Greenshift (14 page)

She collapsed against him, and he
held her close as her elated giggle danced across his chest.

Filling out reports is a waste
of time.

David sent his meticulously
detailed incident report to his private files via his reporter as he left the
air conditioning of the contractors’ guild. He should have felt relieved, but
he suspected Killian had his own motives for not including David or Mari in the
official Embassy report. There was bound to be more trouble to come.

Maybe he should count them lucky.
It would seem luck was in his favor recently, most of it centering on his new
relationship with Mari. After their
apologies
on the bridge, she and
David had had dinner in his suite, where they talked and laughed just like they
always had. His constant caresses convinced her to stay the night.

He covered a yawn that turned
into a smile. Sleep wasn’t a high priority last night, but he’d take the
tiredness every day to have Mari all night, every night.

David’s reporter vibrated against
his skin, signaling an incoming transmission. He eddied out of the flow of pedestrian
traffic heading into the government building, hoping it was Mari saying she was
on her way back already. He was hesitant for her to go to Dale’s estate alone,
even if it was to tell him she wasn’t taking his project. After their argument
and his behavior in Dale’s presence last time, he understood her wanting to do
this on her own. Personally, he felt a nice message sent from the
Bard
would have sufficed, but Mari insisted she handle this in person as it was the
professional way to respond. It was all over now, though, and within a few
hours they’d be lifting off from Tampa Quad, on their way to pick up Geir.

An Armadan insignia flashed
across the blue screen projected onto his palm with
UNCLASSIFIED: CIVILIAN
TRANSMISSION
scrolling across Ben’s signature. It was an odd reminder of
David’s new place in life.

“Hey, Ben. I thought I’d
hear back from you yesterday. Big night?” David asked.

“Yes, but not in the way
you think. I started following background trails for your guy Zapona. It took
me a while to find out just how big a cocksucker he is.”

David didn’t like the sound of
this already.

“He’s a real sleazy son
of a bitch. Has ties to a suspected crime boss psychopath named Liu Stavros.”
Ben paused, tension working at his jaw.
“This doesn’t have anything to
do with Mari, does it?”

David could tell by the worry in
Ben’s expression that he wasn’t trying to make a joke.

“Why?”

“Because fleet
intelligence has a special alert out for Liu Stavros. Though we can’t get past
the Embassy firewalls on this one, it’s suspected in intelligence circles that Stavros
is into human trafficking. Sex crimes. Mutilation. Torture. All the victims
were purported to be young women, almost exclusively from Deleine, all with the
same distinctive genetic mutation.”

“Coral-colored eyes.” Anger
burned through David. “What is the guy still doing walking around?”

“Beats the shit out of
me, except that every case against him has disappeared from public record. And
so has Stavros for that matter. Guy’s a recluse.”

“Probably has an Embassy
insider doing his cover-ups. Maybe using intimidation?” David asked.

“Or a payoff, but there
would have to be some pretty heavy funds to keep someone, or several someones,
quiet about rape and murder.”

David agreed. Especially about
the rape. Sexual crimes were often dealt with more severely than murder simply
because their society relied so much on the safety of sexual freedom. Not to
mention the stigma attached to forcing yourself upon an unwilling partner when
millions were available. Having so many choices was one of the perks of
multi-partner marriage, though many Armadans still subscribed to monogamy.

“It gets better. Eight
months ago a covert fleet team pursued a lead to Stavros’ supplier in the
trafficking trade, only the trail went dead when the local Embassy officials
were contacted. None of the team made it back. Job got botched at an undisclosed
location on Tampa Deux. Command error was the official response, but everyone
following that op knows that’s bullshit. Someone leaked details to Stavros. Want
to guess who the suspected supplier was?”

“Dale.” Alarms went off
inside David’s head.

“I take it by that look
of rage on your face this is bad news.”

“Mari’s on her way to see him
right now.” The thought of her in a room alone with Dale had David’s blood
boiling.

“You need any help with
this fucker, fleet-sanctioned or otherwise, just say the word.”

Before Ben’s image even blinked
out, David was already calling Mari’s reporter. Her messaging service picked
up.

“Mari, head back to the
Bard
immediately. If you’re still at Dale’s, tell him there’s been an emergency. And
message me when you’re on your way. I don’t want to scare you, but I believe
you’re in danger.”

“Were you in the
military?” Mari asked Carlos, trying to make small talk as he escorted her
through the gate with that horrible tree emblazoned on it.

The question awarded her a glare,
sending a shiver down her spine. This guy was as big as David, yet David’s size
had never intimidated her, only made her feel secure. Carlos’ imposing frame
had the exact opposite effect. She wanted to turn right around and call Dale
safely from the other side of his gate.

Her finger absently touched her
palm, hoping David may have left her an encouraging message, but nothing
happened. When she saw her bare wrist, a sick feeling of vulnerability trickled
into her chest.

“I forgot….” She had
been so distracted this morning.

Carlos stopped and regarded her.
“Forgot what?”

“Nothing.” For some
reason, she didn’t want him to know she was walking in here without her
reporter. Maybe because she felt cut off from the outside world or because she
was about to face a man she believed had ulterior motives. Suddenly today felt
bleak, despite the beautiful weather.

Amidst a backdrop of fern trees, Dale
sat at a lavishly set table with brilliant white linens, silver trays, and
turquoise china plates. He smiled as she approached. She wondered how long that
smile would last once she turned him down.

“Good morning, dear. Would
you like something?”

“No, thank you. I had
breakfast already.” She had made crepes for David this morning—her thanks
for the pasta he’d prepared for her last night. The thought of David brought
back her nerve.

“Not even a celebratory
mimosa?” He held up a thin-stemmed glass with a pale orange liquid.
“It reminds me of your eyes a bit.”

Mari didn’t like the way he said
that part about her eyes. She tried a quick smile anyway, to hide her anxiety.
“Sorry. No. I really just came by to say thank you for the job offer.”

“You’re quite welcome.”
He made a gesture of looking all around her. “No luggage?”

“I won’t be needing
any—”

“Because you’re not going to
accept the offer,” Dale said, putting his celebratory glass down.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

“I’m disappointed.”

She forced herself to keep his
gaze as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, aware of how her
toes scrunched in the high heels. “Now’s just not the best time….”
She really didn’t have any excuses and hadn’t planned to give any. In fact, she
had anticipated giving her regrets, then high-tailing it back to the
Bard
.
The longer she stood in Dale’s presence, the more she considered running out
the gate.

“I understand, dear.”
His casual manner as he finished his breakfast put her at ease a bit. He was
taking her rejection better than she could have hoped.

“That’s a relief. Please
keep me in mind for any future projects,” she said, wondering if she
should add,
unless I have to be on a freighter for six weeks
, but decided
to keep quiet about that.

Dale finished his mimosa. Mari
guessed he wasn’t going to say more because there was no way he would consider
her to be even a grounds keeper after this.

“Tell me, was your decision influenced
by your pilot?”

“David? Well, not
really.”

“I think we know better than
that. It’s a shame, but I can see he wouldn’t want you wandering too far away. Men
are so selfish sometimes. Armadans terribly so. The older they get, the more
possessive they become.” He tsked as though pitying her.

A touch of anger burned on Mari’s
cheeks. She opened her mouth to defend her decision, but his next words stopped
her.

“Maybe
David
won’t
mind if you designed my hydroponics bay from your own ship. That way he can
keep an eye on you,” Dale said.

The modified offer sparked a new
hope inside her.

“Are you asking me to still be
a part of the greenshift project? To work from the
Bard
?” She
wanted to be clear about this last part because it was an offer she would have
never expected.

“It would seem I have no
choice if I want your expertise.”

Her mind raced. It was a perfect
solution.

“Though I do request that
you look over the facilities on the
Thrall 7
before it leaves this morning.
We can go there first, then I’ll have the driver drop you at your own
berth.”

She hesitated at this request,
but kept thinking about the look Dale had given her earlier when he thought
David had so much control over her. That’s why she had left home to begin
with—she wanted to control her own path.

“What do you say, Mari? Do
we have an accord?”

“Let’s go see the
Thrall
,”
she said.

“He drives a little fast,
doesn’t he?” Mari said.

Dale gave her an amused look as
he sat across from her in the back of his personal transport. He lounged with
one knee crossed over the other and his arm sprawled along the back of the tan
leather seat.

Mari had pressed into a corner
and tried not to fidget, pretending Dale no longer made her nervous now that
they had come to an agreement. She reminded herself how this would get her out
of debt, allow her to pay David back, and make her resume as good as what Dale
thought it was. Plus, his recommendations to other greenshift customers could
mean a sustained career for as long as she wanted. She could become as rich as
Soli and Kenon and wear expensive clothes and eat at nice places like the Rose
of Sharon all the time.

And maybe move her family off of
Deleine, if they would go. She hadn’t heard from any of them since landing at
the Hub. Out of habit she touched her palm to check messages.
Dammit!

“Dale, I’m sorry. You’ll
have to send me the specs from the ship later.” Mari held up her naked
wrist. “I didn’t wear my reporter this morning.” She hoped she didn’t
come off as being absent-minded. Sean was always reminding her to keep it on.

“Of course. You can point out
specifics during our tour of the vessel, and I’ll make sure you receive all the
information you require,” Dale said.

As they passed the ferry station,
en route to the other side of Shiraz Dock, a mocha-skinned woman in a short,
pink sari caught Mari’s attention through the transport’s window. Soli looked
up just in time to see Mari drive by. She thought of giving her shipmate a
little wave, but they were already past. Seeing Soli heading back to the
Bard
cheered Mari. The
Bard
was home, and this job made it possible for her
to stay there…with David.

She imagined her nights being
just like last night and her mornings just like this morning. Then her daydreams
turned to images of visiting David’s home on Yurai, having him show her the mountains
and the lake. She became lost in her thoughts, content with fantasizing about a
new, bright future.

“If you like the sight of a
freighter that much, dear, then you should reconsider joining us during this
voyage,” Dale said.

“Oh, no, I mean I was
thinking about…it’s impressive.” It was really quite ugly, but most
freighters were, especially compared to the graceful, silver curves of the
Bard
.

As they exited the transport, Carlos
kept mimicking that sweeping stare that she had witnessed David perform at
Dale’s estate, as though he expected something to pop out and attack. Must have
been a military habit. It unnerved her. So did Dale’s proximity as he escorted her
toward the
Thrall
‘s gangway. As she picked her way along the metal
grating, sallow light flickered in the metal tube like an eclipsing sun. She
couldn’t see past the darkness at the other end to gauge anything about the
ship’s interior.

An oxidizing scent enveloped her,
reminding her of wet metal. It could have been from automatic cleaners built into
the ship’s ceiling like sprinklers. Though it might be more convenient than
bringing in a cleaning crew like the
Bard
did every few months, the
effects couldn’t be as sanitary.

A catwalk ran overhead, following
their progress through the dim commonway. A series of pipes snaked beneath,
reminding Mari that the ship was a lot like a plant—food from the roots was
transported throughout the vessel via tubes. Although the
Thrall
didn’t
have that feeling of life running in its veins, so maybe it was more of a dying
husk. The nutrients, the water were all there, but no vitality, no color.

They passed a couple of men in
coveralls. The leering stares of the laborers stood her hair on end. She rubbed
her bare arms, wishing she would have worn a top that covered a little more,
and not just because of the chill inside the ship.

“Do you have many passengers
on the
Thrall
?” she asked.