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“I’m sorry,” I say, exhausted and ready to spill. My eyes start to fill with tears. “I’m excited to meet you, Vala. I wish that Kalla was here so that he could meet with you, because I know his heart’s broken over what happened between you two. I’m not sure how he’d react, but that’s because your brother is a complicated man. I wouldn’t usually be so withholding, but I’m on edge. I’m meant to be lying low, which is why I’m so skittish. Something awful happened—a bounty hunter looking for Kalla found me on my colony and sent it God knows where to God knows who. On top of it, I have no idea whether Kalla’s dead or alive right now. I haven’t seen him in a year!”
As I blubber like an idiot, Vala’s eyes fill with concern. His hand comes to rest on my shoulder, where he lightly rubs me in comfort.
“Now you’ve done it,” Mori says, rolling his eyes in a distinctly human manner. “She is leaking now.”
“You are the one that raised your voice and made her uncomfortable,” Vala argues.
“I’m fine,” I insist. “It’s not your fault. I’ve been stressed over that encounter. I want to get to know you, Vala. I miss your brother like crazy. To spend time with you would help me feel closer to him, and maybe I can answer any questions you have.”
“First, tell us everything about this bounty hunter situation,” Vala says. “There might be something we can do to help alleviate your problem.”
I hesitate for a heartbeat, still irrationally feeling like a rabbit in a trap when it comes to telling these strangers my most private information.
My tablet chimes to announce I must pick up the order from the kitchens. Vala stands up, confirming that his stature is indeed as imposing as Kalla’s.
“Relax,” he insists. “I will pick up the order and explain that you are chatting with us. Perhaps your coworkers are worried that the scary Deadheads have eaten you.”
“A-alright,” I agree, grateful I don’t have to show my puffy red eyes to the rest of the restaurant staff.
As soon as he leaves, his loud-mouthed friend turns narrowed eyes on me.
“Vala is a good male, better than most. He does not show his feelings easily, but it is clear to me that he has some fixation on resolving this long-held separation from his brother. So you had better cooperate and make his stupid brother show his face when the opportunity comes. I will solve whatever silly predicament you are in, just so long as you understand that Vala is the only reason I would waste my time and resources on something insignificant.”
“Oh,” I choke out. “I… appreciate that offer?”
“You should,” he sniffs, leaning back and crossing his arms over his chest.
“I can tell Vala is a kind person,” I say, awkwardly trying to smooth over the tension. “When I see my mate, I’ll make sure we can get them together. Perhaps have a dinner here, even? It’ll be a beautiful reunion.”
“I do not care,” Mori mutters. “So long as Vala is pleased. It does not need to be so dramatic. You humans make everything into a party when it need not be.”
“It would be a great opportunity to meet your mates,” I point out, hoping it will lighten the mood. “How did you meet your human mate, uh, Sophie was her name?”
“Sophie and I were kidnapped together by a maniac separatist who attempted to force me into breeding her against our will,” Mori reports flatly. “So I murdered him.”
I laugh nervously. This man’s impossible to talk to. When the hell will Vala be back with the food?
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
KALLA
Viro knowshe’s been put on babysitting duty, so he doesn’t bother to pretend I need his help infiltrating the bounty hunter headquarters. It’s so ridiculous that these street thugs think to incorporate themselves. Their sign proudly declares them Waak & Yisheme Bounty Services in metallic scripted font on the door, as if they’re a law office or some other upstanding business. I walk right by their security desk in my cloaking cape. The male on guard duty is watching a pornographic video.
Perhaps Kira is right. It’s not worth it to burn this place down. They’re nothing but scum, and an overreaction will only build suspicion. The bounty hunters are the ones to be concerned with, not the tablet-toilers that cover their administrative needs. Determined to not make the same old mistakes, I focus on the task. All I have to do is find out what they know about Kaye and how seriously they’re pursuing her. We can decide the rest from there.
It’s not a large office, seeing as most bounty hunters do all their work remotely. But they have a few desks for workers that must focus on leads and feeding information to their hunters. I choose a spot at random and sit down to insert my chip into their system. Oddly enough, their devices are unencrypted.
What in the world? How could such a business function without a secure comm server?
I open their company calendar to find they’re in the process of interviewing new comm security operators. It’s such a striking coincidence that it can’t actually be a coincidence at all. The calendar is empty otherwise. I open the message systems—nearly empty, as if this is a new employee. The oldest messages exchanged are from days ago.
A message from the company namesake Yisheme to the worker reads:
Work can’t continue until this matter is cleared. So get them here tomorrow. Don’t care what you do, we need comm operations that won’t be vulnerable to any cuck on the street.
I continue reading, moving around to all the desks until I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s nothing to be done here. This place had a company-wide comm system disaster days prior to my arrival. What the rut does that mean, exactly? The documents I’m encountering now are discussions about how to claim insurance for these losses and whether or not a rival bounty conglomerate is to blame.
I leave the office in a daze.
