The Complete Razia Series, page 59
"I saw Jukin again," she whispered.
"After the trial?"
Lyssa nodded. "He told me that he was involved and wondered why I didn't sell him out."
"Hm," Lizbeth said, pressing down on the mound of hair at the base of Lyssa's head. "Do you hate him at all?"
"No."
"Really? After all he's done to you, you don't even hate him…a little bit?"
"It's not his fault he's like that."
"Yeah, and that's what abusers say about…" Lizbeth finished that statement under her breath. She returned to her shelf of make-up and pulled out a pad of powder. "So, Sage finally got you to go out with him."
"I'm sorry, wh—" Lizbeth grabbed Lyssa's cheek and began brushing powder onto it.
"I'm kidding." Lizbeth smiled meanly. "But really, first he jumps out of a ship for you, and now he's giving up his pirate career for you?"
"He's not giving up anything," Lyssa said. "I mean…not really."
"He's willing to leave Dissident's web for you," Lizbeth pulled out a pen and instructed Lyssa to close her eyes. As the pen glided over the base of her eyelid, Lizbeth continued talking, "I mean, that counts for something, doesn't it?"
"He's my friend," Lyssa said, and the pen glided over her other eye. She tried to open her eyes, but Lizbeth barked at her to keep them closed.
"You and I both know he's not helping you because he's your friend, Lyss."
An uncomfortable feeling settled in the bottom of Lyssa's stomach, the same one that she felt when she talked to Sage about Tauron at Lizbeth's parents' house—a mixture of nerves and something else that she didn't want to think about.
"Whatever," Lyssa snapped. "The point is, he's doing it."
"Mmm," Lizbeth said, brushing over Lyssa's eyes. "He is indeed."
"Stop it."
"No."
"Seriously," Lyssa opened her eyes and looked up at Lizbeth, "stop it."
"Fine," Lizbeth said. "Okay, get naked."
Lyssa shook her head, wondering if she'd misheard her friend. "What?"
"I need to help you put it on," Lizbeth said, holding up the dress.
"I think I can put on a dress."
"Are you sure? You're a bit rusty, I hear."
"Get sucked."
"C'mon, don't make me make you get naked. Make sure you lose that sports bra, too."
Undressing and covering her chest, Lyssa stepped out of the bathroom where Lizbeth was gingerly holding a piece of black fabric.
"Now this cost me a lot of money so if you ruin it, I will murder you. Understood?"
"Yeah, yeah," Lyssa said, watching the black silky fabric climb up her arm and over her shoulder. She was pleased to see it came all the way to her collarbones, covering her completely. Her reflection drew her attention, and she nearly fell over at the stranger staring back at her.
Red lips, pale skin, dark eyes, she looked like herself but shinier, more polished. The black silk overlaid with black lace was at least the right color, but the way it clung to her curves and her skin was both exciting and alarming. The bottom pooled around her feet. The sleeves extended down to her wrists, and she was thankful that at least she was covered. Lizbeth soon helped her into a pair of sky-high heels that she could barely walk in.
"Okay, zip it up," she said to Lizbeth, who was still on the ground fiddling with the shoes.
That's when she felt Lizbeth apply tape to the sides of her back and press the fabric in.
"What are you doing?" Lyssa said, throwing a look over her shoulder. "Doesn't it zip?"
"Nope." Lizbeth seemed to be enjoying this.
Lyssa spun around and looked in the mirror. Her back was completely bare, the fabric encircling her shoulders and the double-sided tape were the only thing keeping the dress from falling down.
She turned, panicked, to Lizbeth who seemed proud of her handiwork.
"I can't wear this!"
"Well, you are, and you'll shut up about it," Lizbeth said with a grin. "Because you look gorgeous."
"You know how awful they were when I wore that mini-skirt, and this is ten times worse!" Lyssa's voice was bordering on a whine. "They don't respect me now, please don't make me do this."
"If they don't respect you now, what harm will a dress cause?"
Lyssa could only whimper helplessly.
"You know how I dress, right?" Lizbeth asked. "And look at me. I'm leading a multi-agency investigation."
"It's different."
"Stop making excuses for people treating you like shit. Demand respect and you'll get it."
"I've been demanding—"
"No, you've been asking. You let Dissident put you back on probation."
"Dissident—"
"Didn't you tell me once that you threatened to beat the shit out of him if he put you back on?"
"Yeah but—"
"So why haven't you beat the shit out of him yet?"
"Because I deserved to go back on probation!" Lyssa barked, the words coming from somewhere deep within her.
"And why do you feel that is, my love?" Lizbeth adjusted the curls on Lyssa's shoulder. To Lyssa's stunned expression, Lizbeth simply patted her on the cheek. "It's probably the same reason why you can't hate the man who killed your pirate mentor, stole your inheritance, and doesn't even have the decency to recognize you. You should do some thinking on that." She paused gleefully. "After, of course, you have your date with Sage."
"It's not a date."
***
Sage was coming to retrieve Lyssa from the transport station, and in a bit of spaceship round-robin, Lizbeth was to take Lyssa's ship back to the Academy before hopping a transport back to S-864. Lizbeth said it was because they wanted to save Lyssa the credits of parking her ship for a day, but Lyssa was sure it was another attempt to keep her from running away.
As if she could run away in these heels. She needed to lean on Lizbeth to even make it out of her bedroom.
"How do you walk in these things?" Lyssa grunted, nearly rolling her ankle.
"Practice makes perfect," Lizbeth said. "Quit bitching. You'll ruin your makeup."
Grumbling, Lyssa quieted her complaints to focus on the task of putting one foot in front of the other. Slowly, painfully, they made it to the ramp of her ship.
"Wow," Sage's voice echoed.
She glanced up, doing a small double take. Sage stood at the foot of her ramp, or at least, she assumed it was him. The man in front of her was no pirate. Breathtakingly handsome in his tuxedo, Sage had his normally loose and wild hair gelled and combed neatly back. He was watching her with the same sort of amazed appraisal before rushing up to help walk her down.
"Wow," he repeated with a small laugh. "Just…wow."
"Right?" Lizbeth said proudly.
An uncomfortable feeling settled in Lyssa's stomach at their attention. "Stop it, both of you."
Lizbeth stepped away from Lyssa, who wobbled on her heels until Sage took her other arm. "You okay?" he asked.
"I hate these shoes," Lyssa seethed to Lizbeth.
"You'll survive." Lizbeth turned to Sage with a stern expression. "Have her home before curfew, young man."
"Thanks, Liz," Sage said with a wave. Lyssa felt the palm of his hand on her bare back and she snapped upright when the skin connected. Sage retracted his hand as if it were on fire.
"Sorry," he said, his face growing red. "I…whoa…" He stared at her bare back, and she watched his pupils dance up and down the length of her bare skin. Lizbeth's voice was in the back of her mind talking about friendships and Sage, and Lyssa screamed internally to drown it out.
"Let's go," she huffed.
Sage looked forward, his cheeks still tinted pink as he tried to force the smile off of his face and failing miserably.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he said, with a small cough. "You just look…really pretty."
She squirmed and folded her arms over her chest, already regretting this stupid decision, especially when she heard the loud whooping of the crew when she walked onto Sage's ship. They wore tuxedos as well, even the meatheads, who looked like they had retrieved theirs from a thrift store.
"I'm sorry, Sage, I thought you were going to pick up Razia," Ganon cackled. He also looked devilishly handsome in his tailored suit. "Seems like you picked up a lady instead."
In a quickness surprising even herself, Lyssa grabbed Ganon's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Not. Another. Word."
"Nope," Ganon whimpered under her grip. "You got the right girl…"
"Lyss, let him go," Sage said, his hand coming to her bare back again. The feeling was enough to shock her into letting Ganon go. Sage opened and closed his hand in front of him, stammering about needing to see to the ship's departure and bolted out up the back stairs.
"Man, I hope they let you back in the web," Ganon said, massaging his shoulder. "I'd hate to have to live with this will-they, won't-they shit every day…"
CHAPTER TEN
She had never actually been able to dock her ship within the city of D-882 as either Lyssa or Razia, and she had to admit that it was a lot easier to step into a lift and step out into where she was going. Especially wearing four-inch heels that felt like walking on knives.
She couldn't walk more than a few steps without rolling her ankles, so she held onto Sage's arm as a less-embarrassing alternative to falling on her face. He took care to walk slowly beside her, letting the crew bound off ahead of them in their damned flat shoes.
"I hate Lizbeth," she muttered as she nearly fell again.
"You've mentioned that a few times," Sage replied. "We're almost there."
She bobbled again, and Sage simply tightened his arm while she righted herself. He wore a smile that seemed comprised of infinite patience.
The party was on the renovated sixth floor of the Eamon's building, and when the lift doors opened, Razia's mouth fell open. Downstairs in the grungy pirate bar, the tables and chairs were cheap and dirty. But the room before them sparkled and gleamed with prestige, so much so that even Mrs. Dr. Sostas Peate might not find fault with it.
She drew her eyes from the ceiling adorned with brand new lights to the less-amusing sight of pirates in tuxedos being frisked by men twice their size. At the front of the entryway, a stuffy-looking man stood at a table checking C-cards. Two more giant men stood at the ready in case he should discover a pirate not on the approved list.
Sage guided her forward to the first set of brutes, a curious look on his face. "What's this?"
"Inspection for weapons." The man towered over even Sage, and was thicker than a tree.
"Since when do we have weapons?" Razia asked Sage who shrugged as he let go of her arm to remove his jacket for inspection.
"I'll take her for inspection." VJ, the normal bartender at Eamon's whom Razia regularly threatened, walked forward with a salacious grin on his face.
"Really?" Razia snapped, motioning to her skin-tight dress. The only thing she could see to hide was her mini-computer, strapped uncomfortably to her inner thigh. "Where in Leveman's am I going to hide weapons?"
VJ grinned. "I'm going to enjoy finding out."
She groaned in disgust and held out her arms as he grinned and stepped behind her almost too close for comfort.
"Mind the dress, will you?"
"Don't worry, baby, I'll be gentle," he cooed, sliding his hands down her arms, then down her side. When his fingers brushed against her braless chest, she elbowed him hard in the ribs.
He coughed amusedly and replied in her ear, "That's fine. I'm more of a butt man anyway." His hands floated down her hips, taking their time over her rear, and she squeezed her legs together lest he get any ideas. When he reached her feet, he stood up happily.
"Did you enjoy that?" Razia asked with ice on her tongue.
"I did, actually—"
She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him in close. "The next time I see you, I'm going to cut off your dick," she whispered before shoving him away and rejoining Sage.
"What was that about?" Sage asked, sliding his jacket over his shoulders again.
She glared at him, and he nodded in understanding, threading his arm through hers for support. They next had to pass two bouncers and a stuffy looking man checking a list of names.
He took one look at Razia and his eyes narrowed. "You are not supposed to be here!"
"She's with me," Sage replied easily and gave her a small wink. "I'm allowed to bring a date, aren't I?"
She heard a derisive snort behind her. "Was only a matter of time before you started sleeping your way to the top."
Razia flushed bright red and turned to see Relleck being patted down behind her. He had a sneer of disgust on his face, especially when Sage's hand rested on the bare small of her back. This time, he did not pull away.
"Let it go, remember why you're here," Sage muttered to her, tossing Relleck a look. "He just wishes he could sleep with you."
"This was a bad idea," she murmured to herself. It was her worst fear realized. Everyone now thought she was simply Sage Teon's bimbo.
"This is not a bad idea," Sage replied before turning to the guard. "Can we pass already?"
"Fine," the guard said, motioning them forward. "You and your crew and your…date are to be seated at table five. Dal will show you to your seat."
Razia did a double take. It was Dal Jamus, the very first bounty she'd taken down after she was off probation the first time. He didn't seem to recognize her, or if he did, he wasn't acknowledging her, as he led them into the room.
"What?" Sage asked.
"Hard to believe I captured him," she said quietly, so Jamus wouldn't hear. "He's humungous."
"You think you could take him down wearing that dress?" Sage teased.
Razia thought about hanging upside-down in her dress and shuddered. "I would prefer to not do anything athletic until I can put a bra back on."
"Wait you aren't wearing a bra?" Sage whistled. "Wow."
Razia wasn't sure if he was commenting on her bralessness or the state of the room. Insurgent had spared no expense in the remodel of this room. Gone were the multiple rooms of dancers, the dull thud of the terrible music, the dim lights. Instead, swaths of shimmering gold draperies hung from newly installed ivory columns. Light, classical music wafted over the quiet conversation of tuxedo-wearing pirates, none of whom she recognized without a few moments of staring at them. Everyone was seated around circular tables covered in white linens and gold silverware.
"This is…pretty impressive," she said, as a waiter strolled by with crystal champagne glasses sparkling delicately.
"Harms was telling me that the runners paid obscene amounts of money to Insurgent for this," Sage said.
"How much of that went to this, and how much went to Insurgent?" Razia asked with a grin.
Sage shared her smile, and her stomach jumped. "I'd say about fifty-fifty."
They arrived at their table, and Razia sat down, thankful to be off her feet again. Sage took the seat next to her and the rest of his crew filled the rest of the table. She rotated in her chair and scanned the room in earnest, checking every face against her memory bank of pirates, marking off who was a top pirate and who—
"Enough," Sage said, interrupting her thoughts. He was pouring champagne into her glass. "Can't you take a break for one night?" He left his glass empty but poured for the rest of the crew.
"I'm looking for the runners," Lyssa said, finally spotting them at the other end of the room. Even they looked moderately better, although Contestant had taken it an extra step by wearing a vivid purple suit and a matching hat with a giant feather that extended behind him. She narrowed her eyes and turned back around to Sage. "Okay, let's go talk to them—"
"We will, we will," Sage said, gently turning her in her seat to face the front, "but later."
"Later?" she gasped. "Later, I want to get out of here, I need to get back to work—"
"Every single person that you would even consider hunting is sitting in this room," Sage reminded her. "And you aren't going to get the runners to agree to anything while they're sober."
She opened her mouth and then closed it again; he did have a point.
"So, relax. You look gorgeous and literally everyone is looking at you."
She jumped a little bit and became aware of the rest of the room. Indeed, she spotted Max Fried at the next table over, giving her an approving glance. Costa Enoch was next to him, nodding approvingly. On the other side, some of Insurgent's pirates were also talking and pointing at her.
"They're probably talking about how I'm here with you and I look idiotic," she said, swiping the glass of champagne and drinking it. The bubbles tingled as they went down, and she picked up the menu to hide her embarrassment. Again, she was struck with the expense and effort that went into planning this celebration. A five-course meal was on the menu, with only the finest ingredients and a few creatures that Razia was sure were on the Planetary and System Science Academy's list of protected species.
Sage peered over her shoulder to read off the meal order. "This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen," he said to Ganon who shook his head. Sage sat back and threw his arm over the back of Razia's chair. "All these pirates, sitting here like they're some kind of fine royalty. Half of these guys are gonna go plow some prostitute tonight."
"I give it one hour before this turns into a total shit-show," Ganon said, raising his glass at Sage. "Fifty credits."
Sage looked to be considering that bet. "Hour and a half and a hundred."
"Forty-five minutes," Sobal piped up from across the table. "And—"
"No, see, this is where you need to learn, kid," Ganon said, helping himself to more champagne. "All the rabble-rousers aren't here yet. They gotta get here and get plastered before things really go to shit."
"Relleck's here," Sage said, nodding to the table on the other side of the room where Relleck glowered angrily. "Who for some reason looks like he wants to kill me…"
Razia couldn't stop a wince before it crossed her face, and both Ganon and Sage noticed it.
"Ooooh," Ganon cooed, "did something happen? Twenty credits says something happened."
