Salvaged Destiny (2 page)

“New assignment?” The man glanced at him and then turned to
his display, likely to look for a new assignment notation for Lazlo. Well, he
wasn’t going to find it if this task was as secretive as the major had
indicated.

“Yes. No, not really. Just some days off.” The slight
deception wasn’t easy for Lazlo to make, but he stumbled through it. “Say,
Dugal, do you know anything about Citizen Kidd?”

“Certainly. She’s a lovely person.” Now Dugal was looking at
him with a considering expression.

“Ah.” Citizen Kidd was pretty, but it seemed there was
something else not being said.

“The major pointedly thinks so,” Dugal added in a knowing
manner. With an icy stab of fear, Lazlo realized Sekar and Citizen Kidd were
involved. With each other. Dating or cohabitating, but certainly intimate with
each other. Nebula’s Balls, he’d allowed his commander’s companion to be shot
and nearly killed. He was lucky he wasn’t in jail. Or in the medical center
recovering from a severe beating. Major Sekar was a wicked hand-combat
instructor, as Lazlo already had cause to know. When the man had first arrived
on Sayre he’d offered to be Lazlo’s sparring partner during a workout and Major
Sekar had thoroughly wiped the walls and floor with him. Lazlo still had
residual aches when he thought of it.

“I see,” Lazlo said with resignation.

“I think you do.” Dugal attacked a few points on his
display. “And now that she is on the road to recovery the atmosphere in these
offices has definitely improved. Which you in particular should be grateful
for.”

“She wants to invite me to dinner.”

“Lucky you. Enjoy yourself, but don’t bother with bringing
wine, just some chocolates. She prefers dark, he likes milk.” The lieutenant gave
him another severe look and then turned back to his display, likely hunting for
the particulars of Lazlo’s service history to evaluate him as a proper dining
companion for his supervisor and the very treasured Bara Kidd.

Lazlo didn’t feel up to asking for any more explanations,
and with a wave he left the offices and went to his desk to start reading about
the new assignment. It was somewhat undercover and independent, so it looked as
if he wasn’t headed back to patrol just yet.

* * * * *

Thankfully, Dee Dee had merely wanted to go to the Bunker
after having dinner together, which meant Del could actually relax. If they’d
gone to one of the port bars, there would have been loud music, strange drinks,
meeting new people and men trying to pick up Dee Dee, all of whom became
annoying after about forty-five minutes. And Del liked the Bunker and most of
the people who went there—native Sayrians like herself. The bar was too hard to
find for porties to bother with and the ag workers preferred their own
establishments that were more forgiving of dirty boots and clothing.

The Bunker was like a large living room—cozy, quiet and
relaxing if you were willing to ignore the fact it was located inside a
repurposed ammunition storage bunker. Of course, all of the explosives and
toxic agents were long gone, at least according to common knowledge. Del had
her doubts about the accuracy of common knowledge.

So Del slouched in the booth built into a reinforced stone
storage cell and watched her sister chatter happily with one of the Prax twins,
while the other tried to chatter with her. She was too tired to determine which
twin was which.

Tasty whiskey tended to put Del on an even track quite
nicely and it was her one indulgence for the evening. Entangling herself in an
amorous liaison with a Prax male was not going to be an indulgence tonight. Or
ever. The very idea of getting naked with someone she’d known since she was a
toddler was repellant. Or hysterically unseductive. Therefore, the idea of
coming close to Prax genitalia was unthinkable, at least on her part. It didn’t
seem to inhibit the Praxes.

Dee Dee laughed and prodded Del’s hand. “Guess what? Drag
here says he has some reline. If you want we can get out of here, go out and
look at the stars and heat it.”

“No, I don’t think so. Still working on my drink. And I have
to work early tomorrow. You go ahead if you want.” Del picked up her tumbler,
still sloshing with liquor, and smiled at her sister to encourage her to do
what she liked. Dee Dee gave her an exasperated look but was distracted when
Drag—or was it Tug?—leaned over and whispered in her ear as the other one
grinned and swigged down the last of his beer, ready to leave at any sort of
signal.

Del didn’t mind if they left. She could get back home and
start to tally what she might have made on the expedition. Every mark was one
step closer to being able to take a class with Dr. Elda Harad-Brinkell—Advanced
Concepts in Exogeology, for actual Academy credits.

“No, I said we were going out tonight. I’m not just going to
leave you here. Bye, guys.” Dee Dee summarily dismissed the men who took their
rejection with shrugs and smiles. But that was Praxes for you—pretty much happy
with whatever happened. Del envied their mellow. She felt on edge most of the
time—most of the time she was at the port that was. In the Outlands, she was
calm, away from people and all of the confusion they caused.

“Excuse me, are you Delphine Browen?” A man’s voice broke in
and she turned to see a large fellow, medium-brown hair trimmed very close,
bright-brown eyes and a careful manner. He looked very pressed and fit and
since she didn’t recognize him he had to be a portie. Or a new territorial
deputy, too new to have gotten sloppy like most of Sheriff Harata’s minions. Del
felt an immediate prickle of warning down her spine. This man was probably
trouble.

“Yes I am,” she answered, as polite as she could be
considering her desire to stay quiet, enjoy her drink and avoid interaction of
any sort.

“Hello. I’m Lazlo Casta.” He shook her hand very nicely and
then turned to Dee Dee to introduce himself. Del felt a breath of relief—he
would be charmed by her sister and she could return to daydreaming about the
strange variegated mineral she’d found yesterday. It had been surprisingly
dense with a soapy feel and once she got it in the capable claspers of Toots,
her quark-driven spectrometer, she’d be able to pinpoint its composition.

“Citizen Browen, excuse me, but I have something I’d like to
discuss with you. Would you be willing to step outside with me?”

“Are you here to arrest me?” His chocolate eyes widened. Harata
hadn’t tried a shakedown of the Browens in a while, but maybe he was being
subtle this time by sending someone new. Someone who looked very friendly and
unthreatening, rather than his usual hulking goons. But Del felt if you were
going to be crooked law enforcement, at least be up front about it. She had no
patience for skulking and fake subtlety.

“Pardon my sister, Lazlo. She’s paranoid,” her sister broke
in and offered a twinkling smile to the man.

“I’m not paranoid. How did you find me?”

“Your mother said you’d be here.” Casta smiled in a very
charming way but Del’s blood chilled. He’d been to see their mother. That was
worrisome.

“You’re law enforcement, aren’t you?” Del took a sip of her
whiskey and wondered how long this was going to take. Between the Praxes and
now this big Casta fellow, her peaceful evening with Dee Dee was pretty much
over.

“Yes I am. How did you know?” Casta kept smiling and Del
decided to frown back. No sense in being friendly if he was going to extort
something in a few minutes.

“Your hair, your clothes. You even smell like it.”

He blinked and Dee Dee cut in. “Stars above, Del, why are
you being so rude to him? He looks very nice and—” Dee Dee being Dee Dee,
leaned his way and sniffed loudly. “He smells nice too.”

Her sister grinned at her new friend and continued, “Del is
just grumpy and tired. She got back from one of her trips and really wants to
go home and cozy up with her rocks but I made her come out with me because I
miss her. Although considering her current moodiness, I’m not sure why right
now.”

Del frowned at her flirty sibling and tried to avoid eye
contact with the looming deputy. Of course, Dee Dee hadn’t dealt with the
pressure of working under the unethical eyes of Sheriff Harata. Their father
and her second mother shielded their younger children rather well but Del had
certainly heard and experienced enough to be cautious when it came to law
enforcement. It didn’t really matter if they were port security or the
territorial deputies or some unknown entity, they all had power over her
decidedly unwealthy and uninfluential family.

“Come sit with me. I won’t let her bite you.” Dee Dee pulled
the man down on a seat and beckoned for Milt to bring a drink over. Lazlo Casta
was big and took up a lot of space in the booth. “Tell me, what planet are you
from?”

Officer Casta glanced at Dee Dee and looked befuddled when
Milt plunked a whiskey in front of him.

“Drink it,” Del ordered. “Dee Dee is going to interrogate
you now, Citizen Lawman. You might as well relax. She gets to the bottom of
everything in the family, sometimes very painfully.”

Casta looked puzzled and took a tiny sip. He had nice
manners, Del had to give him that. Most men would have either been looking down
Dee Dee’s shirt by now or trying to gain control of the situation.

“My planet? You mean where I’m from originally?” Dee Dee
nodded happily at his question. “I’m from Freton.”

Dee Dee squealed and the security officer looked even more
confused as he drew back and his soft brown eyes widened.

“Oh Del, that’s forty-three for me!” She patted the man’s
arm. “I’ve heard it’s beautiful there. All the resorts and amusements and
beaches. And the cute wavers. Were you a waver, Lazlo? I bet you were since you’re
so tall and strong, I can just picture you balancing on that little board out
in the ocean, wearing some colorful swim gear. I always ask someone new that
question, where they’re from, that is. So far, I’ve met people from forty-three
different worlds. It went faster when I started, but lately I keep getting
repeats.”

“I didn’t think anyone was actually from Freton. I thought
that people just visited there,” Del could hardly resist adding.

Casta looked back at her and quirked an eyebrow. “I used to
think the same about Sayre.”

She snorted so she wouldn’t laugh, then took a sip of her whiskey.
He had a bit of sand for a big security fella.

“Citizen Browen, I really do need to speak with you.”

“Since you aren’t going to arrest me, why should I?”

“Because I need your help.”

Oh right. Del tried to figure out his angle. Was he trying
to be nice to get her to relax her guard? But to what end?

“What could I possibly do to help you?” Del tried not to
sound as uncooperative as she felt. He hadn’t done anything objectionable yet
and she’d rather keep this exchange civilized as long as she could.

“I can’t discuss it here.” The big man tried to look cagey
but he came off as someone who wanted to spill the surprise birthday party
arrangements instead.

“You expect me to go off with you? Some strange man who just
shows up where I happen to be and somehow knows my identity?”

Lazlo Casta looked abashed. “No, of course not, I assure you
I’m not at all a, uh…” He trailed off, looking embarrassed as he searched for
something to say.

“Lazlo, we don’t think you’re a bad guy, do we, Del? I can
just tell when someone is bad,” Dee Dee reassured him as she patted his arm.

“You can just tell, Dee Dee? Did your sniffing and touching tell
you something factual about the man?” Del asked, feeling skeptical and suddenly
sure that she wanted to stay right here in this booth and not go anywhere with Citizen
Casta. Even if he was nice and not trying to loom, he was still a minion of
that sneak Harata.

Dee Dee frowned at her, but she wasn’t really angry—just
looking to tease her older half-sister as she tended to do. “Yeah, Lazlo here
smells like a good one, nice and clean. And he’s nice and big, Del. You talk
with him. I’ll go sit at the bar and talk Milt into cooking us something spicy.
I’m peckish.” Dee Dee got up, the security man rising politely to allow her to
leave. He returned to his seat, leaving Del to face him alone.

“Your sister, she’s—”

“Yes, she is beautiful and nice and single. Go for it.” Del felt
tired again.

“No, that’s not what I…I’m not…” He took a deep breath and
started over. “I was going to say that she is very courteous. I shouldn’t have
asked you to leave with me and I’m glad she gave me some privacy. Would you
like to see my identity?” Lazlo slid his datpad her way and she glanced at the
display without much interest.

“Why do you need privacy, Officer Casta? Or is it Sergeant
Casta? I don’t know what these abbreviations mean.” She spent her brainpower on
minerals and maps, not paramilitary titles.

“Lieutenant, actually. But that doesn’t matter. I do need
your help on a confidential matter.”

Del immediately felt stressed. So that’s what he was after. “I’m
not going to be an informant for you.” No matter what he might have on her or
her family. She just couldn’t do the lying.

“An informant? No, that’s not it at all.” He looked at her
with a frown, his eyebrows creased with puzzlement.

Del sighed. “Tell Harata that we aren’t interested. In
anything.”

The man blinked again and straightened his shoulders. She
expected the bench to pop off its base when he moved all that bulk. “I don’t
work for Sheriff Harata, I work with port security. Major Sekar is my
commanding officer.”

It was Del’s turn to be unsure. “But you don’t have jurisdiction
out here.”

“I know. That’s why I’m not in uniform and why I tracked you
down here. A random meeting. I’m trying to be covert.” His honest-looking face
finally projected satisfaction instead of uncertainty.

Del sat back and considered this. Since he wasn’t one of
Harata’s guys looking for marks under the table or an unsavory favor, what
could he possibly be after?