giving
an inch to a man like Blue would be like tossing him the whole
mile. A fool’s bet; that’s what he was.
In the sitting room, Brandy hadn’t calmed
down. She’d reached full steam and was now beginning to boil over.
Taking pity on Zsak, who was murmuring rather helplessly, Gem slid
off the bed and went to calm her sister before she sprang a
leak.
Brandy had at least started breathing
normally, if not talking coherently, but at the sight of Gem she
started to hyperventilate again. Seeing that reinforcements had
arrived, Zsak fled.
“Touchy chick,” he muttered as he entered
the command center that he and Blue were setting up in the girls’
father’s bedroom. The two men exchanged a look and a silent laugh.
Blue got back to work.
“Was she worth it?” Zsak asked. His tone was
casual.
“Never found out,” Blue replied. He paused,
screwdriver in hand, and stared at the wall, unseeing.
“There’ll be a next time,” Zsak assured him.
“Hand me that clutch of wires, would you? No, the yellow ones.”
“How could you? We hardly know him!”
Gem considered which subject to tackle
first. “All our rooms are rented. I already agreed to pay for the
equipment and it won’t do any good sitting around.”
“But Daddy’s room?”
“He’s not using it, sis, and I think Dad
would approve. He’d be pretty upset if I were shot.”
Brandy nodded, allowing for that. “But you
still don’t know anything about these guys.” She lowered her voice.
“What if they’re behind it all?”
Gem considered for a moment. “Well, I can’t
say I didn’t wonder that myself. The detectives didn’t like either
of them being around yesterday. Still, when I checked with my
friend about Blue, he really didn’t have much to tell me other than
things Blue admitted himself. I suppose I could make a call about
Zsak, though if there’d been anything in his history to report, the
police probably would have given it up.”
“It’s not just me who’s worried,” Brandy
pointed out.
“No. You’re being reasonable and looking out
for me. Look, Blue was in the IC’s peacekeeping forces, and Zsak
was, too, from what he says. So, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll make a
call to the on-base IC military police and explain what…”
“No calls,” Brandy cut in. “We’ll go in
person first thing tomorrow. Both of us. I’m sure between the two
of us we can find a cop who’s interested in our case.”
“Either that or look extremely silly,” Gem
muttered.
Now that she had a plan of action, Brandy
seemed to be feeling much better. She sat up and said, “I don’t
care if we look dumb. I’d rather be seen as a flake than be killed
by a psycho.”
Gem raised her eyebrows, letting the moment
pass. She wasn’t going to go into any other issue right now.
Her sister stood up, steadying herself on
the back of the couch. “Gem?” she said. “No more kissing.”
Gem raised her brows again and looked away.
She wasn’t going to say anything. She had a feeling she shouldn’t
be making any such promises.
Chapter 6
Kissing seemed to be the last thing on
Blue’s mind the next day. He met Gem and her sister on the front
drive as they prepared to enter a rented transport. Gem took a
moment to regret not owning her own vehicle (they were imported and
hideously expensive) so she could have raced out of her garage
before he saw them. Then again, owning a car might not have given
them enough time. The new surveillance system was working.
Blue opened his mouth.
“Don’t start,” Brandy butted in. “We have
some private business to see to, and we don’t need you.”
His eyes glittered, but his tone was mild.
“You willing to bet your life on it?”
“Today? Yeah, I am.” Brandy gestured to the
holstered guns she and Gem wore. “We’re armed and alert. We’ll be
fine for one short trip.”
Blue slanted a look of contempt at their
weapons. “Those won’t stop a real assassin. You agreeing
an inch to a man like Blue would be like tossing him the whole
mile. A fool’s bet; that’s what he was.
In the sitting room, Brandy hadn’t calmed
down. She’d reached full steam and was now beginning to boil over.
Taking pity on Zsak, who was murmuring rather helplessly, Gem slid
off the bed and went to calm her sister before she sprang a
leak.
Brandy had at least started breathing
normally, if not talking coherently, but at the sight of Gem she
started to hyperventilate again. Seeing that reinforcements had
arrived, Zsak fled.
“Touchy chick,” he muttered as he entered
the command center that he and Blue were setting up in the girls’
father’s bedroom. The two men exchanged a look and a silent laugh.
Blue got back to work.
“Was she worth it?” Zsak asked. His tone was
casual.
“Never found out,” Blue replied. He paused,
screwdriver in hand, and stared at the wall, unseeing.
“There’ll be a next time,” Zsak assured him.
“Hand me that clutch of wires, would you? No, the yellow ones.”
“How could you? We hardly know him!”
Gem considered which subject to tackle
first. “All our rooms are rented. I already agreed to pay for the
equipment and it won’t do any good sitting around.”
“But Daddy’s room?”
“He’s not using it, sis, and I think Dad
would approve. He’d be pretty upset if I were shot.”
Brandy nodded, allowing for that. “But you
still don’t know anything about these guys.” She lowered her voice.
“What if they’re behind it all?”
Gem considered for a moment. “Well, I can’t
say I didn’t wonder that myself. The detectives didn’t like either
of them being around yesterday. Still, when I checked with my
friend about Blue, he really didn’t have much to tell me other than
things Blue admitted himself. I suppose I could make a call about
Zsak, though if there’d been anything in his history to report, the
police probably would have given it up.”
“It’s not just me who’s worried,” Brandy
pointed out.
“No. You’re being reasonable and looking out
for me. Look, Blue was in the IC’s peacekeeping forces, and Zsak
was, too, from what he says. So, here’s what we’ll do. I’ll make a
call to the on-base IC military police and explain what…”
“No calls,” Brandy cut in. “We’ll go in
person first thing tomorrow. Both of us. I’m sure between the two
of us we can find a cop who’s interested in our case.”
“Either that or look extremely silly,” Gem
muttered.
Now that she had a plan of action, Brandy
seemed to be feeling much better. She sat up and said, “I don’t
care if we look dumb. I’d rather be seen as a flake than be killed
by a psycho.”
Gem raised her eyebrows, letting the moment
pass. She wasn’t going to go into any other issue right now.
Her sister stood up, steadying herself on
the back of the couch. “Gem?” she said. “No more kissing.”
Gem raised her brows again and looked away.
She wasn’t going to say anything. She had a feeling she shouldn’t
be making any such promises.
Chapter 6
Kissing seemed to be the last thing on
Blue’s mind the next day. He met Gem and her sister on the front
drive as they prepared to enter a rented transport. Gem took a
moment to regret not owning her own vehicle (they were imported and
hideously expensive) so she could have raced out of her garage
before he saw them. Then again, owning a car might not have given
them enough time. The new surveillance system was working.
Blue opened his mouth.
“Don’t start,” Brandy butted in. “We have
some private business to see to, and we don’t need you.”
His eyes glittered, but his tone was mild.
“You willing to bet your life on it?”
“Today? Yeah, I am.” Brandy gestured to the
holstered guns she and Gem wore. “We’re armed and alert. We’ll be
fine for one short trip.”
Blue slanted a look of contempt at their
weapons. “Those won’t stop a real assassin. You agreeing
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