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Josh and Minorva exchanged glances but followed him. Denzin set a rapid pace and they arrived at the exit in a couple of tense minutes. He stood back, kissing Micki on the cheek. “Don’t come again,” he said. “I won’t be here tomorrow.”
“I won’t. Thank you. I wish we had time?—”
“Clearly we don’t,” Josh said, grabbing her elbow. He offered his hand to Denzin. “Thank you.”
“Keep dancing. Stay out of the DPRC’s.” Their rescuer shook briefly and strode away.
“Who the seven hells was that?” Minorva asked as Josh led them to the gate and the waiting guards.
“Her brother,” Josh said in a grim tone.
Micki was afraid they’d be detained and asked questions but maybe Josh bribed the guards again because there was no delay and the three of them were outside the stasis fence within a minute, where the Benfield security force and the groundcars waited. She was bundled into the backseat of the big vehicle and Josh lingered to speak to the head of his detail. Micki could hear the man swearing but then Josh was in the car with her and they were driving away from the camp. She burst into tears, overwhelmed by all of the recent events. “I’m so sorry,” she said in between hiccupping sobs. “I never meant to put you in danger.”
He took her in his arms and tried to soothe her, stroking her hair and rubbing her back. “No harm done. I’m fine.”
Micki tried to regain her self-control. “Denzin’s not my actual brother,” she said, determined to get the facts out. “When I was a kid in the camps my mother kind of adopted him because his parents died of a fever. We were close but not a couple. Never romantic.”
“What about your parents?”
“I only have a few memories of my father. He didn’t make it off our home world. I know he was a soldier. My mother and I lived in the camp on our own until she died from a viral epidemic which tore through the place one year. She was a Dreamer on our home world—she could see the future a little, could answer a question or two—and she continued helping people in the camp with her dreams as a way to make extra credits. I only inherited a limited form of her ability—I can see dances.”
“You’ve told me,” he said softly. “A rare skill. What happened to you after she died? How did you manage?”
“Denzin is a couple of years older than me so he looked after me. He—he had already made certain associations and he was rising in their ranks so he made sure no one touched me.” She mouthed the word ‘Amarotu’, as if uttering the interstellar mob’s name even in the privacy of his groundcar would make trouble for him or her. Straightening her shoulders, she said, “I was a runner for him because he trusted me implicitly. I didn’t know for sure what I was carrying because he always told me not to pry or open the packages but I had a good idea.”
“Drugs, weapons, contraband,” Josh said.
“Probably all of the above. But Denzin gave me food, shelter, protection and he insisted I keep dancing.” Her smile was regretful. “The camp administration liked the fact I was so talented. I was a poster child for them on the opportunities a displaced person could have.” Her snort was derisive and left no doubt in Josh’s mind what her true opinion might be. “Since I was allowed out of the camp to attend the local dance school, it was easier for me to smuggle items in and out. The guards never searched me or gave me any hassle. When I was old enough I insisted I didn’t want to work for him anymore and I got a job out in the city.” Now she stared Josh in the eyes. “It was a strip club by the spaceport and it paid well. I never did anything more than dance. I think the owner was mob-connected and Denzin’s protection order for me extended to the club. I have to be honest—I’ve always been grateful to Denzin. Without him I shudder to think what would have happened to me. A young girl with no family in the camp can come to a pretty grim fate.”
“How did you finally escape into a different life?”
“I saved my credits from the club and when I had enough I was able to get passage off the planet. I worked my way on a crummy old passenger ship, picked a new world I liked and made my career as a dancer. At first I had to work in pretty tacky revues and shows but I’m damn good?—”
“You are,” he said with perfect truth.
“And I managed to work my way up to big budget stage productions and a couple of swanky nightclubs. No stripping there. I auditioned for the Comettes three times and finally made it and you know the rest of the story.” She gave him a sad smile. “My resume is pretty genuine about what I did before the Comettes. It gets murky prior to my time on Fraxpre Two. I leave all of the past out, aside from having been in a camp as a child. The true statement pulls heartstrings and I needed every advantage I could get while I was trying to work my way out of poverty. Do you blame me?”
“Not at all. I admire your grit and determination.” He gave her a hug. “Thank you for trusting me with the unvarnished story.”
“That’s all you have to say?” Astonished, she didn’t know what she’d expected—shock, distaste, rejection, being fired from the ISD competition but when his eyes reflected none of those reactions. Maybe a hint of pity which she didn’t like, but admiration and appreciation were uppermost. Micki realized she’d underestimated Josh and her heart filled with a rush of emotion. Snuggling into his strong arms, she sighed. “I hadn’t seen or heard from Denzin since I left the DPRC and moved to Faxpre Two, until today.”
“I think we were lucky he was there today. Minorva and I could have held our own but it would have been dicey since we were so outnumbered. And I didn’t want to kill or injure people if I didn’t have to.”
“Minorva would have.”
He chuckled. “Undoubtedly. But that’s her expertise and area of specialty and she shines at it. It’ll take her a while to get over being angry about today but I think we all need to move on. Although I’m sorry for the young man your brother killed.”
“Mob rules,” she said, remembering her teenage years. “No free lancing, no disrespecting the boss, no creating awkward situations the boss has to resolve. It was a mob execution, plain and simple, to send a message to everyone else. I’m sure Denzin hasn’t gotten any less powerful in the years since I last saw him.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
Drinking his coffee, Josh leaned against his bedroom doorway and studied Micki as she slept in the huge bed. He’d insisted she go to sleep after dinner because she was still shaken from the events of the day. He’d wanted her to go to medbay or at least let him call the doctor to his suite but she refused. For his part, Josh refused to let her be alone in her small crew quarters tonight. “I want to take care of you,” he’d said and that was that. After tucking her in, he’d sat with her until she fell asleep, which wasn’t long. This feeling of tenderness and determination to watch over and protect his woman was new to him. He was surprised by how fiercely he felt about her and how terrified he’d been for her earlier in the day when the thug was pointing his blaster at her.
“I don’t think this thing between us is going to be over when the dance stops,” he said softly.
Going into the living room, he seated himself on the couch and pulled up the data file on Micki he’d been sent by his security team after she’d been assigned as his partner. The barebones resume was one thing but his team had dug deep into her past and there were certainly unanswered questions from the day’s events. His chief of security had been livid once he heard about Josh’s close call in the camp and it had taken Josh quite a while to calm the man down and keep him from imposing draconian security for the rest of the voyage. Ultimately he’d had to remind the bodyguard who was in charge, which was Josh.
Now he glared at the unopened file and then with a curse pushed it away still unread. Micki had told him in the car the outline of her life which was omitted in the resume and he could guess at the rest. If he needed to know more, she could tell him. What was important to Josh was who she was now, today, and who she was to him, not what a scared young girl had had to do to survive.
