by Rena Marks
He never noticed her.
“I wouldn’t mind having a piece of that,” Amy said, her eyes on the tall Xeno Sapien.
Leah felt her chest constrict as she angled herself a bit so if he turned, he wouldn’t see her. Or at least he’d only see her back. She said nothing in response.
Amy turned to her, eyeing her with envy. “Of course, if I had a gorgeous piece of silk like that kimono, he might notice me.”
Leah wasn’t even sure why she’d brought her kimono out to the cabin. It had been a stupid idea, really. Most people who lived in the camps had lost nearly all their belongings when their homes were destroyed by looting or burning. No one lounged about in luxury. She stuck out like a sore thumb.
“You can have it,” Leah said, shrugging out of the expensive silk. She had pajamas on beneath it and those fit in better with the community.
“I can’t take that,” Amy said, her eyes bugging out.
“Of course you can. I’m sick of it. I’ve had this old thing for years,” she teased. Then she sobered. “Seriously. It reminds me of something I don’t need to remember. I’ll probably toss it in the trash and some other woman will end up with it.”
“Are you sure?” Amy asked, her hands already clutching the fabric.
“Yup. Never been surer.”
Trance had moved down the embankment already. “I’m heading inside,” Leah said. “I have to be up at four for my shift in the kitchens.”
Amy nodded. “Thank you.”
“Anytime.”
She hurried to her cabin, locking it behind her. It always made her feel safer to be inside with a door that locked. With windows that no one could see through. She felt watched in the camps, even though she knew that was impossible. Brock had no idea where she was. He knew she worked at Xenia, of course. But since the borders to the outer camps were closed, he’d never suspect she’d be set up in here. His attorneys had been given the city address to contact her. She continued to get letters from him every day. She hated anything written by him and had left them unopened, shoved into her unused locker since she’d made room by bringing a bag to the cabin.
The thought of the letters made her shiver. If there was ever a bonfire lit during the colder months, she’d burn the whole batch.
Brock had always imagined himself a blogger. He’d written her countless journals before they ever dated that she never knew about until he produced the diaries after they were married. He hadn’t lost the need to detail his warped musings.
And she hadn’t read a single damn one of the new letters. She didn’t have to. Not like she’d been forced to read the others.
But there was something she could control. Trance hadn’t noticed her in the camps—but he would have. If Brock had been present, he would have. Especially in that goddamn kimono he’d bought her as a present during one of her hospital stays.
Opening the wall that housed the inner closet, she reached for one of her duffel bags, setting it on the bed. She had three duffel bags in the cabin. Two in her locker at work. And one in Trance’s apartment, which she’d have to ask for. Her entire life was contained by six duffel bags. Everything she owned. Inside one of the zippered pockets, she brought out a pair of scissors. She loosely braided her hair—and then snipped the entire braid off.
She got off work late the next day, but it no longer caused the same anxiety to wrack through her body as it used to. The shuttle was done running for the night so she made the slow trek up to the front gate. The dark didn’t bother her; she knew she was safe on this side of the city.
It was when she left the gates when the fear hit. She’d never walked anywhere on Earth-Ground alone, as their last residence had been Delta Four. Logically, she knew it was safe. There were people about everywhere. But it was dark and there were trees masking some light and well, it was creepy.
But she could do it. She could get safely inside her cabin, lock it for the night, and consider herself safe until noon the next day, since she didn’t have the early morning kitchen work. The daylight would be out then when she returned.
She slipped into the back office of the gate and stopped abruptly.
Damn.
Trance sat behind the window of the front gate.
He hadn’t worked the front gate since the first night she’d moved into the cabin, two months earlier. She hadn’t seen him in three weeks—and that had been rather awful. It had been one of his pre-booked lessons and he’d been snarky and irritated the whole time. She couldn’t wait to leave and hell, even forgot to take her duffel from his entryway closet.
He looked just as startled to see her. Obviously he’d been scheduling his breaks for the shuttle returns purposely to avoid her. That gave her an inconsolable urge to cry. The only reason why she found out was because she’d accidentally gotten off so late she missed the shuttle. They stared at each other for long minutes.
“You cut your hair,” he said finally.
“Oh.” She ran her fingers through the much shorter strands. “Yeah. It’s been a while now.”
He opened his mouth and shut it several times, as if he was going to say something but changed his mind. Then he composed himself and looked out the opposite window.
“He’s not here yet.” Trance sounded puzzled.
He meant Brock. He didn’t know she was living on her own, waiting for the divorce decree. It wasn’t something she wanted to get into.
“Not a big deal.” She made to slip out the front door, but he stopped her.
“Wait inside until he gets here, Leah. It’s dark out. There are no others outside.”
“No, it’s fine—”
“I’m here, buddy. You can head home now.” Renegade’s voice stopped when he entered the office and saw them. “Leah. You’re late tonight.”
“Yes. A lesson went a little longer and then I decided to get a head start on next week’s kitchen menus.” And she had lost track of time, missing the shuttle.
“I’ll see you both tomorrow,” she called out, slipping away.
She hurried along the outer lights of the gates. The usual fear clenched her gut. She walked down the narrow pathway to the camps, the only sound was that of her heavy breathing. When she realized how hard she was breathing, she made a conscious effort to slow it down.
A noise behind her made her spin around, her heart racing, half expecting to see Brock behind her. There was no one there, of course. It was her imagination. Just her imagination. Would she ever get over the damn disabling fear? Maybe once the divorce was final. Maybe when her probation was up and she was eligible to move into the city.
What would be worse is if they decided they no longer needed a tester for the cabins and forced her to move out before she could move into Xenia. She’d have to figure out a way to hide in Earth-Ground.
She hurried along, jumping again with an audible screech when she heard a sound coming from a tree.
“Leah, it’s me.” He held his hands out in front of him like she was a scared cat. One that he wanted to strangle.
“Trance,” she gasped. “What the hell are you doing here?”
The lines of his face were hard. “Why are you out here?”
He didn’t know she lived in the camp. It wasn’t a secret, at least not to the Xeno Sapiens. But she didn’t owe him anything, especially not with the way he blew hot and cold. With the way he’d ghosted her after making her promise to tell him if he was so intense she’d be tempted to ghost him.
“Tell me you’re not the reason why a woman was attacked tonight.”
A cold feeling ran down her spine.
“Attacked? Who?”
“Amy Milner. She was on her way back from the community bathroom when someone beat her unconscious.”
“Why would you think I did it?”
“I didn’t say you did it. But I’d like to know why her attacker called her Leah. I didn’t piece it together until I saw you heading to the camps. We have an employee staying in a test cabin. Is that you?”
“Where’s your husband, Leah?”
Trance’s voice was silky smooth.
He knew? How dare he ask her about her husband now? After avoiding her for weeks. He could have just asked her if she was married. It’s not like she had promised him anything other than friendship, anyway.
“Go to hell,” she snapped and pushed her way past him.
He followed her, keeping in step with her.
“You are the employee testing the cabin. Why haven’t I seen you in the camps? I patrol here.”
“How the hell would I know?”
Dawning realization hit his voice. “That was you in the kimono. Wasn’t it?”
He did notice her. Damn it.
“Yes.”
“What did you do with the kimono, Leah?”
“I gave it to Amy. She liked it. I hated it. It was a win/win.”
“It made her look like you. Was that on purpose?”
She stopped, her eyes wide. She was in her camp, her cabin just fifteen safe feet away. “How could you think that?”
“How could I not?” he countered.
“Where is she?”
“Resting. She was treated in Medbay. She’s been given some painkillers and is back sleeping it off.”
“I have to check on her.”
“I think you’ve done enough.”
“What’s going on here?” Another Xeno Sapien approached. Scratch that. He was dressed in the same black uniform as Trance, but he looked human.
“This is Leah. Our human employee who is testing the cabin. She’s the reason why we had the incident earlier.”
The newcomer studied her intently. “I’m Shawn. I’m in charge of the investigation. You want to tell me what happened?”
“Nothing happened. I just heard about it myself. I haven’t even had a chance to speak to Amy.”
“That’s probably not a good idea right now. What do you know about the person who did it?” Shawn asked.
“I don’t know anything about him! I don’t know who he is.”
This was a nightmare. Surely they couldn’t be accusing her of having something to do with it. And surely it couldn’t be Brock. He couldn’t have figured out where she was. The homeless camps were closed to the public so he would assume she lived in a neighboring motel. He might even had investigated the one she had viewed.
She was surrounded by two men—both dressed in a black uniforms. Shawn and Trance. Behind Shawn, another uniformed person jumped from the wall.
Jumped.
Another Xeno Sapien, because there was no way a human could do that. But as the figure approached from behind Shawn, she realized it was female.
“This is my partner,” Shawn said. “Tempest. Tempest, this is Leah. She works in the city.”
Leah was barely aware of her response. She could almost feel Trance’s anger, bouncing off him in waves. He’d been angry when he found out she was married. Angrier still at the attack. And the fact that she hadn’t mentioned living out here in the camps?
But still. It wasn’t like she owed him anything. So they’d gotten along great the couple of times she’d seen him. Big deal.
Shawn was explaining to his partner about the situation. “Someone caused a ruckus earlier. We think it may be Leah’s husband.”
Trance’s fists clenched. The new Xeno Sapien woman noticed his hands, her gaze traveling up to his face. Her face softened.
“What happened?” Tempest asked him.
“A woman was attacked last night. She didn’t see who it was. It was too dark. She just remembers the perpetrator calling her Leah,” Trance said. “We’ve amped up patrol because of it.”
Was Leah the only one who heard the accusation in his voice? She shouldn’t feel ashamed but yet her head hung down. She told herself that she didn’t care that he was butt-hurt over not knowing her situation. But damn it, she did care that a woman was hurt over her. Because Brock mistook Amy for her.
Inside, she squirmed. Had she purposely become friends with Amy because she was aware of their similarities?
“The victim was unconscious and he struck several blows before stopping—we’re guessing he must have realized she wasn’t who he thought.”
“And why would we think he was after Leah?” Tempest asked, her eyes tracing up and down her form.
“Because the woman was wearing a silk kimono that used to be Leah’s. She saw it and liked it—and so Leah gave it to her. If you look at the woman when her face isn’t swollen, you’ll notice that she looks a lot like Leah. The same hairstyle Leah wore a couple weeks ago, actually. Leah had cut her hair when she joined the camps.”
Put like that, she sounded guilty as hell. Tempest turned to her in time to catch her wince. “Any reason why you cut your hair?”
Because he used it to drag me? And now that I’m free, it was the first thing that had to go?
Leah’s voice was a whisper. “No. I just wanted a change.”
“Trance has volunteered to patrol this sector,” Shawn said to Tempest. “I’ll take the days he’s off, if you’d like to join me.”
Tempest was still facing her. “Any reason why someone would stalk you and try to hurt you?”
Leah breathed deep, trying to steady her nerves. “We don’t know someone was after me.”
“You do not live with your husband,” Trance spat. “Why?”
There was so much hatred in his voice. Almost as if he believed she had set Amy up. Could he really think that of her? What happened to the friendship they’d reached? “We’re separated. I filed for a divorce and I’m just waiting for the paperwork. It’s amicable. There’s no reason to think I was the cause of”—she waved her hands around the camp—“all this.”
Out of her peripheral vision, she saw Trance take a small step back, as if unplugging himself from the situation. Was he disengaging himself from her? Showing the other two that he didn’t believe her? The thought made her inexplicably sad. She liked Trance’s company. She’d broken his trust—but damn it. She didn’t owe him anything. She didn’t need friends. She was used to being alone anyway.
Shawn was still questioning her. “But how do you know it’s not him?”
“I don’t know it isn’t. But I don’t know that it is, either. I just think we may be barking up the wrong tree, is all.”
“Yet we have to get to the bottom of it before someone else is hurt. Maybe you.”
She shook her head, her attention still distracted by Trance’s lack of involvement. “I’ll be fine—”
A fist flew out to strike her. Instinct rolled through her body like it had many times before. Without thinking, she immediately sprang into a crouch, her arms flung over her head. The best way to protect herself.
The new Xeno Sapien woman, Tempest, gasped.
Everyone else was struck dumb.
She cowered for just a few moments before it dawned on her there was no danger. Like it took her brain a few seconds to catch up. Slowly, she rose from the position, her eyes remaining downcast as she realized her mistake.
“I think we know why you left him,” Shawn said softly. Shame filled her at what she’d revealed. Surely they would fire her now, not wanting to bring relationship drama to their city. If she lost this job, she’d be forced to return crawling to him. He’d kill her this time. His anger over her filing for a divorce would be unforgiveable.
Leah’s eyes burned, threatening to spill the tears she tried so hard to hold in. “Please. I can’t lose my job.”
“You’re not losing your job,” Trance growled. His fists were clenched at his sides. “But you should have told us.” There it was, that accusation in his voice again. The disappointment in her. For some odd reason, she was okay with that. She was used to that.
Shawn took over the conversation. “Help her pack her bags and take her to the front gate. Go see Renegade. We’ll sort this out in the city.
”
Was it her they were talking about? She wasn’t allowed to live on the inside yet. Not until she passed her probationary period. “But—”
“Leah,” Shawn said sternly. “We can’t have people getting hurt over you. Do you understand this?”
It was her fault, is what he was saying. Leah paled. It was true. She’d picked Amy to carry a friendship with because she looked like her. When Amy saw the expensive kimono, Leah didn’t give it to her out of the goodness of her heart. Leah gave it to her because she hoped the trail might be thrown off her.
Somehow the Xeno Sapien woman read her guilt. “It is not your fault,” Tempest said to her. “You did not strike that female. But until your ex is caught, we can’t let him search for you here and possibly make another mistake. You’ll be safe inside.”
Leah nodded, her mind whirling. She was barely aware of Trance walking her toward her small, one-room cabin. She entered the front door and reached under the bed for her duffel bag, startled when she realized Trance was behind her. There was barely enough room in the cabin for her. His presence dwarfed it—but damn. He smelled so good. Some sort of exotic aftershave.
“Let’s hurry,” he rumbled. “There’s enough attention on the camp and we don’t want to make it obvious that you’re leaving. We’ll run the cabin lights at night as if you’re still here and are just getting off work late.”
He reached over to the wall unit that housed hidden drawers for her clothes. He didn’t wait, just plunged his big hands into her clothing and shoved the material into the duffel bags. She was too bemused at the sight of his hands touching her clothing to protest. It didn’t take long for him to pack the heavier of her garments into the larger bag, and stuffed a second one while she was barely finished with her bag.
“I’ll step outside and give you some room,” he said.
She could hear the slight rumble of his voice from outside as he told someone that she was heading into Xenia to cater a party and he was escorting her. She zipped up her bag and looped her hand through the handle as she headed out, locking her handprint to the door. He reached for her bag, swinging both over his shoulder while carried one.
