Malfunction, page 18
“I think you’re right. I always found the terrorist theory a little too pat. Which means we’ve got to find the murderer. Before they try and kill us again and this time, no doubt, succeed.”
“Sardi is going to explain some of the mechanics to us—what can be done remotely. What needs to be done from on the ship. If the malfunctions have to be done on the ships, then our murderer has been visiting. And there must be logs that cover the shuttle trips. We can try and match them up. We’ll work that out when we know more. We’ll go get that information next. Then tomorrow we go to a party and we can somehow wrangle a visit to the crime scene, get the names and details of the victims.”
“Yeah, I’m really in the mood for a party,” he said flatly. “And getting on another shuttle. You might have to drug me.”
“Me as well. Layla can wake us up when we get there.”
“Where is Layla, anyway?”
She looked away. She wasn’t sure how he would take the next bit of information. “She’s with Rico.”
“With Rico?”
She waggled her eyebrows. “You know.”
“Is that safe?”
She shrugged. “Probably. As long as she doesn’t piss him off.”
“So she knows what you are?”
“No. Rico can do this mind control thing. If he drinks from a person, he can make them forget.”
“Balls. Could he do that to me?” His hand moved in what she was sure was an involuntary reaction, touching his neck as if to check for bite marks.
“He could, but he won’t.”
“Well, I probably should be a bit offended, but I’ll take that as a good thing.” He drained his mug. “I’ve been doing some thinking.”
“Is that wise? Why change the habits of a lifetime?”
“Ha ha. I’m guessing the reason Rico wanted you to keep away from the Trakis Two is because if anyone looks too closely, then there’s a good chance that they’ll realize you’re not who you’re supposed to be. I’m also guessing you didn’t actually win a place in the lottery?”
“No,” she admitted.
“And Rico isn’t really captain of this ship.”
“He is now.”
“And how did that happen?”
“Does it matter? You really think most of the Chosen Ones are here because they legitimately won a freaking lottery? Of course they’re not. They’re here because they knew someone or paid someone.”
“I’m not interested in most of the Chosen Ones. I’m interested in you.”
He knew so much already. Why not this? If he decided to turn on them, then Rico would wipe his memory. That was the deal they’d made. Before they left this room, she had to find out whether Logan would work with her or whether he intended to reveal the truth about them to his buddies on the Trakis One. If the latter was the case, then Rico would do his thing, and while she wasn’t entirely happy about that, it was the only option.
“Rico bribed the first captain of the Trakis Two to swap half his Chosen Ones for Rico’s people.”
“The first captain?” She nodded, and he said, “Sebastian Falk?”
“I think that was the guy. Rico always referred to him as Bastion. Bastion the Bastard most of the time. I don’t think he likes him very much.”
“And what did he bribe him with?”
“What’s one thing Rico could offer?”
He shook his head. “No clue.”
“Eternal life.”
For a moment, his expression remained blank. Then she caught a glimmer of understanding in his eyes. “He turned the captain of the Trakis Two into a goddamn vampire?”
“Yeah.”
He peered around the room as if expecting a second blood-sucking monster to leap out at him. “So if he’s now immortal, then where is he?”
“Rico locked him in a cryotube and put him to sleep—said he was pissing him off.”
“A lot of people seem to do that.”
And thinking about people who had pissed off Rico, she wondered how long it would take Logan to put the pieces together and question what had happened to the security officer from the Trakis One.
“So what happened to the five thousand Chosen Ones who didn’t get their places?” he asked.
“I have no idea.” Actually, she did have an idea. She suspected they were dead. Well, they’d be dead anyway after five hundred years. But they couldn’t have been left alive or they would have informed someone. And the fleet had been in contact with Earth for the first few years.
“Look, I’m not going to go into the morals of whether he was right or wrong. Morals aren’t Rico’s strong point anyway. But most of his people on this ship never even got entered into the stupid lottery, so how fair was that? They deserved as much a chance as anyone else.”
“They probably didn’t get entered because no one knew they actually existed.”
“Beside the point.” She waved it off. “The more important question is are you going to finish this investigation with me?”
Katia held her breath as she waited for his answer.
He didn’t hesitate. “Hell, yes. I want answers as much as you do.”
And she released her breath. “Good. Then let’s go investigate.”
…
Logan glanced around. They’d all met up in the conference room to discuss the investigation and were sitting around a circular table. Him: the human, Katia: the werecat, Rico: the vampire, and Sardi: the demon.
Maybe he’d gone insane.
He was trying to concentrate on the case and not think too much about the whole werecat/vampire/demon and God knew what else situation. He’d had enough time to think about that stuck in his cell for twenty-four hours. He’d relived the moment when she’d turned into a big black cat over and over again.
Perhaps his brain had fried in the explosion and he was now hallucinating after all. But he didn’t think so, because it all made a sort of sense. He’d always recognized that there was something weird happening on the Trakis Two. Though without the big reveal, he was equally certain that he would have never stumbled across the correct explanation.
It was a lot to take in.
He’d never believed in God, pretty much turned his back on religion after his early experiences, so he never thought much about the good versus evil debate.
If demons existed, did that mean God existed as well?
But whatever Katia was, or could turn into, he didn’t believe she was evil. He had a flashback to the feel of her beneath him, on top of him, and his dick twitched. She hadn’t made any indication as to whether she wanted a repeat performance. In fact, he had no clue how she felt. Except she had risked her own life to make Rico promise not to harm him. And that made him feel a little bit warm and fuzzy.
But he had to accept he’d been living a delusion. He would never fit into her world—she wasn’t even human. And he still had to decide whether he had an obligation to report them—of course, that was assuming he ever got the chance. He didn’t think Rico would allow him the opportunity. So he either had to escape the Trakis Two—maybe when they went across to the Trakis Seven, he could somehow make contact with someone… Or he had to persuade Rico that he wasn’t a threat and he wouldn’t blab about what was going on here.
They’d been responsible for the probable deaths of approximately five thousand Chosen Ones. He’d seen Katia’s shifty expression when he’d asked what had happened to them. She might not know for sure, but she suspected they’d been disposed of somehow as well. But maybe she was also right—didn’t people like her—and that covered a multitude of sins—deserve the chance to survive as much as anyone else? A place in the brave new world. Or was that only for humanity? Hell. It was giving him a headache.
What if he couldn’t persuade Rico that he wasn’t a threat? Would he just be kept here until Katia decided that she didn’t care if they got rid of him? She didn’t seem to care that much now. She hadn’t looked at him since they’d sat down. Was she already regretting making Rico promise not to kill him? Maybe she’d had her wicked way with him and now she wanted him out of the picture. After all, she had said she didn’t do relationships.
Back to the case…it didn’t hurt his head half so much as his love life or lack of it. If they were right, and there was a murderer on the loose, then they had killed over ten thousand Chosen Ones. So get them first and then worry about the rest.
Around him, the table had gone quiet. Were they waiting for him to say something? There was actually one thing he really needed to know.
“So the three dead on this ship were human? Real crew family, not…”
“More interesting supernatural beings?” Rico finished for him. “Yes, they were humans.”
The crew family link was the only concrete clue they had right now. “Have we got confirmation from the other ships that the victims are crew family?” he asked.
“No, we haven’t received anything,” Katia said, still not looking directly at him. “Now they’re saying the investigation is closed, so we don’t need the information, and why waste resources? And I don’t want to push it. If we want to appear as if we’re not pursuing the investigation further, then perhaps it’s best not to ask too much.”
“You can find out about the victims on the Trakis Seven when you get over there tomorrow,” Rico said. “Do you think it’s significant?”
Logan scratched the back of his neck. His scalp was itching where he’d banged his head. “No clue. But right now, we have to treat everything as significant. Hopefully, knowing more about the victims will enable us to pinpoint why they were selected, which might give us an idea who wants them dead.”
Sardi had taken them through the ship’s systems, trying to isolate what could be done remotely. Quite a lot, it seemed. Most of it had gone over Logan’s head, and he suspected Katia’s, too. A great big thick report lay on the table between them. Katia leaned across the table and picked the folder up. “I’m wrecked,” she said. “I’m going to take this and read it in bed then get my beauty sleep.” She still didn’t look at him while she spoke. In fact, she looked anywhere but at him, so he was guessing he wasn’t invited to join her.
“Where?” Rico asked.
She grimaced as if she hadn’t considered that. “I don’t fancy going back to my cabin. I think I’ll go crash out in the brig. Unlikely a murderer will look for me there.”
“Okay. Sleep well, kitten.”
She opened her mouth but then snapped it closed again, whirled around, and stalked out of the room.
Logan watched her go. Would she turn around at the last minute? Ask him to go with her? But no, she disappeared out the door without a backward glance.
But why should she want him? She’d told him she wasn’t into relationships, and anyway, he was a mere human. She probably looked down on him as an inferior species. He’d bet male werecats had bigger dicks than humans.
Though she’d seemed to enjoy herself plenty when they’d been in bed together. Unless she’d been faking it.
“Not going with her?” Rico asked, dragging him from his not-so-happy thoughts.
“Maybe he doesn’t like the idea of sleeping with someone who’s not completely human,” Sardi said.
Christ, now they were accusing him of some sort of racism against werecats. Was that even a thing? And it hadn’t occurred to him. Yeah, he had to admit if she turned all furry on him while they were in the act, then he might be a little freaked out. But she wouldn’t do that. Would she? So he just glared at the two “men” opposite. “Did you hear her inviting me?”
“You didn’t strike me as the type who waits to be invited,” Rico said.
He gave a small shrug. “Katia’s…different.” She knew her own mind for one thing. If she’d wanted him, she would have said so. But she hadn’t.
“Dios, save me from the mating rituals of others,” Rico muttered. “I, for one, need a drink. And you look like you need a drink, as well. It’s not every day you discover that the monsters really do exist.”
“Hey, who are you calling a monster?” Sardi complained. He reached beneath the table and dug out three glasses and a bottle of amber liquid, poured generous amounts into the glasses, and pushed one toward him.
“Well, at least it’s not boring around here right now,” Rico said, raising his glass. “To fun times ahead.” He downed the whiskey in one go and looked at Logan, one eyebrow raised, a challenge in his dark eyes.
Logan picked up his glass. Getting drunk in the company of a vampire and a demon was not the most sensible of ideas, but what the hell? He raised his own glass and swallowed it down, just managing not to choke. He slammed the glass on the table, and Sardi filled it again. He blew out his breath then glanced at Rico.
“How long have you known Katia?” he asked.
The vampire’s lips twitched. “If this is leading up to you asking me the best way to get into her pants, then I have to admit I’ve never been there.”
And he had to admit he had wondered. And he couldn’t deny that he was more than pleased that they’d never had a thing. He glanced at Sardi.
“Me neither,” the demon said. “I’m not that brave.”
“I just wondered. She seems to know you pretty well.”
Rico shrugged. “To answer your question, I’ve known Katia for around seventy years.”
Logan had been about to take a mouthful of whiskey, but he went still with the glass halfway to his mouth. “Seventy years? She’s seventy years old?” No way. She didn’t look seventy. He remembered her saying about Rico being immortal. Would she live forever?
“At a guess, she’s around a hundred. When I met her, she’d been changed for ten years, and she was nineteen when she was bitten…so yeah, about a hundred now. A baby.”
So she’d been nineteen; that accounted for why she appeared so young. Maybe they didn’t age. She’d stay looking nineteen, and he’d grow older and eventually die. He’d be a lecherous old creep, like Major Pryce. What must that be like, watching the people around you die while you lived on? It maybe explained some of her reasons for avoiding relationships. But then again, he didn’t think there was much of a chance of him surviving to old age, with all this murdering going on around them. So why not enjoy the time they had?
“Is she immortal?” he asked.
“In theory, all weres are immortal, but they usually come to a bad end. They’re a violent, undisciplined bunch. Really more animal than human.”
Now who was being racist? “Katia’s not an animal,” he said.
Rico snickered then filled up his glass. “I think our boy’s in love.”
“No, I’m not.” He wasn’t that stupid. But he liked her, and he didn’t like many people. “So how did you meet her?” he asked. Was there some sort of club where people who weren’t human could go to meet other people who weren’t human?
Rico sat back and regarded him for a moment then shrugged. “I think that’s a story for her to tell you. If she wants you to know.” He reached into his pocket and placed something on the table in front of them. A pack of playing cards. “Let’s play poker.”
He didn’t want to play poker. He wanted to…
Except Katia didn’t want him. He might as well play cards. There was nothing else he could investigate until tomorrow, and he was good at poker. Plus, he wanted to understand a bit more about what made these people tick, just in case Katia decided to look at him again.
Rico spoke into his comm unit for a moment then settled back to study Logan. “So do you have family with the fleet?” he asked.
“No.”
“Family anywhere?”
“Obviously not.” Stupid question. Even if he’d had family back on Earth, they’d be long dead by now. But he hadn’t, so it was a moot point.
“You’ve been in the army how long?”
“Eighteen years. Christ, what is this, Twenty Questions?” Logan emptied his glass and held it out for more. He felt like getting seriously shit-faced; he’d worry about his liver tomorrow. If only to stop himself from running to Katia. Begging to share her bed.
“Just trying to decide how much of a liability you are and what we’re going to do with you long term. You’re a career soldier. I’m guessing you were an orphan and the army is the only home you’ve ever known.”
“So?” he growled.
“So it gives me some idea of where your loyalties lie.”
Did it? Logan wasn’t so sure. For a long time, he’d been going through the motions. He’d stayed with the army because it was a life that suited him and maybe because it was all he’d known. But did he feel loyal? Probably not. The army was run by a load of assholes. And he hadn’t really felt like he belonged. Any more than he’d belonged anywhere else in his life. He was saved from answering by the door directly opposite him sliding open. Two men stood there. So there were other people awake on board, after all.
Both were tall; one had short dark brown hair and amber eyes. He was smartly dressed in black pants and what looked like a white silk shirt. The other had long red hair, pale skin, and blue eyes and wore jeans and a T-shirt. Despite the differences, they had a similarity about them, and they both moved with the easy athleticism of trained fighters as they crossed the room to where they all sat.
“You called, oh Lord and Master?” the dark-haired man said. And Logan detected more than a hint of sarcasm in the voice.
Rico grinned up at them. “We’re playing cards. Poker. We needed more players.”
The man rolled his eyes then looked at Logan, a frown forming on his face. “Who’s this?”
“Sergeant Logan Farrell of the New World Armed Forces,” Rico said.
