Dona frowned. She understood the chief’s point—even agreed with it—but this situation felt like a sonic grenade. It could easily explode in all their faces . . . And if it did, it would take their careers along for the nasty ride.
She didn’t want to go through that again. She’d barely survived the last time.
I have received a com from Chief Dyami with your orders, her neurocomp announced.
Yeah, she’d been wondering where that was. Display.
Instead of the usual dossier file, a trid image of Alerio appeared in her mind stage. “Enforcer Astryr, you will be assisting me and a nonstandard agent in guarding Geneva Kamil and her tour guide as they attend a ball in nineteenth-century South Carolina.” Alerio’s tone was matter-of-fact, but there was a note of steel in his voice that suggested dissent would not be welcome. “Both computer simulations and my gut indicate this party is a high probability target.”
Well, yeah. Geneva Kamil was a trid star with both money and influence. Which explains how she’d acquired visas for such a small party; tour groups usually numbered at least ten, all of whom paid handsomely to visit whatever time period they intended to tour.
A quick mental calculation told her Geneva would probably pay half a million galactors for this trip, between visa fees, hiring a tour guide, and the charge for tube travel there and back.
Dona frowned. Guarding the woman was going to be a hazardous pain in the ass. Alerio was right; Ivar would cream his armor at the thought of capturing the actress. Murdering her would make him famous. Or rather, infamous.
So yeah, Dona could understand why Alerio would want to personally provide the star with protection. Callous as it sounded, Geneva would make the perfect bait. Ivar wouldn’t be able to resist.
The only thing Dona didn’t understand was why Alerio wanted her as his partner. The emotional situation between them could easily become an ugly distraction when they could least afford it. “What the hell is he doing?”
Riane blinked in surprise at her growl. “What is who doing?”
“The chief. He wants me to partner with him to protect Geneva Kamil.”
“Geneva?” Frieka’s vivid eyes widened. “I love her. She kicked ass in Time Slip.”
“Oh, come on—that ridiculous piece of crap?” Riane scoffed. “She fought off four Tevan warriors in that trid. Count ’em. Four! There is no way in hell a light battleborg like the character she played could have done that. Hell, one Tevan damned near cleaned my clock, and I’m a Warfem!”
“Yeah, yeah, but it was still a great scene.” Frieka displayed every one of his many teeth in an appreciative canine grin. “Remember when she kicked that Tevan in the ’nads?”
“And you cheered like a fourteen-year-old girl.” Riane rolled her eyes. “Goddess, I was so embarrassed!”
“Oh, like you weren’t rooting for her, too.” The wolf sniffed of disdain. “I heard that sob when she sacrificed herself for the ship.”
“I did not sob,” the Warfem objected. “I don’t cry at trids.”
“Yeah, right.” He turned to Dona. “You should have heard the kid during the climax. She cried so hard she soaked my fur. Damned near caught a cold.”
“Hey,” Riane protested, “the wolf sidekick reminded me of you. Of course I cried.”
Dona grinned, absently enjoying the pair’s bickering. But no matter how welcome the distraction, it still didn’t address her current problem. Her gut insisted partnering with Alerio on this job was a really bad idea. And over the years, Dona had learned her gut was usually dead-on.
The trouble was, Dyami was her commanding officer. He could order her to do any damn thing he thought necessary to accomplish their mission: protecting innocent people from temporal criminals. Which meant she couldn’t refuse the assignment, not if she intended to remain an Enforcer.
And she did, because Dona loved her job. True, she’d become an Enforcer in the first place because she’d had no choice, but she’d soon discovered just how much she loved being a time cop. She loved analyzing temporal crimes, finding patterns even the Outpost computer missed, gathering evidence to prove she was right, and capturing the perpetrators before they could steal another priceless work of art or rape another temporal tourist.
You couldn’t change history, but sometimes, history was a lot less cut-and-dried than it seemed. You could never really be sure which crimes were fated, and which you could solve because you were supposed to solve them. Over the years, she’d learned that uncertainty only added to the spice. Besides, there was nothing quite as sweet as preventing some abusive bastard from preying on innocent civilians.
Solving temporal crime had given Dona a purpose when she’d thought she had no reason to live. That was why she wouldn’t say one damned word to Alerio.
The meeting finally broke up. Enforcers flowed into the aisles, discussing their new assignments as they headed for the room’s four double doors. As more agents filed past, Frieka braced his paws on the arm of Dona’s seat. “Want to head to the Concourse with us? I’ve got a yen for a big plate of chiva.”
Like Frieka, Dona loved the meat strips swimming in tangy chiva sauce. She was opening her mouth to accept the invitation when a familiar voice spoke up from behind her.
“Perhaps later,” Alerio said. “Dona and I need to plan our next mission.”
She turned to meet the Warlord’s calm black gaze, and just resisted the need to snarl. “Aye, sir.” Dona stifled the urge to give him a sarcastic salute. Enforcers didn’t salute; he’d know it was a substitution for a gesture far more vulgar.
With an effort, Dona wiped any trace of anger from her face. Fortunately she’d had plenty of practice. Neither the colonel nor Ivar had appreciated any demonstration of how she felt about the way they treated her.
Why are you so surprised? that nasty reptilian whisper hissed from the darkness in her skull. Did you really expect him to respect what you wanted? You’re his subordinate, idiot. You’re nothing to him. True, Alerio had been an attentive and sensitive lover compared to the others. The most sensitive she’d ever had, in fact. Maybe bedroom performance is a bigger indicator of character than I thought . . .
You truly are a fool, aren’t you?
She blinked, suddenly recognizing that papery whisper. It sounded a lot like the colonel . . .
And Alerio is watching me. His big body stood utterly still, his cool gaze locked on her in a way that sent a chill up her spine. It reminded her far too much of her first commanding officer. The colonel in a frigid rage didn’t even need a shockcane; the man could leave frostbitten welts with every word. She hadn’t thought the chief had that in him. Oh, this isn’t good.
“We need to discuss the case in more detail—in my office,” Alerio told her coolly.
She nodded, this time making sure her expression was utterly empty of anger. “Yes, sir.”
Definitely not good.
Alerio’s office was just down the hall from Main Briefing, occupying a prime position on the Admin Deck. Surprisingly spacious, it was dominated by one of those Outpost windows that ran the entire length of the room. The view it offered was nothing short of breathtaking: mountains kissing the horizon clad in vivid spring splendor. Elms and maples, oaks and cottonwoods, their leaves incandescent with countless shades of green. Above them hung a sky so blue, it made her eyes ache. A pair of black couches stood before the window, angled to make the best of the view.