When Sparks Fly (16 page)

Head propped on one hand, she studied him.
“You were in the service with him?”

“I’ve been in the service, yeah.” He took a
bite of sausage. “These are good. You know, he’s far gone on
you.”

Gem blinked. “What?”

Zsak smiled. “I’ve never seen him carry on
the way he does about you. If he’s not in love yet, he’s
tipping.”

She didn’t know what to say to that. Hyna
Blue was a hard man to read. Yes, they’d shared something very
special and intimate, but that didn’t mean it was special to him.
Men didn’t always equate intimacy and love. His best friend thought
he knew what Blue felt. She knew what she herself felt, but…

“I don’t think he sees himself as the
‘settle down, raise a family’ type,” she thought aloud.

Zsak shrugged. “Men change.”

Gem sighed impatiently. “Have you ever seen
him in love?”

Blue’s friend was silent for a long moment.
“Yes,” he finally said. “I’ve seen him in love.” Sadness shadowed
his eyes.

Gem needed to know: “How did it end?”

Zsak answered in a brisk voice. “She was
involved in some ugly things. Blue wanted to believe in her
innocence, and she let him. When her friends went down, when the
police finally got them, she went down with them. Worse, he was
cast under suspicion for a while. He’s never gotten over that. He
might not look like it, but justice and integrity matter.”

“And here I am, in the middle of an
investigation. I’m surprised he’s stuck around.”

“I’m not,” Zsak replied. “You’re quite a
woman.” He flashed Gem a wolfish grin.

She felt herself color even as she smiled.
She could see why Blue liked Zsak.

Before she could say as much, however, one
of the newer barmaids walked up. “Ma’am? There’s a Mr. Cirrus to
see you.”

Gem sighed. Closing her eyes, she debated
whether or not to see him. She glanced at Zsak, who wore a guarded
expression.

“Very well. Send him to my…” She frowned.
The old office was no longer hers, and she wasn’t about to meet
with Cirrus in her private rooms. “Send him to Jaq’s office,” she
decided. After watching the barmaid walk off, Gem glanced at Zsak
and said, “Might as well hang out in the bar while you wait; since
I know you will.”

He gave her a small smile.

Gem rose from her seat. Azor’s agents
watched her from across the room, but they gave her space as long
as she was with Zsak. She wondered if they would be okay waiting
outside while she spoke to Cirrus.

She headed for Jaq’s office. Located at the
far end of the bar, the man’s lair looked nothing like her own neat
workspace. The desk was piled haphazardly with stacks of paper.
Odds and ends, old gun magazines and cracking, jam-packed binders
filled the shelves. If those arsonist kids had started a fire in
here, The Spark would be cinders by now.

She left the door open; both for Azor’s
agents and herself.

Cirrus turned from his survey of the room as
she walked in. “Gem. I was so sorry to hear of your recent
troubles.” He took her hand and pressed it, looking earnest.

“Thank you. It’s been a long week,” Gem
admitted tiredly, extracting her hand as she moved behind Jaq’s
desk and took a seat. “Forgive the mess. Since I hired my new
manager, I’ve moved myself out of my usual office. When things calm
down, I’ll remedy that.”

“That’s quite all right,” he soothed. “I’m
only concerned that your family isn’t available to comfort you in
this trying time.”

“Actually, Xera will be home tonight,” Gem
corrected. “If we can bring her here without incident, things
should start to look up.”

“And your bodyguard, Blue? I’d heard he’s
not doing well.” Cirrus’s eyes were searching.

“As well as can be expected. The doctors say
he can come home in a week or two, if all goes well. I imagine
he’ll be indisposed for a while, though.”

Cirrus looked thoughtful. “Home. So you’ll
be bringing him back here?”

“It’s where he was staying beforehand,” she
pointed out, a little annoyed. Had he come here just to gossip? If
so, he was going to find his welcome would be short-lived.

He nodded. “Bear with me a moment; your
charity is not in doubt. This is what concerns me.” He opened his
briefcase and drew out a few papers. His gaze on hers, he handed
them over.

Gem looked at the first page and froze. It
was a picture of a younger Blue in a narcotics officer’s uniform.
The article was a scathing commentary on police brutality on Enjor.
It went on to allege certain things Blue had done. He wasn’t
referred to as Hyna Blue, however. This man was called Officer
Indigo Santana. “Blue Satan” the reporter had dubbed him, going for
a dramatic splash.

A little unsteady, Gem slowly set that page
aside and looked at the next. This article was dated a little
later. It gleefully reported that Officer Santana had received a
dishonorable discharge for conduct unbecoming.

“The discharge was just a ruse. It helped
him to go undercover,” Cirrus explained.

She let her eyes meet his, unhappy that her
shock was evident.

“Look at the next one,” he suggested
gently.

It was a class photo of a military group,
probably a graduating class. Blue and Captain Azor were both
there.

Gem dropped the photo on the desk.

Cirrus looked sympathetic. “I know. I was
outraged when I realized this supposed ‘drifter’ who was taking
advantage of your kindness was actually an investigating officer
with the IC’s Galactic Narcotics office They used a very real
danger to get as close to you as humanly possible; to exploit you.
I’m sorry.”

She nodded, numb. She’d been giving room and
board to a Narc? Not that she resented his job, but his treatment
of her was abhorrent. Blue Satan, indeed!

Cirrus’s mouth tightened, and he left the
room, returning shortly with a tumbler. He pressed this into her
hands. “You need a drink.”

For once she didn’t argue. “I’m going to
kick him out,” she was muttering. Him and his sweet-talking, lying
friend. Zsak had to be part of the equation. No doubt he had a
badge hidden somewhere, too.

Cirrus nodded. “I’ve been thinking about
that. The trouble is, there really is someone trying to hurt you. I
didn’t want to bring you this mess without offering some solution.
If you’d accept him, I’d like to offer you the services of one of
my
bodyguards. He’s agreeable, if you’re willing. This is
his resume.” Cirrus laid a folder on the desk in front of her.

She closed her eyes and bit her lip,
despising that he witnessed her weakness but unable to get a grip.
Blue was a traitor! A liar, too, if she wanted to think about that.
And what he’d done to her body…What she’d done to his!

“Give me some time, Cirrus. I…appreciate
what you’re trying to do for me.”

Taking his cue, the businessman nodded and
stood. “Again, if you need me, Gem, I’m available day or night.
Please, call me and tell me how you are once you’ve caught your
breath.”

She nodded, then sat and stared at the door,
horrified. She’d fallen in love with a traitor.

Love? she thought, closing her eyes in
anguish. What a time to find a name for her feelings!

Zsak chose that moment to look in on her. If
she’d been a cougar, Gem’s ears would have lain flat back on her
head. She bared her teeth. “Get out!” He opened his mouth to speak,
but she grabbed the gun Jaq kept stashed under his desk and aimed
it at Blue’s friend. “I said,
move it.”

The liar wisely ducked back out.

Gem set the gun aside and massaged the
bridge of her nose. It was hard to remember a time before trouble
had perched on her shoulder. Much more of this and she might
actually think of selling The Spark.

Jaq looked in on her less than a minute
later. One glance at her face and his own became set like stone.
“What did he do?”

She stared at him for a moment, trying to
figure out how to answer, how to plan for and overcome this
disaster. At last, bested, she handed him the incriminating
papers.

Jaq looked them over and grunted. His jaw
worked as if he were chewing on a thought.

Tired of waiting, Gem threw out, “Obviously,
we won’t bring him back here.”

Jaq tossed the papers on the desk, seeming
unconcerned. “Don’t see why not. You’ve got nothing to hide. Me,
I’d confront him with what I know and work some of my spleen off.
Keep him here, where you can keep an eye on him. Better to know
what the man is doing rather than send him off and wonder.”

She stared the old man down. “You
want
me to bring him back?”

He shrugged. “Man did save your life. You’re
a big girl. Keep him around until you get your feelings worked out,
then give him the boot if you like. Myself, I’d prefer the extra
eyes watching out for you…even if he is a cripple.”

She scowled. “He’s not a cripple, just
wounded.”

Jaq was making sense, though. She’d never
run from a fight, and she did have fury she’d like to dump all over
Blue’s head; if that was really his name. Dump it out and rub it
in. Yeah, that sounded like just the thing.

It was either that or let her head
explode.

Jaq saw her evil, calculating expression and
shook his head. “Let him come out of ICU before you rip into him,
girl. No sense in killing him twice.”

She grunted an agreement, despite her
misgivings. The sympathy card didn’t play well with her at the
moment, of course; she wasn’t feeling too torn up about his
condition. But, okay. No revenge now. Maybe later. Not too much
later, though.

Certain of Zsak’s true profession, and that
he would search the office later, she folded the papers
incriminating Blue and stuck them in her pocket. “Don’t suppose you
have a handy line to feed Zsak, do you?”

Jaq grinned. “I’ll tell him you’re having
man troubles.”

With a growl for his efforts, she led the
way from the room.

Chapter 12

One minute Gem was going over what to say to
Xera; the next she was grabbed by Azor’s flunkies and hustled out
the door to a transport.

“What’s going on?” she demanded as the two
men flanked her.

“Captain Azor has ordered you to be secured
somewhere safe,” one of the officers replied. “You’ll be briefed as
soon as we get there.”

“My sister is coming in,” she started to
protest.

“We’ll take care of her,” one cop
promised.

She didn’t know how to take that. What if
these men meant to hurt Xera?

She looked around, but all the windows of
the transport were black. She could get no idea where they were
going. “Where are you taking me?”

“To a safe location,” was all they would
say.

It took twenty-five minutes by her watch
until they stopped, and then she was hustled out with the same
speed in which she’d been collected. Captain Azor wasn’t present,
but he was waiting on a teleconference in the hotel-like room to
which she was escorted.

“Hello, Ms. Harrisdaughter. Comfortable?” He
had a wicked gleam in his eye.

She didn’t appreciate any humor in the
situation. She glared at the laptop sitting on the hotel table.
“What’s going on?”

“We had to put you in a safe house. An
explosive was found on your sister Xera’s ship; it was dismantled
with no loss of life,” he hastened to say, cutting off any
expostulation of concern. “However, your friend Cirrus’s current
girlfriend was found dead about two hours ago. I understand he came
to see you today?”

Gem’s mouth worked, but no sound came out
for a moment. “He…he didn’t say anything about…” Had he known that
the redhead was dead?

“He had some interesting things to say about
Blue, though, didn’t he?” Azor remarked softly.

Gem just stared at the policeman’s image.
How had Azor gotten this information? Jaq wouldn’t rat on her,
would he?

Seeing her expression, the Narc explained.
“I’m afraid we listened in. We can’t afford to have any more
screwups like the one that brought down Blue. Cirrus is in custody.
I’m afraid you’ll have to wait to find out the details of his case.
Meanwhile, perhaps you could entertain me with any other details
you might have remembered about your sister’s case? What was Jean
Luc blackmailing her with?”

She was not ready to let go of that bit of
information, so she clung to what she’d heard. “You said my sister
Xera is all right?” Worry swamped her. She’d come close to losing
Xera and hadn’t even known she was in danger.

“You’ll see her tonight, probably late. Now,
what do you know about the blackmail?”

In desperation, she asked, “Brandy didn’t
say anything?”

Azor didn’t blink. “You know it’s a federal
crime to obstruct justice, don’t you, Ms. Harrisdaughter?”

He got a glare for that, but she knew this
was one piece of sisterly confidence she couldn’t hide. It would
eventually come out, and hiding it from the authorities could help
nothing. “Brandy was covering for Xera. She saw her in a
compromising situation. Jean Luc found out about it and held it
over my sister’s head.”

“What sort of compromising situation?” Azor
wouldn’t release her from his stare.

Gem told him.

His lips quirked. “And
that
was worth
covering drug trafficking?”

Gem’s eyes narrowed. “Something like that
could ruin Xera, could keep her from being respected or accepted on
Polaris.”

“Better to ruin all of your lives, eh?” The
policeman didn’t look impressed. “Who was the lover?”

Gem shrugged. “I don’t know. Some
drifter.”

Azor considered for a moment. “Very well.
I’ll look into it. Enjoy your stay under our protection. Try to
stay out of trouble, won’t you? I’ll be in touch.” His image
vanished off the laptop.

Gem’s head throbbed. She sat on the bed with
a groan and ran her fingers through her hair. One of her guards
collected the laptop and left.