When Sparks Fly (23 page)

Zsak was up on the canyon wall, too, trying
to find out who’d breached their security. He held up a scanning
device and remarked, “I’m getting traces of Kiuyian DNA.”

Blue looked sharply up. If a shape-shifter
were involved, it would answer a lot of questions. “Do we have any
match on record?” he asked.

“It’ll take a bit to check against all we
have, but this explains the sudden lack of tracks.”

“He flew out,” Blue agreed. “He probably got
on this island the same way. Who notices a bird? Our surveillance
equipment wouldn’t register it as a threat, either. We’ll have to
reprogram. Meanwhile, we’ll regroup around the women. Half our men
watching them isn’t enough now. We’ll update them, and I want to
talk to Azor. He’ll need to know what we’re dealing with.”

Blue felt a stab of guilt. There’d always
been a risk in bringing the women to such a desolate place, but
he’d felt it was worth it; for many reasons. Military ships were
patrolling the general area, and his men here were experienced. If
there’d been any lingering threat, they should have nullified
it.

Of course, none of his plans had factored in
a Kiuyian. That oversight could bring major complications. He’d
never had to deal with an adversary who could change form at will.
Not in his work as a policeman, at any rate.

And, nobody knew all the capabilities of the
shifters. There was speculation, of course, but they were a
tight-lipped race who guarded their own secrets. He knew not all of
them could shift. Fewer could take the guise of another humanoid,
though nobody understood why. Perhaps it was too difficult for
their bodies to overcome their instinctual, natural form. Maybe it
was taboo.

Regardless, he had to warn his men to be
wary of the possibility. They didn’t know what this enemy could do.
Even if they found a file on him, it was doubtful it would list all
his abilities.

Blue gazed speculatively at the sky. At the
very least, their enemy could fly. That advantage was dangerous
enough, although a good homing rocket could overcome it. Not that
he had one of those to hand.

His hand brushed the grip of his gun and he
thanked his lucky stars that he could make his enemy bleed.

“Let’s get moving,” he ordered his men. They
didn’t have time to linger here; his women were in danger.

Chapter 17

“Nobody goes anywhere alone.” Blue stared
Xera down, and for once she had nothing to say.

They were on the ship they’d flown here, in
the cabin she shared with her sister. Gem was too medicated and
tired to care much what rules Blue was laying down. For that
matter, she agreed with him; she wasn’t in a hurry to collect more
injuries.

“We think we’re dealing with a
shape-shifter. We’re not sure yet, but we think he flew in at the
same time as one of the delivery ships, either in a small craft or
as some type of avian. Since we can’t find any trace of a ship, my
money’s on the bird form. We know it’s possible for such creatures
to fly between the islands; imported flocks do it all the
time.”

“But why do you think it’s a Kiuyian?” Xera
asked.

“DNA traces found at the scene,” he said.
“We haven’t found any matches in our crime database yet, so we
don’t know who he is, but based on his actions, we suspect he’s got
a record. You don’t just jump up one day and decide to become a
killer for hire.”

“We know a little more than that,” Zsak said
as he walked through the open door. “Intel has finally found a
match. Our friend’s name is Kiyl. You were right about the record;
he’s a wanted felon with an addiction to drugs. Our sources are
saying he’s the bastard son of the drug lord who was targeting
Gem.”

Xera was listening closely.
“Was
targeting her?”

The men exchanged glances. “We just found
out this morning that he was arrested. And he was killed in the
process. We were waiting to see how the complications played out
before telling you.”

“I see,” Xera said coldly. It was plain she
was unhappy with the delay. Not that she could have done anything.
“Go on.”

Zsak tilted his head to crack his neck.
“Unfortunately, our would-be assassin seems to blame Gem for his
father’s death. Why he arrived at that conclusion, we can’t be
sure. He was apparently on the fringes of his father’s operation,
never very well connected. Someone must have leaked it that she was
responsible for pinpointing him. There are a lot of rumors going
around about Gem and Blue, and the wrong people now know he’s a
cop. A lot of them would like getting revenge on a snitch and ‘her
boyfriend, the Narc.’”

Xera’s murderous glare tore into Blue. It
was obvious she felt like killing him herself, for putting her
sister in more danger.

Gem finally spoke up. “How are we going to
stop him?” she asked. She made an effort to sit up but quit
immediately. Her face was creased with lines of pain.

“
We
aren’t,” Blue told her firmly. He
sat down on her bunk, facing her. “You are going to heal up and let
me and Zsak take care of this. This guy is motivated by family, so
he’s not going to quit when the money dries up, like other hunters
would.”

“Then why are we staying here? Shouldn’t we
be headed somewhere else?” Xera demanded.

Zsak shook his head. “You’re not listening.
He’s patient, and good at hiding. There’s little point in running
unless you want to do it for the rest of your life. If we can nail
him here, the threat is over. We’ve got backup on the way, and
holing up in the ship seems the best strategy. You really don’t
want to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life, do
you?”

“What’s to stop him from just flying away?
If he sees a bunch of ships arriving…” She trailed off as the
answer came to her. Even if he could fly, he couldn’t outrun a
starship. And of course there was always his desire for revenge.
“Oh.”

“Right. He’s not going to run.”

“It’s late. We should get some sleep.” Blue
chose the bunk opposite Gem’s. Even if he’d have liked to curl up
with her, the bunks were too narrow, and he didn’t want to jar her
shoulder.

Xera frowned at him. “What do you think
you’re doing?” she grunted.

Blue regarded her calmly. “I told you that
someone would be with you and your sister at all times.”

“Are you planning to join us in the
bathroom, too?” Xera asked acidly.

He ignored her. “You can stay here or leave
with Zsak. This ship should be secure, but always stay within
hearing range of a friend.”

Xera looked at him sternly, then glanced at
her sister, who was in no shape to feel amorous. She exhaled
heavily and finally left them to their rest.

Gem waited until the door was closed. “Thank
you, Blue,” she said softly.

There was a long pause, in which he could
have said many things. In the end, he said quietly, “You’re
welcome, darlin’. Sweet dreams.”

Xera couldn’t sleep. She prowled the bridge
until Zsak started giving her annoyed glances. He was working on
the computers and talking into the communicator perched on his ear.
Apparently, her restless energy was distracting.

It had never been a problem back home. In
the inn, an extra body prowling the night had been an asset.
Sometimes she’d helped out in the bar, occasionally ousting an
angry drunk. Bar fights did damage and cost money, so she’d taken
martial arts training early on to help keep damage to a minimum.
She’d become an expert on disabling the unruly with a minimum of
fuss, and she didn’t take chances. A drunk might be apologetic
later, but that wouldn’t stop him from lashing out when he was
first getting going.

She wished the changeling would throw a fist
at her: he wouldn’t be the first Kiuyian she’d taken down.
Unfortunately, rocks in the dark seemed more his thing. Growling to
herself, she took pity on Zsak and headed to the galley for some
water.

The deck echoed dully under her feet, the
sound of metal decking barely muted by the rubberized coating
underfoot. The ship felt empty, cold. She was used to voices, even
in the dead of the night.

She never knew what triggered the impulse.
Maybe it was a smell, a sound. All she knew was that she rounded
the corner into the galley and adrenaline surged through her blood.
A shadow moved, and instinctively she struck out, her fist
connecting with a hard stomach that whooshed with deflating air.
She saw green hair as the man bent, and she didn’t pause to study
the face before she punched him in the temple. Stunned, he wavered
a second, which was all she needed to knock him down and get him in
an armlock. She didn’t depend on the arm, though; a doped-up
fighter could get out of that. The knife she drew and pressed to
his throat was another matter.

“Who are you?” she demanded, her breathing
harsh.

His answer was muffled, but it sounded like
a curse.

She wrenched his arm up a little higher.
Much more and it would break. “Speak up!”

“Detective-captain Azor!” he hissed.

She studied his face but didn’t see any of
the things she remembered. She eased up a fraction on his arm.
“Turn your head.” Sure enough, there was the mutilated ear with the
stud earring, the old knife wound and the angry, cold eyes.

“You can let go now,” he said frigidly.

She settled more comfortably. “I don’t think
so. Zsak!” she bellowed, summoning help. It arrived at a run.

Zsak skidded to a stop, blaster in hand, and
stared with horror at Azor. “What are
you
doing here?”

Azor curled his lip.

“I found him sneaking around the galley,”
Xera replied. “You said we were looking for a Kiuyian; I bagged
one.”

Zsak reached down and practically dragged
her off the other cop. “He’s the backup, you twit! We were
expecting him.”

She glowered suspiciously as Azor peeled
himself off the floor. He stood and flexed his arm, then sent a
killing look her way. “Are all the women in your family this
bloodthirsty?”

Blue arrived on the heels of that comment.
“What happened?” he asked.

Azor sent him a chilly look. “I was testing
the security of the ship. This shrew walked in and punched me.”

Blue looked astonished. “You let her?”

Zsak turned his snort of laughter into a
cough, then muttered for Blue’s benefit, “She had him on the floor
when I ran in. I had to drag her off him.”

There was a hint of bronze around Azor’s
cheeks. “I didn’t expect her to lash out like that.”

Xera folded her arms. “Tough luck. You might
want to fix your hair, by the way; it’s coming out of its
ponytail.”

His nostrils flared but he didn’t move to
tidy himself up. “Who’s with Gem?” he asked instead.

Blue nodded, took the hint and headed back
to the bedroom. But not before Xera noticed the laughter in his
eyes.

Azor tugged his uniform down, straightened
it. “Your security seems to be in order,” he muttered.

Zsak choked.

Azor’s eyes narrowed. “Now that I’ve
arrived, we can transfer the women to my ship until we have the
killer. Their sister Brandy is anxious to see them.”

Xera lit up. “Brandy’s here?” She’d talked
to her sister that morning, but had had no idea of her
location.

Azor nodded. “I have a shuttle outside. Go
wake Gem and we can leave.”

Xera was eager to go, yet she noticed that,
while Zsak let her pass, he didn’t immediately follow. She paused
and looked back at him, something in his manner making her
uncertain.

He was staring thoughtfully at Azor. “How
come you didn’t call in? I would have met you at the door.”

Azor shrugged. “Call a shifter to catch a
shifter. I was checking to make sure our friend couldn’t make it on
board.”

“And you got in.”

“I had the door codes.”

Zsak slowly smiled and raised his gun. “No,
you didn’t.”

Azor’s expression seemed to darken. “Don’t
threaten me, Zsak. You won’t like the brig.”

Zsak gave him a predatory smile. “Azor
doesn’t believe in brigs, and he wouldn’t let a girl, no matter how
skilled, whip his butt.”

Azor slowly blinked. His eyes shifted,
became long reptilian slits in place of the round human eyes he’d
sported before. Scales sprouted on his face, covered his visible
body like a suit of chain mail. Even his voice changed, became
lighter, cocky. “Don’t take on a fight you can’t win, cop. You know
about dragonskin? Your blaster can’t hurt me now. Give me the girl
and I’ll let you live.”

Shocked, Xera fought hard not to step back.
She’d heard about Kiuyians who could grow scales that even a
blaster couldn’t penetrate. It was a rare talent, but it seemed
this man had it. These Kiuyians were often physically faster, as
well, and tougher. You practically had to hit them with a mace to
even leave a bruise. She couldn’t understand why Zsak seemed so
calm.

“Xera, go warn Blue,” he said.

Xera blinked at the order, but she backed up
and did as she was told. It was tough to turn her back on the
Kiuyian, but she knew she had no choice. The sound of hissing
filled the hall. She ran.

When she reached him, Blue took one look at
her face and demanded, “What?”

“A Kiuyian with dragonskin! Zsak’s fighting
him.”

Blue cursed and slammed a hand down on the
door latch, locking them inside the room. He aimed his gun at the
door, thrust out his hand. “Back off. Get by your sister.”

“Aren’t you going to help him?” Xera cried.
She pulled her knife and waited by Gem, who was alert but didn’t
ask questions.

“He’s doing his job,” Blue said, but his
eyes were hard. He stared at the door even as he took his
communicator from his belt and tossed it to Xera. “Dial one. Tell
them what’s up and tell them the situation’s urgent.”

Xera did as she was told, then jumped as
something clanked off the door. Fumbling with the communicator, she
hurried to explain the situation to the person who answered on the
other end. Another blow to the door caused it to bulge slightly.
The metal wouldn’t take much more abuse.