“What did I say? No more men.”
“But just consider it, first, before you say no. Does this mean that you’ll take Xadrian’s job, then?”
“I still don’t know.”
“Isn’t time running out?”
“Yes.”
“Then I advise you to decide soon.”
She nodded and stood up. “That’s my plan. I’m heading to meet a friend who I plan to get some insight from.”
“Wonderful. I’ll come with you.” He rose and pushed his chair in. “I’d like to meet this friend of whom you speak.”
“Well thanks for the offer,” she said, stopping in her tracks. Other diners looked up at Holly and Odeon, who were beginning to make a scene in the middle of the cafe. The grumpy server scowled at them as he tried to squeeze past, holding two plates of French toast and pancakes. “But I didn’t invite you.”
“Holly, who will have your back?”
A Constie woman at a table gave Holly a look as though to say, yes, Holly, who? Take the Druiviin up on his offer.
She frowned and recalled yesterday afternoon. It was true—he’d had her back. “Goddamnit. Fine.”
Outside the cafe, Odeon paused to scan the traffic and pedestrians. “Wait. Let’s make sure no one is watching you.”
Holly sighed.
“OK it’s clear. Now, where to?”
“The spireway.”
THIRTEEN
ODEON took his job of having Holly’s back very seriously. They went to the nearest entry point for the Spireway, which happened to be at the top of a nearby residence tower, and rode the exterior elevator up to the dock. Being early morning still, the elevator and lines to ride were crowded. Odeon kept close to Holly, his brilliant eyes alert and leery. Something about the intensity of how he guarded her made her feel a little ridiculous, but preventing him from taking the job so seriously seemed pointless, since his nature was intensity. He was a strange mixture of relaxed and alert and try as she might to not like him, it was hard not to. So they rode the elevator car with a crowd of people all heading to the platform for the Spireway, and Holly watched the crowd as well as the city passing by outside it. The opposite tower was the same Ice jade color as the rest of the spires in the district where Meg lived and where Qoolki cafe resided.
Glimpses inside some of the condos revealed people breakfasting and watching TVs and chasing children around to dress them. Seeing families like that sent a pang through Holly—she’d wanted to have her own. But they’d never been able to. It was like her body knew that Graf was a bad idea and held on tight to its genetic code, as though letting it pair with such a monster would destroy life, rather than give it. Sometimes she was thankful for that. Other times she worried that the opportunity had passed her by.
Odeon touched her arm so that she’d look at him and then nodded toward the outside as their elevator crested the tower opposite them and Ixion dropped into view, filling a fourth of the sky.
“I never find that repetitive,” Odeon said.
Holly agreed.
The morning light filtered in as the elevator stopped. People exited and rushed toward the dock.
“I’m following you now, since I don’t know what direction this friend of yours is in.” Odeon stayed close behind her. Having him there did make her feel a bit less exposed.
She picked a short queue heading north and waited, lost in thought about how to ask Cosma about the job without giving too much away. Would she even listen or would she immediately counsel Holly to run away, fast, from this job?
They boarded a gondola when it was their turn and Holly punched in the destination, which picked the closest dock to where she needed to stop, the automatic gate closed, and off they went. During summer, the windows were automatically lowered and on such a hot morning, that was a thankful setting. Since they were alone, Holly relaxed a bit more, as did Odeon. Holly remained standing and let the wind flow through her clothes, lifting the edges of her blazer up and ruffling her shirt. There was still a pain in her side where she’d been stabbed, and the gun Meg was making her wear was hidden beneath the blazer and still often dug uncomfortably into her back. The gondola swayed around the corners. Holly stabilized herself by grabbing one of the overhead straps and gripped it. Odeon lifted his chin and shut his eyes as his silver hair fluttered in the wind. It was only when the gondola began to slow as they neared their destination that she heard the low hum coming from him. He was singing. The tension in her muscles had melted away, she noticed, and the anxiety that had filled her gut as she considered what Cosma would say had also faded.
The gondola hissed to a stop at the dock and the two of them exited. Odeon’s humming drifted away.
“You were singing,” Holly observed as they went to the elevator and rode it to the bottom.
“I was,” Odeon said quietly. “The Spireway always makes me sing.”
“I feel the same way. But I don’t sing.”
He laughed. “I’ll be your singer, Holly. But everyone has a song in their soul. I can see yours and it’s blue and red and full of fireworks.”
Holly blushed, wondering if he was joking or sincere, not that it mattered. It sounded like a load of crap.
The doors to the Zulu Lounge were locked. So Holly knocked.
“They know me here.”
“They’re not open for breakfast?” Odeon asked.
“Not this lounge, club, spa, whatever it is—a bunch of things like that—so no.” Holly knocked again. “I guess there are breakfast drinks. Bloody Marys, mimosas, frozen pearls, drinks like that, but no. These guys mainly entertain and, I don’t know, lounge. Not a breakfasting sort of spot.” She rambled, the anxiety in her stomach returning and making her gut churn. She dried her palms on her blazer and adjusted her sunglasses on top of her head. Odeon didn’t say anything, and then she noticed the anxiety draining from her as her muscles relaxed. She blinked, listening hard. “Are you singing again?”
Odeon didn’t answer. She turned to him. There was a faint grin on his face.
“I’m beginning to feel manipulated. Could you stop, please?”
“But doesn’t it make you feel better?“ he asked, complying.
“Yes, but I need to know what I’m feeling in a situation like this. If you’re always masking it with your little hum, then it’s a false sense of well being.”
“I do it for myself as well.”
“You’re nervous?” Holly asked, shocked. Nothing on his face suggested nervous.
“Of course.”
A male Constie appeared at the door and opened it a crack. “We’re closed till noon.”
“Hey hey, wait,” Holly said before they could slam the door in her face.
“What? Closed till noon.”
“Cosma knows me. Tell her Holly Drake requests an audience. Please.”
The door slammed shut.
Both Holly and Odeon stood in silence. The Zulu lounge was on the top floor of one of the towers on the outskirts of the Lavender Jade district, but the entrance was in a corridor that opened into another doorway, for another club. Wealthy Centau filed into and out of it, laughing and carrying themselves in that stately smug manner for which they were notorious.
Odeon sighed audibly. “Well should we wait? That did not seem promising. We can go meet my friend now.”
“Let’s give it five minutes.”
Soon the door opened all the way revealing a tall, gruff looking human man, not the Constie. “She’s by the pool.”
“Thanks,” Holly said, slipping past him. They went into the lounge part of the club. The overhead lights were on, but even with all the lights, the place looked posh and sleek, with large round benches surrounding small tables for drinks. The bar took up the back wall and faced a stage on the other side of the room. Holly passed through the lounge area and took a narrow corridor to a back door that opened into an atrium style room, which spilled open onto a patio full of palm trees and tables with umbrellas. Cosma lay in the sun nex
t to the pool, a broad-brimmed hat covering her dark, full hair, and a Frozen Pearl drink in her hand. She wore a white sun-bathing suit and large black sunglasses. She looked up and spotted Holly. The older woman rose, removed her sunglasses and approached Holly. When Cosma reached her, she embraced Holly and gave her kiss on each cheek.
“My dear, you’ve never looked better,” she said.
“Cosma, thanks for agreeing to see me.” Holly let go of Cosma’s arms and gestured to her side. “This is Odeon Starlight, a friend.”
Comsa shifted her gaze to Odeon and her face deepened into a warm smile. “Odeon Starlight. You must be magnificent at something with a name like that.” Cosma gave Odeon her customary greeting of two kisses and an embrace.
“I am. Music, but other things as well,” Odeon said with a glimmer in his colorful eyes, hinting at something else. This was a side of Odeon Holly had not yet seen. It was . . . Interesting.
“What are these ’other things,’ Odeon?” Holly asked.
“Another time, my dear. What brings you to my club?” Cosma asked, returning to her lounge chair and drink. She sipped the Frozen Pearl. “Please have a seat.”
Holly pulled a chair from another table and sat to the side of Cosma’s lounge seat. Odeon did the same, and then watched Holly and Cosma, his hands clasped on his lap, somewhat expectantly.
“You know I just got out of prison, right?” Holly said, glancing quickly at Odeon, suddenly self-conscious that he was there to hear this.
“Of course. That was a travesty. Bull shit. I was livid when I heard it was going to trial.”
“Right. Me too. It was self-defense.” She’d been repeating it for so long, Holly sometimes wondered if anyone else actually listened.
“I knew he was the worst sort of cop. All along. He thought he had me fooled. He believed he had everyone fooled. But not me. A sister knows, and I could see it in your eyes, when you’d come around with him when he wasn’t on the clock,” Cosma said, referencing the times that Graf insisted on coming to the lounge during his free time to ask her about a case of art theft or some other crime related to elite goods. Usually Cosma had no information, but Graf's real intent had always been that he believed it was Cosma behind the crimes and she’d become scared enough of his constant inquiries that she’d confess. It universally embarrassed Holly that he did it. “I’m so sorry that I couldn’t help you then, my dear.”
“No one could, Cosma. I had to do it myself. I had to figure out what I wanted, what I needed.”
“Yes, that may be true.” Cosma reached out and gave Holly’s knee a gentle squeeze. “Nonetheless, I wish I could have done more for you.”
“Thank you.”
Holly took the moment to glance at Odeon and saw him regarding her with an intent gaze that seemed to penetrate her facade. There was a question in his eyes, together with a calmness, as though he’d put some things together and solved a mystery.
Holly shifted and cleared her throat. “Anyway, I’m here about a job.”
“Oh no, my dear. I’m retired. This club is my swan song.”
“I understand that. I’m not asking you to do a job. But, Cosma, I’ve got one. One I need to do for me, because you know, I have no actual work, no prospects. And I can’t return to my old career. I have to forge ahead.”
“I see. Yes, well that makes some sense, but those sorts of jobs can lead to worse problems.”
“It’s already bad for fuck’s sakes. I’ve already been to prison for things that I shouldn’t have gone for, for the most part, what could be worse? Anyway, I don’t know what to do or how to do it—how do I plan something like this and do it without getting caught? I thought you could point me in the right direction. I just need a bit of help.”
Cosma made a come-hither gesture. “Tell me about the job.”
So Holly filled Cosma in on the details, including how Xadrian told her that she couldn’t discuss the job with anyone else if she wanted to make a good amount of money. She kept the part out about having a conversation about it with Meg and the fact that Odeon wasn’t in on it from the beginning, because he was here now, and involved. And with his preternatural hearing, she felt maybe he could help out in someway.
“You’ve got a timeline, that always makes it hard. But it goes with the territory. How long ago did you say you met with Xadrian?” Cosma asked.
“I have twelve days left,” Holly said.
“OK, my dear, here is what you need to do,” Cosma began, sitting up and sliding to the edge of her chaise. She removed her sunglasses and her dark eyes were full of excitement. “First, you’ll need a team, especially if you don’t want to get caught. Some jobs that I did—or didn’t do—the jury is still out,” she laughed, “some of them were a one-man effort, but that was because there were fewer moving parts and often didn’t have a deadline. Because this one does, the entire thing hinges on getting in and out as quickly as possible. Without bloodshed, because if someone gets killed, that increases the problems. Kill a guard, kill someone so you don’t get caught and the minute you do get caught, your little petty theft just turned into a murder case.”
Holly smirked. “I’d just as soon not have blood on my hands. I’ve had enough of that for one lifetime.”
“A team then. You’ll want someone who can break heads without crushing them and winding up with a murder. That person will go in to do the extraction. You’ll want someone who can hack into security feeds and potentially disable scanner locks with just some software. You’ll want someone to coordinate all this from a position outside it, who can tell everyone what’s happening and when. And you’ll want someone who can break a safe or be light-fingered otherwise.” She sat back and looked Odeon. “Someone like him, with those long slender fingers. I’d bet that’s one of his specialties. He hinted at it.”
“I do have some experience with that,” Odeon admitted.
Holly gaped.
“Are you OK, Holly?” Odeon asked with a laugh.
“A Druiviin who steals?”
“Yasao.”
“Oh yes, my dear. Some of the best, most secretive and skilled cat burglars are Yasao. Their favorite targets are the Centau.”
“But you’re so moral,” Holly said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Cosma laughed. “They are. But they’re also very good at adapting to new codes that allow them to rationalize their desires.”
“Is this true?” Holly asked Odeon.
Odeon’s eyes glimmered like he’d been caught. “Yes, but it’s not nearly so terrible as she makes it sound.”
“Does making it sound better actually make better?” She gave him a sidelong glance.
“He’d be a great addition to your team. That’s the point, Holly,” Cosma said. “And you’ll need two or three more members. You might find being the coordinator yourself makes the whole job easier.”
“Maybe so. But I might need to be there when the valuables are recovered.”
“What are they? Jewels?” Cosma asked.
She bit her lip. Could she answer yes to that question? “Keep it between us, Cosma. Yes. They are.”
“Well, you don’t have much time. Go gather your team and get going on it. I’ll be sending my thoughts out into the universe that you get this done right. Getting caught would be terrible for you, but I can see why the job is attractive.”
“It’s against everything my family has always stood for. My parents were never happy that I didn’t go into police work like them. Meg did. The golden child. Teaching—I was their shame,” she said shaking her head. “And now, having been on the wrong side of the bars. Even more shameful. Holly Drake, black sheep extraordinaire. But I’d be able to start an honest business with the money, Cosma. Maybe my own spire-top club.” She laughed.
“Oh yes, do that, please,” Cosma said, gesturing toward the other club. “Right across the way. We can have drinks together poolside every day.”
Holly thanked Cosma and then headed back through the club t
o the exit. Odeon followed.
Outside the club, Odeon immediately asked, “You’re taking the job?”
Holly shrugged. “I like a challenge. The Shadow Coalition is after me anyway. Might as well upset whatever business they don’t want me to disrupt.”
“Holly, have you known all along that you’d take it?”
“Not exactly. Wasn’t sure. I feel more sure now.”
“Then let’s go meet my friend. You have to. He can help you with it.” He gave her an imploring look, his eyes widening like an animal about to pounce.
She sighed, feeling her resolve against Odeon’s onslaught about meeting his friend crumble. “In what way?”
“He’s great with security and computers.”
FOURTEEN
ODEON opened the doors to the Echo Taproom on the other side of the city. They’d taken the Spireway again and Holly was beginning to think she’d seen every bar and club in the City of Jade Spires at this point. A week ago, she’d seen nothing but the inside of the prison for months and months. And now she was bursting with new ideas and places.
The lights were low but not too dim. The seats were tufted white leather and small groups of humans, Consties, and Druiviin sat around drinking and talking.
“Another bar, another day,” Holly muttered.
“He said he’d be here. But not here,” Odeon said, guiding Holly through the interior. They passed displays of wine and liquor bottles, then entered a hallway that led to a set of stairs.
“Is this when you murder me and hide my body?” Holly asked in a teasing tone.
Odeon looked at her. “Or you, me.”
“Oh man. Ouch, fucking low, Odeon. It was self-defense.” She felt irritated despite herself. It would have been nice to not have him ever know about her past. And she should have seen that coming, with Cosma bringing it up. Of course she would—she’d known Graf and Holly. She took a deep breath as they descended the stairs. “I’m not leading you to a dark basement, am I?”
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