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Kallista’s laugh tugs at my heartstrings, making me want to ask her for a hug instead. But I know better. No hugging the client. It’s bad enough I’ve touched her. More than once, even.
Kallista doesn’t miss a beat, flashing me a wry grin as she starts off toward the bar. “I’m going to go get my manager and make sure she’s sober for the flight.”
She’s joking, but there’s a flicker of concern in her gaze. Yeah. I hope so, too. For all our sakes.
* * *
When we arrive in Zeno’s hovercraft hangar, I’m already hanging out the window before Aiken even lands the damn thing. I scramble to unbuckle my seatbelt, then race out of the jammer to get the door. The hangar is mercifully empty, so we don’t have to worry about onlookers or pap drones, for once.
Aiken hops out of the jammer and offers Margot his hand to help her out of the vehicle. Margot looks a little taken aback by the Gorcian, but she mercifully keeps her cool and offers Aiken a polite smile.
Now that Kal is out of the jammer, I expect Aiken to jump up and down, lose his mind, anything than what he’s doing now. Aiken stares at Kallista in complete silence. His eyes blink once, and I clear my throat.
“Um… Aiken, this is Kallista. Kallista, this is Aiken. He’s probably your biggest fan,” I say, hoping to break the ice for the big guy. But he still doesn’t say anything. It’s like he’s frozen in a block of ice or something. I arch a brow and scratch the back of my head.
“He’s not normally like this. Seriously, he scream-sings your songs in the shower almost every night,” I say.
That gets Aiken moving. Unfortunately, it gets him moving in my direction. Aiken practically shoots fireballs out of his eyes at me.
“Do not!” he huffs in protest.
Kallista covers her mouth and giggles, then steps toward Aiken.
“Hi, Aiken! Would you like me to sign anything for you?”
Aiken’s attention is pulled off of me as he looks down at her. She’s so tiny standing next to him. I hope he doesn’t scoop her up and throw her around, but then again, he looks more likely to run away and hide than anything else. This moment is truly a gift. Seeing my long-term bounty hunting partner cowed by a teeny pop star? I wouldn’t trade this in for the entire galaxy.
He nods, then looks back at me, as though asking, “Got anything to sign?”
I go back to the jammer and yank open the door so I can rifle around through the glove box. Eventually I find an old postcard. It’s better than nothing. Then I make my way back to the group and toss the postcard at him. “Here.”
Kallista signs Aiken’s postcard, blows him a kiss, and then turns back to me. Aiken shuffles away awkwardly. This is definitely going to be a conversation for later. I still can’t believe he was this star struck, but maybe I shouldn’t be this surprised.
“Wait, but … isn’t he coming?” she asks, looking up at me.
Aiken spots a Svarini female at the front of the registrar queue, all elegant curves and soft blue fur, in the distance. They’re aesthetically pleasing aliens and remind me of ermines from Terra. The elevator doors close, and I press the button for the ground floor. “He’ll catch up later. He needs to check us into the hangar and pay. It can take a little while. The registrar looks backed up.”
Kallista nods slowly, understanding flickering across her face. “Ah. I understand. Well, maybe we could all go out for dinner together later, then?””
Margot bristles as she crosses her arms over her chest. “What? Who said we’re going out for dinner together as a group?”
“Aiken flew us over here, Go. It’s the least I can do. It’ll be fun.”
Margot glares at Kallista and pulls up the schedule on her terminal. It floats in front of us, and I can’t help but cringe when I notice just how … packed it is. When does Kal get any time to rest? Or think?
“You’re fully booked up until we leave on Monday,” Margot says.
Kallista grinds her teeth together. “I think I can squeeze in a quick meeting with the man who just gave us a free flight when we were in a jam, Go. Make it work.”
Margot exhales sharply, and the smell of liquor wafts through the elevator, making the already too-tight quarters of the box even tighter. As I stare at the schedule, I notice a few blocks of time that don’t really make much sense. As in, I’m pretty sure they were just added last minute because I don’t recognize these appointments or names.
“What’s this?” I ask, pointing at the purple square that readsParty – T.
“That’s a party at the D’Lani mansion, for Trace D’Lani,” Margot explains. “He’s one of Kallista’s biggest fans, and he requested her presence for his birthday.”
“I don’t want to go to that,” Kallista says, shaking her head.
The elevator doors slide open, and we step out onto an almost-empty street overlooking a picturesque coastal town. The white stone buildings are short, only a few stories high, with bright blue rooftops. Alabaster statues decorate quaint cobblestone streets, and the smell of salt water and citrus fruits blow in the warm breeze. Down the crumbling stone stairway, the roaring ocean beckons with azure waves that lick across the quartz-white sand. Breath-taking. I’ve never seen anything quite like it before.
