggling to stay upright managed to say, “I didn’t protect my crotch.”
Reece fought back a laugh. She’d mostly hit Reggie’s thigh, but had given his giblets enough of a knock that he’d remember to be mindful of his vulnerable spots at all times.
“Partly,” she said, straightening her tank top. “First, you assumed you knew what I was going to do. You thought I’m come straight in like last time. Always be watching for surprises. Always protect your most sensitive places—I recommend a cup while you’re on duty.”
The guard on the floor, Sequoia, sat rubbing his chin. “I thought you were going to show us advanced hand-to-hand combat maneuvers. I don’t think punching him in the dick counts.”
Reece laughed at his word choice. Still smiling, she explained the day’s lesson. “No matter how trained someone busting their way in is, they will always choose the easiest route to disable you. If that means punching you in the dick, then that’s what they’ll do.”
With great immaturity, she snickered at the words. She was glad Trey had gone to pick up some food so he wouldn’t see her amusement.
He’d tease her mercilessly about it.
“That’s it for today,” she said. “Don’t worry about how it went. I can see that you have the basics down. If you were just going to guard a store, you’d be fine. But this is a bigger deal than some rent-a-guard job. If someone shows up, they’re not just looking to take merchandise and run. They’re looking to kidnap and ransom, most likely. Or try to steal corporate information. That means there’s no margin for error. You can’t fail.”
The two young men nodded, looking grave.
“Go, relax. Come back tomorrow evening.” She waved them off. “If you’re sure this is the job you want.”
She watched them go, then meandered slowly out of the room she’d had emptied for the purpose of training the new hires. Dragging one hand along the wall, her fingers made a long, smooth sound, punctuated by regular thwaps when her hand hit a seam.
She entered the room that had been cleared for her and Trey to eat, meet, and relax. They each had claimed a small office as well, to use as bedrooms.
That made four spaces they’d commandeered, including the conference room they’d set aside for training. Sage had gotten the rooms arranged for them in very short order. Clearly, his staff was dedicated.
“Too bad he didn’t let me hire more experienced guards,” she muttered to herself as she sank into a large poof. At least, that was what she called it. The thing wasn’t a chair and wasn’t a pillow. It was a big, white, fuzzy poof, and she loved lounging on it.
She wondered if she could manage to smuggle it out with her when she left.
“Oh.” Trey paused at the doorway, carrying two bags. “I heard you talking and thought you were with someone.”
“Just me. Just talking to myself.”
He entered and set one of the bags next to her. He pulled a tray table to a chair and set down his food before sitting. “How were the new recruits?”
“Green. Very green. And young.”
Trey grabbed a fork and stirred up his noodles. “That’s what Sage wanted. People who didn’t have any underlying relationships to any other employer. People who would be grateful for the chance and would pay him back with loyalty.”
“Yeah.” She sighed. “I get all that. But it will take longer to get them up to par.”
“You get to beat them up in the meantime,” Trey pointed out. “So there’s that, at least.”
“Eh, there’s no challenge. It’s a shame I’m spending my evenings doing security design. Otherwise, I could pop over to the Ringtoad and see if Kippy could hustle up a challenge for me.”
He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t have enough going on in life.”
“It’s a good stress buster.” She filled her mouth with a bite of hot, creamy noodles.
“Speaking of Kippy, I asked him to bring Dex here, along with his stuff.”
“What?” The word came out badly, around a mouthful of mangled noodles. She quickly chewed and swallowed and repeated the word more clearly. “What?”
“The poor guy hasn’t seen me in days. I don’t want him to get depressed. You know how sensitive he is.”
She wanted to tease him for his consideration of the monkey’s feelings, but he was right. Dex had a sweet but insecure temperament. He did stress easily. “So you’re going to keep him here?”
“Yep. I am. If Sage doesn’t like it, then…too bad.”
“Hah.” Reece smiled at him.
“What?”
“You sounded like someone just then.”
“Who?” he demanded.
“Me. I think I’
m rubbing off on you.”
His fork froze in midair and he gasped dramatically. “You take that back.”
She laughed. “I’ve kind of missed Dex. It’ll be nice to have him around again.”
“What about Kippy?”
“That goes without saying. I usually see him daily when I’m not busy with work.”
“Aha.” Trey had affected a thoughtful, wise expression that didn’t suit him at all. “So you miss him, too.”
“Of course. And Aunt Ruth and Rio, too. They’re my family. But it’s not like they’re far away, or like I won’t see them soon. I feel like you’re trying to make a point, but you’re failing.”
“No point.” He took a long drink of water. “Just assessing your priorities. You don’t say much about that kind of thing.”
“Nobody wants to hear me bang on about my feelings. Well, except maybe Aunt Ruth. But it’s not my style, anyway.”
“Why not?” he asked.
She shot him an exasperated look. “What do you mean, why not? I just don’t like talking about myself. It’s boring. I already know all of it. I’d rather talk about things I don’t know. Or work.”
“Right, work.” He nodded knowingly.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You’re a slave driver unto yourself. I haven’t figured out if it’s because you love your work more than anything, or if it’s for some other reason.”
“Like what?” If Trey hadn’t brought Reece noodles, she might have to be annoyed at this point.
“Not sure,” he admitted. “Like I said, I haven’t decided. Maybe you lack imagination. Maybe you’re just a boring person at heart. The options are limitless.”
“Want to know what I think?” She pointed her fork at him.
“Absolutely. I think evaluating oneself has tremendous benefit. Only by reflecting on ourselves can we truly understand who we are and what we want.”
“I think you’re too interested in me. Maybe you like me or something.”
Trey chuckled in a way that was entirely unflattering. “Not in the least. Not that way, anyway. I mean, you’re quite attractive, and fit, and loyal, but that puts you entirely in the friend zone.”
“Oh? What kind of woman are you into, then?” She relished the opportunity to make this conversation about him rather than her.
“Someone thoughtful and kind.”
“Oh, yeah, that definitely counts me out, then.” Reece nodded. “That’s good.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “And she has to have a certain tenderness. You know, the kind of person who sees someone who’s dropped their stuff, and she stops and helps them.”
Reece imagined herself in that scenario. If she saw someone squatting on the floor, she’d suspect them of trying to lure her into some mugging con, and she’d keep her guard up as she walked by.
She smiled.
“What?” he asked.
“I’m definitely not your type.”
“I already told you that.” He rolled his eyes.
“I’m glad.”
He gave her an inquisitive look.
She continued, “I’ve gotten to where I don’t hate having a partner. It would be a shame to mess that up with you pining over me.”
“I’d make a remark about how I’m unsurprised that you prefer to avoid complicated relationships, but since I agree about us being better off without any of that romantic stuff, I won’t.”
“And yet,” she observed dryly, “you managed to sneak your opinion right in there, didn’t you?”
“It’s a gift.” He shrugged modestly. “But I like that you don’t get all offended when I criticize you. As far as partners go, you’re exactly my type.”
“Aw, stop. You’re making me all emotional.” She shook her head at him.
He grinned and took another bite of noodles.
* * * * *
Dex snuggled against Reece’s arm and smiled up at her with a surprisingly sweet, childlike expression.
Darn if this critter isn’t endearing.
She reached into her pocket and fished out a bebo nut. Somehow, Dex had a way of making her want to spoil him.
He chittered and reached out, delicately taking the nut from her fingers.
“He missed you.” Trey looked a little put out, in spite of his bright tone.
“He can probably smell the bebo nuts,” she consoled Trey. Then she turned her attention to Kippy. With Dex distracted by his snack, she was able to slide away, stand, and give Kippy a warm hug.
He gave her a good squeeze and kissed her forehead before letting go and stepping back. “This is new, me visiting you while you work. I like it. Even though Trey was the one to initiate it.”
Reece smiled. “It’s good to see you, too. Everything going okay?”
Kippy shrugged. His hair fell forward over his forehead, as it tended to, giving him a rakish look. “Busy, which is good. In addition to helping Aunt Ruth look after Dex, the bar has been hopping. I’ve had to extend my regular hours, thanks to the vacation season.”
He shrugged off a backpack and started stacking containers onto Trey’s small tray table.
“What’s this?” Trey asked.
“Aunt Ruth’s cooking,” Kippy said. “Fish chowder, vegetable stew, and some kind of hot cereal that she said would reheat. She made me promise to tell you that nutritional supplements aren’t enough, ‘No matter what Reece thinks, you need to eat well, and make sure she eats well, too’.”
Reece mustered up some mock outrage. “She’s giving you a message to make Trey make me eat? She’s feeding me fourth hand now. The woman’s unstoppable.”
She giggled, then burst into all-out laughter. She’d have to call Aunt Ruth the next day and reassure her that she was eating just fine. Not that Reece minded the tasty treats from home.
It felt nice to have someone who loved her enough to care about what she ate.
Kippy and Trey started talking about some off-planet sports league that meant nothing at all to Reece, and it gave her time to reflect.
Trey was wrong. Well, not completely. She was a hard, focused woman. Driven to succeed. But it wasn’t because she lacked the faculty to care about others. Quite the opposite. Reece was so determined to make sure Aunt Ruth and Kippy never had to struggle again that she put her own needs and wants aside.
Reece would never forget the pain of a hunger that didn’t go away, no matter how many years she’d enjoyed a full belly. She’d never forget how easy it would be for Aunt Ruth or Kippy…or Trey…to slip below the poverty line and just disappear from existence. Akon wouldn’t care. Machete wouldn’t care. But Reece had long ago appointed herself the hard line that separated the ones she cared about from oblivion.
And she hoped Trey never realized that. She liked that he thought her hard and ruthless. It was the armor she wore to protect what truly mattered.
She stood and ran her hand across her waist, out of habit. Her heart skipped a beat when her fingers didn’t encounter the familiar lines and ridges of her weapons.
Of course not. She’d taken them off and left them by the door.
Reece crossed the room while the men talked about points and fouls and critical misses, and put her belt back on.
Instantly, she felt whole again. She relaxed and smiled. Dex had climbed up on Trey’s shoulder, and the hulk of a man petted the childlike monkey with one finger as he talked with great animation to Kippy.
Kippy, for his part, grinned, his eyes sparkling with his unique blend of warmth and humor.
Yes, Reece felt much better now.
Kippy looked toward her with a quizzical expression. “Something wrong?”
She shook her head. “Nope. We’ve got food from Aunt Ruth, good company, and a sweet little furball. What could be wrong?”
Kippy ducked his head in that modest, funny way of his. “Well, other than whatever’s keeping you holed up here, of all places, nothing. Unless you were calling me a furball. And then we’re g
oing to have to duke it out.”
They all laughed, and Reece felt so generous that she even offered him some of the chowder he’d brought.
Fortunately, he declined, since he’d already had a bellyful of it.
* * * * *
The Smooth building was dead quiet when Reece walked Kippy downstairs. All the employees were gone—even Sage’s dedicated assistant—who probably worked eighteen hours a day.
And Trey had the nerve to imply Reece was too focused on her work.
“Thanks for coming, and bringing Dex, and all the food. People must have been giving you strange looks on the metro!” Reece laughed.
Kippy chuckled. “It was an unexpected confluence of smells, I bet. Breakfast cereal, fish chowder, and monkey. Somehow, no one kicked my ass along the way.”
Reece laughed. “If anyone kicked your ass, I’d have to go kick their ass twice as hard.”
“Just like when we were kids.” Kippy grinned.
“We always looked out for each other. And we still do.”
“Always and forever,” Kippy agreed, using the phrase they’d spoken about a million times throughout their youth. “So, things are working out okay with Trey? He seems okay. I mean, I know you didn’t like the idea of having a partner at first, but I like the idea that you have someone watching your back in the corporate world of whatever it is you do.”
“Yeah, we’re good. I don’t know why. Maybe because he’s not from here and he sees things differently. But he’s for real. Loyal, you know? I trust him.” She quickly added, “Do not tell him that. He’ll get all cocky about it.”
Kippy laughed. “Okay. I won’t. When do you think you’ll be able to come back?”
Her humor disappeared. “I don’t know. Things have gone sideways. This doesn’t have the feel of a regular job. It feels…deeper. You know?”
Kippy lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “I don’t. But I trust your instincts. And so should you. Just be careful, okay? I don’t mind waiting for you to come home, as long as you eventually do.”
