“He has been browsing the public printer files, looking at household objects.”
“Should you even be telling me that?” Laura asked. “Isn’t it private?”
“What he prints is private. Where he goes on the Forum is not,” Emma said, almost primly.
“Micah would scrap you for selling him out like that.”
“He would understand that you are my primary concern, in all things and forever. I cannot be of assistance to you, if you were not.”
“And I thought you did it all because you liked me.”
“No one can help but like you, Laura. It is a secondary bonus for me.”
“I like you, too,” Laura told her. “Now, help me figure out how to get into this dress, please.”
When she was dressed, she studied the three-sixty view critically.
“I can’t fault it,” Emma said. “You are quite beautiful. The gold color in the dress goes very nicely with your brown eyes.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever worn a dress that covered up so much and made me feel quite so undressed,” Laura said.
“It will have the intended effect, I have no doubt,” Emma said.
“What effect?” Laura demanded.
“I believe Micah has just arrived,” Emma said.
Laura rolled her eyes and went out to meet him as he got out of the car. Micah was all in black as usual, only formal events such as the soiree meant that men got to wear ancient-styled collared shirts and ties. The formal jacket made Micah’s shoulders look extra-large.
His gaze flicked from her hem to her hair, which was piled on top of her head and pinned down. Heat seemed to grow in his eyes. Laura shivered and something in the pit of her belly seemed to roll over restlessly.
Micah held out his hand. “You are exactly what I knew you would be.”
“What is that?”
“Perfection.”
He helped her into the car, while Laura enjoyed the small glow his compliment gave her.
Private cars couldn’t get closer to the event than the edge of the Aventine, forcing them to walk from there. It made Laura all the more conscious of the trailing hem of her gown and the way other people heading to the soiree were glancing at her. Of course, this was her first time at the event and they were probably all long time attendees. She was standing out because she was new to the event, that was all.
It meant Micah would be scrutinized just as closely, though, for he had stayed away for twenty years.
“Are you okay?” she asked him quietly.
He picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. “The only thing keeping me moving forward is you.”
She swallowed. “If you need to leave, at any time, tell me.”
He glanced at her. “I don’t know what to expect,” he confessed. “Except that she will be here.”
“Melody?”
He nodded.
Her gut tightened even farther. She was glad he held onto her hand. He was the only thing keeping her moving forward, too.
Beyond the decorative barricades were more people glittering in evening finery than Laura had ever seen in one place before. Not even at a tankball game were so many people gathered together.
She had in previous years seen the procession of people heading to the soiree, moving through the districts, heading for the train or cars parked on the edge of the district. Laura had enjoyed admiring the clothes of the party-goers. She had never expected she would attend one herself.
With so many people here, the odds were overwhelming that she would know many of them. Almost immediately, she spotted many familiar faces. Some of them waved at her and smiled. Others did little double-takes, then did the same smile and wave.
The first to come over to speak to them was Tivoli and Keton. Tivoli grinned. “You finally made it here.” He nodded at Micah. “You two should sit at our table, for supper.”
Laura glanced at the forest of tables on the far side of the area, then at Micah.
He gave a small nod. “Thank you,” he said, his voice low and tight with control. “I would prefer your company to many others here tonight.”
Tivoli blinked. “Well, then. Okay.”
Keton hugged her. “You look good enough to eat,” he breathed into her ear. “Enjoy the night.”
As they walked away, Micah’s grip on her hand tightened. Laura looked at him.
He nodded at something. “She’s here.”
Laura searched the crowd and spotted Melody Rosen. She was tall and supple as only a top level tankball player could be. Her hair was blonde and shining, her eyes very blue and her dress was an exact match. She was staring at Micah, her full lips parted.
There was a man standing with her. He had the thick neck and heavy shoulders of a low level player and Laura recognized him, too. Aithan Sokol was a Hawks groundman. He and Melody had been together for many years. He was studying Micah with his head tilted and his eyes narrowed.
“Go to them,” Laura whispered to Micah.
His head moved in a tiny affirmative, yet he remained where he was.
She took the first step, pulling him into motion. After that, he walked normally, stepping around people, until they were in front of the famous pair.
“You’re alive….” Melody said to Micah. “I didn’t know.”
Micah gave her a stiff smile. “I’m on the Forum.” He looked at her partner. “Aithan.”
“Your profile is never updated,” Melody said.
Then she had been checking. Laura’s heart picked up speed. It had already been beating too fast. Now she felt almost dizzy with it.
Aithan glanced at Melody, frowning. Had he put that together, too?
Melody’s head turned to look at Laura. It seemed she moved stiffly, forcing herself to it. Her very blue eyes flicked over Laura much as Micah’s had done. Her mouth tightened into a hard line and her eyes turned chilly. “I don’t know you.”
All the soothing, pleasant responses Laura could make rose to her lips. She had spent her life being charming and accommodating, winning people over. She pushed it all aside, prompted by the hard look in Melody’s eyes and the even harsher line of her mouth. “No, you don’t know me,” she said flatly.
Melody’s eyes widened a little.
“Here,” Aithan said, taking glasses filled with red liquid off the nearest tray. “A drink, to break the ice.”
It will take more than a drink, Laura whispered in her own mind.
Micah’s shoulders were stiff with tension. He was scowling. It was the same hard, black look he had always worn when she had first met him. Yet he lifted his hand and took the drink.
Aithan held one out to Laura and then grabbed two more. He gave one to Melody and held the last for himself. He lifted it a little. “To days long gone.”
Laura raised the glass cautiously to her lips and sniffed.
At the same time, Micah grabbed her wrist and pulled the glass away from her mouth. “No,” he said, his voice low and urgent.
“I detect a high level of alcohol,” Emma whispered in her ear. Her voice was wavy and indistinct, telling Laura she was using a directional sound conduit so that only Laura could hear.
Melody’s eyes narrowed as she watched Laura closely.
Laura gave her and Aithan a small smile. “I’m working in the engine room tomorrow,” she said. “It’s dangerous to work in there with alcohol screwing up your judgment.” It was an excuse she had used many times in the past and most people accepted it completely.
Aithan studied her. “You’re an engineer.” There was contempt in his voice.
Melody’s gaze shifted back to Micah, her head moving with the same tight control as before. The knuckles of her fingers holding the glass whitened.
Micah plucked the glass from Laura’s hand and put both of them back on the tray. Then he picked up her hand once more. “Let’s find something better,” he told her.
Melody’s face flushed a deep red.
Micah moved through the chattering
crowd, pulling her along with him. Laura grabbed his forearm with her other hand. “Micah!”
He stopped at last and turned to face her. His face was working and he was breathing hard.
She put her hand on his chest. “It’s over. It’s done. You’ve faced her and that’s all you had to do.”
His gaze was on their joined hands. “I didn’t realize how much I hated her,” he murmured. “I’m shaking with it.”
“I can feel it,” Laura said quietly.
He took a deep breath and looked around the room. “There are others who will want to talk to me,” he warned her. “I can see them waiting for a chance to come over.”
“None of them could be as hard to deal with as her, could they?”
“For you, they might be.” The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. “You might be bored to death. Here comes someone now.” He raised his chin to greet the newcomer.
The next two hours were indeed boring. Laura didn’t know any of the people suddenly eager to talk to Micah, although she recognized many of the faces. The talk was almost exclusively about tankball and how much the game missed Micah’s presence.
He was polite and asked questions about what they had been doing since he had left the game. Laura recognized her own habit of keeping a conversation going by focusing on the other person and getting them to talk about themselves. She did it to avoid probing questions about her own life that she couldn’t answer truthfully.
Was Micah doing the same thing?
The time was also remarkable because she suspected Micah spoke more words to more people in those two hours than he had in the last two years.
At the end of the two hours, shortly before the supper was to be announced, Laura could see the Association officials conferring with their heads together on the temporary staging at the end of the area. People were getting restless and hungry and were shooting glances toward the tables, too.
That was when Aithan Sokol stepped up between Micah and the woman he was talking to. Laura had already forgotten her name. Emma would tell her, later. The big groundman pushed his shoulders between them, facing Micah, and thrust out his hand. “I think I need to apologize to you, Thorn. Melody has been explaining some things to me.”
Micah looked down at the hand and Laura held her breath, waiting to hear Micah’s response.
A hand on her arm made her turn away.
Melody was holding two glasses of multi-hued, icy drinks, a smile on her face. “Aithan isn’t the only one who needs to apologize. I feel we got off on the wrong foot.” She held out one of the glasses. “It’s quite innocent,” she assured Laura. “Although mine isn’t innocent at all.” She winked. “Come over here for a minute. It’s quieter on the edges.”
Laura didn’t want to talk to her. Reluctantly, she followed her to the edge of the area, where there really were fewer people. This woman was an important part of Micah’s past. It would pay to be on friendly speaking terms with her. Laura prepared herself to be as charming as she needed to be.
The icy drink was damp against her fingers and she sipped it and winced. It was powerfully sweet and it hit the back of her parched throat. She gulped another mouthful of it. Then a third. It was, at least, refreshing and cold.
Melody gave her another wide smile. “You must have guessed it was a shock for me to see Micah again.”
“I did.” Laura tried to smile. “This is difficult for Micah, too,” she added diplomatically.
“He cut me off, you know.” Her mouth quivered. “After the accident. He said he never wanted to see me again because I reminded him of tankball.”
Laura gripped the glass. The frosty taste of fruit in her mouth coaxed her to have another mouthful. It also gave her something to do other than respond. She didn’t know what to say. Her heart was thudding hurriedly.
Melody didn’t seem to mind her silence. “I couldn’t believe it was him, when I saw him.”
Laura didn’t dispute her. She had seen the shock on the woman’s face.
“Laura! No!” It was Micah’s voice, strained.
Laura lowered the glass and turned. Micah was pushing his way through the crowd. “Emma can’t reach you. Don’t drink that!” he cried.
Coldness swept through her. Laura held out the drink in front of her. “It’s alcoholic,” she whispered.
Melody was smiling, only this time, there was a vicious glee in her eyes. Her hand was on her hip.
Aithan stepped up alongside her. He was smiling, too.
Micah reached her. He was breathing hard. “Drop it,” he told her.
Laura looked around wildly for a place to put it.
Micah knocked the glass out of her hand. It dropped at Melody’s feet and the contents sprayed all over the hem of her gown. She hissed and hopped backward.
Micah put his arm around Laura. “How do you feel?” he asked urgently.
“I’m fine…for now,” Laura added. Only, there were always consequences if she imbibed alcohol. Always.
She looked at Melody and Aithan, trying to understand. “Why?”
Melody’s expression was almost jubilant. “I wanted to see if Micah really had fallen as far as I thought.”
Aithan sneered. “Can’t even hold a drink,” he scoffed.
Micah let out a breath. That was the only signal he gave. His fist shot out and smashed squarely into Aithan’s face. Laura heard his nose break with a squishy crack and Aithan staggered back…and back, his hands up around his nose, squealing. Then he fell flat on his ass as a soft collective gasp sounded from the people around them.
Micah took a stride and put himself directly in front of Melody, bringing Laura with him. “I hated you for years. Now I know how stupid I was for wasting all that energy. You’re not worth it.”
Melody’s mouth opened.
Laura didn’t see anything more because Micah swept his arm back around her and hurried her out of the area.
“Can you hear me, Laura?”
“Yes, Emma. Now I can. I’m so sorry,” Laura whispered.
“Emma, what do I do?” Micah demanded.
“Go to the nearest printer dispenser. There is one in the Aventine main market, two hundred meters from where you are. I will have it print something. Laura, you must drink it. It will make you sick. You must remove as much of the alcohol from your stomach as possible.”
Laura nodded. It made sense. “I could make myself sick,” she said.
“Not sufficiently sick to empty your stomach,” Emma said with eerie calm.
Micah found the dispenser, drawn there by the sound of liquid trickling into a recycle cup. The market was darkened, empty of people and echoing with the distant sounds of the soiree in full swing.
Micah looked around, holding the cup, then took it over to the table on the edge of the market. “Here. There are bushes,” he said shortly. He held the cup out to her.
“Sequins, suits and then me, with my head in bushes.” She sighed and took the cup from him.
“You would rather have another seizure?” he said shortly. He stripped off his jacket and tossed it on the table.
Laura grimaced and drank. The mixture was thick and furry and made her gag. As soon as it hit her stomach, she clutched it, revolted. “Stars above!” she moaned and leaned over the bushes.
She was sick until she saw stars and her gut muscles ached. There was no doubt she had emptied her stomach. Nothing more came up but acid, making her moan at the hot, burning taste.
Micah drew her back onto her feet, steadying her. “What else, Emma?” he demanded.
“Food, to help stabilize her blood sugar and counter the alcohol that may already have been absorbed.”
“My place is closer,” Micah said. “Print something while we go there.” He turned Laura to look at her properly. “Can you walk? If you can’t, I’ll carry you.”
“I can walk,” she said meekly.
He took her hand once more, picked up his jacket with the other, then tugged her into a moderate pace. “Wh
at are the chances that you’ll have a seizure now?” he asked.
“Before Emma made me sick, I would have told you it was one hundred percent likely. Alcohol is completely unforgiving. Now, I don’t know.”
“Emma?” Micah asked.
“Possible, but unlikely, if she eats well enough,” Emma said.
“Can you take extra medication?” he asked.
“No,” Laura said and Emma echoed the negative.
“It is a prophylactic drug,” Emma explained. “Its effectiveness is achieved from maintaining an adequate level in the blood. More of it does not make it more effective and the side effects are…unpleasant.”
Micah looked at Laura and she could sense his surprise.
“Too much, and I can’t string words together. Names are impossible and coordination is a joke.”
Micah drew in a breath and let it out. “I wish I’d hit him harder…” he muttered.
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Laura told him. “The blow you gave Melody looked fatal.”
He laughed, in a way that sounded as if it had erupted from him without warning. He smiled, showing white teeth. His eyes danced. Then he threw his head back and roared.
Chapter Eleven
Micah’s private quarters were almost exactly what Laura had expected. White, clean and pristine, with barely any personal touches. He didn’t really live here, anyway. He barely slept here.
The quarters were private, though. The door was lockable and there was a food dispenser. As they stepped in the door, Laura sniffed deeply and appreciatively. “Curry!” she said, delighted.
“A favorite?” Micah asked, putting the jacket on the empty table.
“Top favorite,” Laura confessed. Her stomach churned emptily. She picked up the hem of the dress and hurried over to the dispenser. “I’m starving.”
“No doubt.” She could hear his amusement. “Here.”
She turned with the bowl in her hand. He held out a fork for her and moved away from the table.
Laura dropped onto the couch behind it and ate. The curry recipe was in her list of favorites, which Emma must have consulted. “Thank you, Emma!” she said between mouthfuls.
“You’re most welcome,” Emma replied.
Promissory Note Page 11
