03 Solar Flare - Spark Series (6 page)

She beat him to it. “You have news?”

He glanced around the busy kitchen.

“Give me a minute to clean up. We’ll go
upstairs.”

“Gem’s still here?”

“Hovering, though I tried to send her home.
Maybe she’ll leave once she hears what you have to say.”

“She’s trying to help.”

“She’s disturbing me. Remember that next time
you feel the need to call my family.” She wiped the counter with a
rag and tossed it in a sink. She headed for the door. “For the
record, you were doing fine.”

That won a half smile from him. “You barely
like me.”

“At the moment, I feel the same about Gem.
She’s trying to mother me.” She grimaced and shot him a mildly
apologetic look. “Look, I know you did your best under trying
circumstances.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one comforting you?”

“Don’t go there. Pity is no help. I hurt the
guy, didn’t I? Pity him.”

“Oh, I do. I haven’t had my turn with him,
either.” His voice purred with menace.

She shot him a wary look. “Don’t be
hasty.”

“I won’t do anything…illegal,” he said
carefully. “I plan to have the chief in the room with me.”

“As if that will help. You know he’s
practically an uncle.”

“I know.” He softened his expression. “It
will be fine, I promise. I won’t jeopardize my job.” He waited a
moment, then asked hesitantly, “Did you contact your doctor yet?
The ER recommended a checkup to make certain there are no lingering
side effects.”

She made a face. “Dr. Vhanee called me. Guess
he heard about the incident this morning when he went on call. He’s
already badgering me about a follow up.”

He nodded. “Good.”

They reached her room and found Gem in
residence. She hurried to Azor’s side and hugged him, much to his
discomfort. Gem didn’t let it bother her. “I never thanked you
properly last night.”

“You’re welcome.”

Brandy gave an aggravated sigh. “You’re
making him uncomfortable.”

“Maybe it’s you,” Gem suggested. “You’ve been
difficult.”

“That’s me. Now turn him loose and sit down.
The man has something to say.” Brandy claimed a seat on the couch
and Gem joined her with an expression of tried patience.

Azor took an armchair and arranged it so he
sat across from them. “I didn’t tell you last night, but you were
very lucky. If you had finished your drink, I’d be arresting your
date for murder.”

That got their attention.

“He put too much in your drink.” Azor’s voice
was calm, but his face was hard. “Maybe he’d never used it before
and didn’t understand the dangers, or maybe he’d had a date
under-dose. Either way, he wasn’t taking chances.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out like
he planned. Instead of gratification, he ended up with a dislocated
knee.”

Gem smiled fiercely. “Good! I hope it burns
like acid.”

Brandy didn’t look as happy. “Why did he
choose me? I think I understand the place; it was loud, no one
would hear anything. He had privacy. But why me? I was clear when I
told him I wasn’t the type to mess around.”

He was silent for a long moment. “Rape is a
hard crime to prove. If it came down to his word against
yours…”

She drew in a tight breath. “My reputation. I
see now.”

Gem placed her hand on her arm. Brandy
tolerated it for a moment, and then stood up to make a slow circuit
of the room.

Azor stood, too. “It didn’t turn out how he’d
hoped. He couldn’t have known what a fighter you were, or that you
would fight in that condition. He didn’t know you had a cop on
quick connect, or that I would take you to the doctor for a blood
test. He didn’t know I’d be there to arrest him at the
hospital.”

“It was a very bad night for him,” Gem added
grimly. “God willing, he’ll go away for a very long time.”

“That’s the goal,” Azor affirmed. He kept his
eyes on Brandy.

“I’ll have to go to trial again,” Brandy said
tonelessly. “It’ll get out, go public. No matter his sentence,
these kind of things never go down well for the woman.”

No one could offer any hope for that. She was
right. Her recent attempts to date would soon be a memory.

Gem cleared her throat. She didn’t look happy
as she suggested, “There are other worlds than Polaris, sis. You
could—“

Brandy rounded on her in disgust. “What? Run?
This is my home. I didn’t live down one nightmare to run from this
one now.”

Gem stood up. “You shouldn’t have to go
through this again. Once was enough! You deserve to be happy.”

“I am happy!” Brandy shouted, then grudgingly
modulated her tone. “At least, I will be.” She glanced at Azor.
“Look, you shouldn’t have to listen to this. If that was all you
had to say, why don’t I walk you out? I’m sure you’d rather be out
saving the world.” She made a face, as if pained by her
thoughtlessness, but didn’t apologize. She did place a hand on his
shoulder as she walked by, though. She gripped lightly, reassuring
without words. She wasn’t upset at him.

Azor beat her to the handle and opened the
door for her. He waited until they were in the hall, well away from
the door, then suggested, “Maybe you should think about her
advice.”

She looked at him sharply, but his expression
was hard to read. “I’m comfortable here.”

“Ah.”

“What do you mean, “ah”?” she asked with
rising annoyance. Since when did he weigh in on her affairs?

His expression was bland, almost
disinterested. “You’ve never traveled. You feel safe here.” His
tone said he found the concept mildly distasteful.

She stopped in her tracks and stared him
down. “Are you calling me chicken, spinach hair?”

He actually smiled. “You’ve been spending too
much time with your nephews.”

“They have advantages over my present
company, slobber, teeth and all,” she muttered. She started walking
toward the garage faster, eager to be rid of him. He’d hit a nerve
with his comment, and like so many other subtle barbs from him, it
would work its way under her skin until it drove her mad.

“Personally, I love to travel.”

“I know. It’s a Kiuyian thing.” She couldn’t
live on a planet with a significant alien population and not know
that.

“I’ve been thinking of visiting Ictharus II
sometime soon. It’s been a while.”

Mercifully, they’d reached the garage. She
had the familiar twitchy sensation she often experienced in his
presence. It always made her want to spar with him. “Chatty today,
aren’t you?”

He stopped and looked at her thoughtfully.
“Come with me.”

She blinked, surprised. She hadn’t expected
this offer, not when she was trying so hard to take her
frustrations out on him. Why wouldn’t he rise to the bait? She
could use a good fight, was desperate for one. It beat the clawing
panic and rage threatening to shred her insides. “What?”

He shrugged. “Or go visit your sister, Xera.
The trip might be restful.”

The suggestion stopped her short. The image
of Ryven’s bloodthirsty stare came back to her, causing chills. She
drew a steadying breath. Hallucinations were a side effect of the
drug. Knowing that, she could ignore them.

She looked to the side and deliberately
scoffed, “Restful! It’s an eight-month journey! I’d be comatose by
the end of it.” Dark visions aside, she truly couldn’t imagine
being stuck on a ship that long with nothing to do. It’s not as if
she could bring her brewing equipment with her…could she? How had
Xera stood it?

The dark pictures tried to rise again,
distracting her. But Xera was a fighter. No one was better suited
to defending herself than she was. Still, would she fight her
husband? Could she?

“What is it?”

She blinked and focused on Azor’s careful
expression. “It’s…nothing. Just…stuff…left over from the drug, I
think.”

“What kind of stuff?”

She sighed. “Daydreams. Spooky thoughts. I
had nightmares last night, too. The doctors said it should fade as
it leaves my system.”

He looked disturbed. “It’s been hours.”

“Yeah. Maybe I should drink more fluids or
something.” She shrugged, uncomfortable. “Well, I guess I’ll see
you. Thanks for everything,” she said awkwardly. She wanted him to
leave, but didn’t want to seem ungrateful.

His cool green eyes slid over her face,
seeing too much, but he didn’t nag her. “My pleasure. I’ll be in
touch.” He brushed by as he left, causing a disturbing chill to
chase down her arm. She shivered, because she knew what caused it.
Azor was not the kind of man a woman ignored.

Brandy decided she was severely stressed. It
had just been that kind of day. Obviously she needed a break. It
was in her best interests to go unwind before she exploded from
tension and someone got hurt.

She was still in turmoil when she pulled her
speed tryck onto the racetrack. It wasn’t supposed to be open this
early in the morning, but she had connections. She snapped on her
helmet and revved the dark green tryck. The machine had two closely
spaced wheels in front for stability and one in the rear that
allowed for sharp turns, and it went wicked fast. No one understood
her obsession, but as the tryck squealed off the asphalt and raced
down the track, it blew her tension away. The rush of wind cleared
her head, let her think.

It was horrible, releasing the memories of
last night. She began to shake. After two laps she had to stop,
because she couldn’t control the bike. She tore off her helmet and
wiped her eyes on her sleeve. There was no one to see.

As she thought it, another tryck pulled up on
her left. She glanced sideways and sniffed. Her glare didn’t scare
the guy off. With that build, it could only be a guy.

He had on a full-faced black helmet, and he
didn’t seem put off by her tears. He revved his midnight blue tryck
and looked at the track. He looked at her.

“What? You want to race?” she demanded. She
thought about it and decided the offer was appealing. It was why
she’d come, after all. Her jaw hardened as she slipped her helmet
on.

The stranger held up three gloved fingers. He
closed one, then two, and revved his engine. On three they took
off.

Brandy gunned her engine, felt the welcome
surge of adrenaline. Her companion started to pull away from her.
She poured on the coals and caught up.

Lap after lap passed with nothing but the
roar of the engines and silence of the empty stands. It was lonely
and beautiful and freeing. When she finally slowed to a stop, she
felt lightened. There might be more tears later, but at least she
could cry. She’d been too tensed to allow tears before.

The other rider pulled up and looked at her.
He raised a hand in farewell.

“Wait! Don’t I get a name?” she asked on
impulse. He’d been a decent companion.

He thought about it for a moment. “I’ll call
you.” His voice sounded odd, kind of strained.

“You don’t know my number!”

“You work at The Spark. I’ve seen you. I’ll
call there.” He took off without further comment.

She didn’t know what to think. She had a
secret admirer? Did it follow that he was a weirdo? He certainly
knew how to ride.

He thought she worked at the inn. Didn’t he
know she was an owner? Was he new in town? She shook her head in
confusion. First Azor, now this guy. Was there a secret society of
men out to confuse her?

She didn’t know what to do with such a day,
so she headed home. She had a lot to think about.

CHAPTER 5

Azor looked at the man before him with
distaste. Darren Topek looked the worse for his night on the town.
His nose and eyes were swollen and his blond hair disheveled. He
smelled like he needed a shower and his knee was in a brace. He
stared morosely at the table, probably wishing he’d never heard of
Brandy.

Azor wished the same. Conscience of his boss
acting the mediator and grateful for it, he leaned forward and said
pleasantly, “So you had a big night last night. Didn’t end the way
you’d hoped, did it?”

Darren kept his mouth shut, but that would
only help him so long.

Azor studied the man and thought dark
thoughts. “I have a personal grudge against rapists, and it’s my
pleasure to remind you that you could earn the death penalty for
what you did.”

Darren looked up at that. “I didn’t do
anything!”

“Only because she turned out to be more of a
handful than you’d expected. Not used to your victims fighting
back, are you?”

“I’ve never done that before,” Darren
blurted, then looked as if he’d like to cut off his tongue. After a
moment’s thought, he must have decided the news might save his
neck, for he affirmed, “I swear, I’ve never been in trouble.”

“Before,” Azor added. “Why now? Why her?”

Darren kept mum.

Azor placed an electric tablet before him.
“Here’s my copy of the medical reports. You put too much drug in
her drink. If she’d finished it, you’d be on trial for murder. The
odds of you dying are looking good.” He sat back and waited. Topek
looked terrible with his pallor making his black eyes stand
out.

It didn’t take long for him to ask, “What do
you want from me?”

Azor didn’t smile at his capitulation. They
weren’t done. “Where did you get the drug?”

Darren took a deep breath. “There was this
guy in one of the clubs. He started a conversation with me a couple
nights ago and offered me the stuff. I’ve only been here a couple
of years, but I noticed the local girls were really hard to date.
You know, they’re stiff about…stuff.”

“So you couldn’t get laid. I’m bleeding for
you. Why Ms. Harrisdaughter?”

Topek’s hand shook as he brushed the tangled
hair from his eyes. “We were already talking. She said she wasn’t
into messing around, but she had a reputation. I thought…”

“Your word against hers would shine like
truth and justice,” Azor suggested mildly. “That’s pretty cold.
Maybe I should let the judge have his way if that’s all you’ve got
to say. He owes me one.”