Chrystal Bones (Finding Home Book 1) (25 page)

Blue kept her face impassive as the thoughts raced through his mind into hers. He was intelligent, ruthless and fully prepared to fight his way off the station. He had half a dozen men ready, able and willing to open fire, creating a panic among the others on the station to cover his wife and daughter’s retreat. That was the most important thing to him at this moment. Getting them to safety.

Blue pulled her hand from his, breaking the contact so she couldn’t hear his thoughts. He was almost as good as Jayden was at hiding his emotions. All she could feel from him now was a mild concern. Marishkania and her mother on the other hand broadcast everything they felt.

She missed Riley more than ever right now. She was better at diffusing these kind of tense situations than Blue was. Normally Blue didn’t even try. She just walked away. unfortunately she couldn’t do that here.

“Well, we will be on our way now. I was happy to be able to help Marishkania find her mom,” kind of curt but it was the best she could do right now. She knelt down and told the little girl, “Don’t lose your mom again.”

“I will not. I will make sure to hold on to her tight,” the girl assured Blue.

She wrapped her arms around Blue’s neck and whispered, “Thank you for finding my mommy.”

“You’re welcome sweetie,” Blue gave her a squeeze and gently pushed her towards her mom. She put her hand on Jayden’s arm and said, “Let’s go.” With visible reluctance he allowed her to pull him around. They walked off leaving the reunited family staring after them.

“Wait,” a voice called after them. Blue stopped and said, “Don’t do anything stupid. He has six bodyguards ready and willing to start shooting.”

“I know about the guards,” Jayden told her. There was no time to say anything else before Marishkania’s father caught up to them.

“I did not properly thank you for returning my daughter to me.”

Jayden interrupted him, “I did not find her so no need to thank me.” He gestured to Blue. “She is the one you owe your thanks to.”

The man looked at Blue, “May I know your name so I can thank you properly?”

Blue was taken aback by his formality. “My name is Blue Parker,” she gave the surname she had used for the last ten years. “There is no need to thank me. I would have done it for any child.” Unable to resist she added, “She is a beautiful, trusting little girl. You need to keep a closer eye on her or hire better guards. The next time might not turn out so well.”

His face darkened with anger. Not at her but at the guards who were supposed to be watching the girl and her mother. They would be looking for new jobs very soon. Assuming they survived the night.

She heard Jayden say telepathically, “
Blue be careful. You do not want to make this guy an enemy.”

“It’s fine. He is not mad at me,”
she sent back, knowing he could not sense what she did.

“You are entirely correct. I am Pasha Daeco of Oran. I am forever in your debt for returning Marishkania to me. If there is a time I can be of service to you all you need to do is ask. My agents aboard the station will know how to contact me. I will make your name known to them Blue Parker.” He pulled an ornate ring off of his little finger and held it out to her, “Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”

“That is not necessary,” Blue started to refuse but stopped when he raised his hand.

“I am aware that you did not know who’s child you were saving. That fact does not erase the debt owed you.”

Once again she heard Jayden in her mind,
“Take it. It is a matter of honor for him. It would insult him greatly for you to refuse it.”

She looked at Pasha before bowing her head to him and taking the ring. “Thank you. If I require your assistance I will ask,” she said with the same formality he had offered.

She had no intention of ever asking but if it would get her out of this situation she would say what he needed to hear to satisfy his honor. He returned her bow before striding back to his waiting family. The six bodyguards she spotted fell into place surrounding the small family. Before they disappeared into the crowd she saw Pasha swing Marishkania up into the air, her giggles filled with innocent joy.

Blue felt Jayden’s eyes on her. She turned to find that his expression matched the strange array of worry and disbelief coming from him.

“What’s wrong now? I said what you wanted me to.”

“You have no idea what just happened do you?”

“Yes I do. I found his daughter and he was grateful. Considering the fact that she wasn’t in any real danger and couldn’t have been missing for more than an hour he went a little overboard on the thanks but he will probably forget all about it in a week.”

“No I promise you he will not forget about it. He meant every word he said. You could ask him for your own planet and he would get it for you. The Oranie are very big on honor.”

All Blue could think to say was, “Wow.”

“You are on the station for less than an hour and you have one of the wealthiest, most powerful men outside of the Alliance in your debt. You are a magnet for trouble.” Jayden chuckled, “Just wait until your brother hears about this.”

“Why would he care?” she asked.

His chuckle turned to laughter, “Because Princess, Idris has been trying to prove Daeco is behind the smuggling of chrystals from Shilliidon along with other black market items from Alliance worlds.”

“Oh,” she would have to think about that later. “What am I supposed to do with this?” She held out the ring.

Jayden shrugged, “Keep it. It is worth about three million credits.”

This time Blue’s jaw dropped. In her studies aboard the Trilleion she had learned to convert dollars to credits. Three million credits equaled roughly four and a half million Earth dollars.

She looked down at the fancy ring. She couldn’t imagine wearing it. She started to shove it in her pocket when Jayden stopped her.

“Put it on,” he urged.

Puzzled by the request she slid the ring onto her middle finger and watched in disbelief when the ring started to change before her eyes. It shrunk to fit her finger and turned from an ornate, flashy ring to a simple band covered in delicate scrollwork. She didn’t wear jewelry as a rule. She had always considered the chrystal imbedded in her throat enough jewels for anyone. But this was beautiful and suited her simple taste.

Jayden smiled, “That is why it is so expensive. The material is very rare and conforms to the wearer’s personality. No one but you can remove from it your finger once you put it on. It also only works its magic if it is given freely to you.”

Chrystal Bones Billie Jo Hanlin

Chapter 25

The lower level of Farpoint was a completely different world than the upper levels. It was a little dingy and the people looked rough around the edges. While she kept a wary eye on the people around her Blue saw a fight breakout between two alien species. She thought one of them was a female but couldn’t be sure.

When someone brushed against her she reached out and grabbed the hand that had snaked in to pick her pocket. With a quick twist and jerk she had the pick pocket on his knees and his arm pinned behind his back.

“Bad move asshole. Now you’re out of business until your shoulder heals,” she whispered in his ear then pushed his arm up higher popping it out of joint and giving him a shove. The incident took all of five seconds. She didn’t wait for the greasy man to hit the wall before she resumed following Jayden. Suddenly feeling a whole lot more chipper.

The sign above the door said, ‘Z’s,’ that was it. One look inside and you knew it was a place to get drunk, gamble and eat, if the delicious smells were any indication.

There was a raised stage where a bored looking woman danced listlessly to music. Blue didn’t think she was getting many tips from the men sitting at the stage which could explain why she was not putting much effort into her dance. Blue thought if she put more effort into it then the tips would probably be better.

On the other side of the room several tables were set up for card and dice games, along with a couple of games she couldn’t even guess about. The bar was busy but would get busier during third shift.

Because there was no sun to revolve around, the station ran on three ten hour shifts. First shift was the quietest. That being the time when most station personnel chose to sleep. Second shift was when most of the daily business was taken care of. All of the shops were open and the station bustled with activity. Third shift was when the entertainment levels were the busiest.

People had taken care of what they needed to take care of for the day and were ready to relax and have fun. The control tower, security and maintenance departments were open for all three shifts.

They had barely walked in the door of the bar when a beautiful statuesque woman with short bright green hair called to Jayden from across the room. Blue watched her walk towards them.

No, not walk, walk was too pedestrian a word for what she was doing. The woman glided, smooth as silk and just as sensuous. She was dressed in a diaphanous robe tied under impressive breasts that overflowed the tiny bra she wore. It matched the equally tiny panties. The outfit was designed to bring attention to her perfect figure and it worked. The bar patrons moved out of her way giving her a clear path to Jayden.

Blue watched the woman backhand a patron without stopping or looking when he dared to pat her on the butt.

“Shikita, it is so good to see you. It has been too long since you have come to see me,” she said in a sultry seductive voice. She framed his face in her hands and gave Jayden a long slow kiss. “You will visit me after shift yes?” Blue snorted, drawing the woman’s attention. “Who is this, Shikita? You have brought a woman with you. Does that mean you won’t need me this trip?”

Both Blue and the woman looked at him, waiting on his answer. “Ah, um,” Jayden cleared his throat and started again. “Blue this is Sutcliffe. She, ah, works here as a dancer.”

“Dancing is not all I do Shikita,” she paused and gave him a slow suggestive smile before continuing. “I help Zee run the place. Without me I do not know how she would manage to do all that she does.” She ran a sharp fingernail down his nose.

Blue almost snorted again. Any idiot could see that they had been lovers in the past. The woman was too familiar with him. Touching him freely despite his discreet attempts to discourage her. Blue couldn’t fault his taste. The woman was beautiful. She knew Jayden wasn’t a virgin when they got together. He was too good at sex not to have had a lot of practice at it.

She just didn’t know how she felt at coming face to face, well really face to boobs, with one of his previous lovers. She wasn’t jealous, more amused at watching Jayden’s reaction. He kept glancing at her like he expected her to throw a fit or something. When she didn’t say anything, he continued with the introductions.

“Sutcliffe this is Blue.”

Jayden honestly had no clue what else to say. He could not say she was his lover or his bonded. He could not say she was Idris’s sister. That was still under wraps. This was very awkward. One look at Blue and he knew, she knew just what his past relationship with Sutcliffe had been. He fought the urge to squirm under her gaze like a small boy caught in a bit of mischief. Until he caught the amusement coming from her. He made sure she felt his exasperation before asking Sutcliffe, “Have you seen Krakin?”

“No, not for a few days. I am sure he left the station.”

“Is Zee here?”

She looked around before replying, “No, not now. She will be later. What is going on Jayden?” she asked him in a sharp tone of voice that was no longer playful.

“Nothing. I need to talk to her when she comes in. Will you send her over?”

Sutcliffe studied him with shrewd eyes before she nodded, “My set starts in half a turn, if I see her before then I will let her know you are here.”

She turned her attention to Blue, “It is very nice to meet you. I would love to spend sometime talking with you later if you do not mind.” Her expression was guarded. She was braced for Blue to reject her invitation.

“I think I would enjoy that. Perhaps after your set you can join us?” Blue replied. The beautiful woman's face lit up. Blue felt her surprise and gratitude. She didn’t think this woman had a lot of female friends.

“Yes. That will work very nicely since any other plans I had are no longer on the table.” Sutcliffe gave a low throaty laugh with a side long glance at Jayden.

A shout from the bar drew her attention, “I must go now Shikita. I will see you later.” She gave Jayden a light kiss then grinned at Blue, “For old time sake you understand?”

“Yes I do,” Blue smiled back at her.

Jayden looked confused. “I do not understand,” he shook his head. He had no idea what the two women were talking about and it showed. “What is there to understand?” he asked again.

Blue patted his arm, “That’s okay. You don’t need to understand.”

“I am going to like you,” Sutcliffe said as she turned and glided away, still smiling.

“I think I am going to like her too,” Blue told Jayden.

“You can’t like her,” he said.

“Why not? Just because you had sex with her doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” He led her over to an empty table in the corner.

“That is not what I meant. But it would not be right for you to be friends with her.”

“I repeat why not?” Blue narrowed her eyes at him.

“Because she is a stripper and probably a hooker. You are a princess whether you like it or not. It would not be right.”

“That’s bull and you know it. She was good enough for you to have sex with but not good enough to associate with. You can go soak your head.” Blue was so angry she went still as a statue. She unlocked her ridged muscles and stood up. In a deliberate move she swiped a glass from the next table and dumped it over Jayden’s head, soaking it for him.

In a cold, furious whisper she leaned close and told him, “I have news for you big guy. No one and I mean no one, is going to tell me who I can and can’t like. Just because she is a stripper doesn’t mean she is stupid or that she doesn’t deserve your respect. Have you ever had a conversation with her?”