Chapter 14
Ilooked around our lodgings until I found Lily. She had her eyes closed, concentrating on something in a corner of the room. I sat down and waited for her to finish as patiently as I could. It had to be only five minutes before she cracked her eyes open, spotted me, and did a double-take.
"Captain, if you need me, please feel free to disturb me at any time," she told me.
"It's fine." I waved a hand. "I was just coming to check on you and perhaps ask for something."
"Please, ask away. There's nothing I wouldn't do for you, Captain." Lily gestured forward.
I leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, which must have startled her by the way she paused, blinked, and gently laid a hand where I'd kissed her.
"I will now do even more," she promised, and I chuckled.
"You already promised to do everything. What more could I even ask of you?" I smiled.
"I do not know, Captain." She paused and stared at the ground between us. "However, I will endeavor to do that, too."
I moved to next to her and wrapped an arm around her. "When we went out today, we managed to get a job for Violet. However"—I paused—"I don't entirely trust the woman who gave us the job. Not to mention, as we left, some people attacked us."
Lily's face set into a deep scowl. "While you were with Violet, you were attacked?" She stopped cuddling with me and quickly began inspecting me, finding the light burns and pulling her jar of salve out, along with her captain stress-o-meter.
"Don't worry, they were crappy pistols fired at too far a range," I told her, but she’d hear none of that as she gently started applying the salve to the burns.
"Meaning, if they had been better pistols, you might have been severely injured." Her eyes glowed pink, and I could tell it wasn't like the times when she was warming up for bedtime activities. Lily was pissed.
"Don't do anything about it. Violet did the best she could. Honestly, the problem was me. When it comes to a scuffle, it seems I'm a bit of a liability. When we're back on the ship, I'm absolutely going to spend more time on those trainers."
Lily nodded once, then paused, scowling again. "And what happened to these people?"
"Violet let them go after disarming them," I said flatly, not putting any bias into my voice.
Lily snorted, growled, and appeared torn between getting up to show Violet how she felt about that and staying with me. I tipped the scales by pulling her close again. She froze, then cuddled up against me, grumbling under her breath.
"Don't pretend you don't like this, or I might have to stop," I teased her.
She paused. "Never." She clung to me. Her suit began to stretch around me as if it wanted to seal me in with her.
I grabbed at it and began pulling it back, lest it actually happen. "Anyways, as I was saying…” I started.
“There's more?" Lily's eyes flashed dangerously, but I continued on.
"We walked up to where Violet's master once lived. Unfortunately, it seems to have been turned into a quarry."
"That is odd." Lily nodded.
"I suspect there's something underground at Violet's master's estate that they want," I told her.
"Not so odd." Lily nodded, now on the same page. "You would like me to investigate this location?"
"Yeah. Especially since it's owned by the same people who tried to get Brick hooked on gambling.
I have a feeling they're on this world for more than just business.
" I paused. "I don't fully understand what the obsession is with Violet's master, or how Violet can talk about her as if she was a one-woman army equal to a spaceship. "
"I could destroy a spaceship." Lily shrugged.
"Yeah, but you're you, and Violet's master couldn’t compare."
Somehow, that comparison made Lily beam, and she kissed me softly on the cheek. "You say the sweetest things."
I ran my hand across her hip, my fingers teasing at the suit. Having grown comfortable with the fact that it simply regenerated every time it was damaged, I hooked a finger in, twisted, and ripped it enough to slide my hand through and cup her skin.
Lily's eyes fluttered, and she bit her lip, blushing at me. "And what are you doing, Captain?"
"Touching you," I said simply. "The suit is soft. However, I'm finding myself increasingly attracted to laying my hands on your bare skin."
"You may rip my suit any time," Lily stated emphatically. It began to heal around my wrist, sealing my hand inside, though that didn't bother me as I traced small circles along her hip and even brushed her rear.
"If you can investigate the site at all, I'd appreciate it," I told her. The act of touching her wasn’t connected to the request; I just wanted to feel close to Lily while talking to her.
"What will you do if I investigate it?" Lily asked, eyes closed, looking as though she were about to start purring.
"Depends." I scowled, thinking of Brick. "The way they went after Brick, I wouldn't mind taking something from them. But I'd like to understand what they're doing first. And I'd like to keep our investigation from Violet until we know more."
"I can simply jump whatever fence they may have." Lily nodded.
"They seem to have android security," I told her.
Lily waved a hand. "Not a concern. However, it may be hard for me to escape all notice if I do break in." She paused. "How much of a rush are we in?"
"Nothing too urgent. We'll still be here a while. Violet got a job."
Lily nodded. "From what I saw of the aftermath of the fight with Triade, she is indeed a skilled fighter." She bobbed her head.
“If Brick hadn't lost our money, we'd have enough to get out of here. But this should get us back on track,” I told her.
"Would you like me to get rid of Brick?" My words had earned a chilling glare from Lily, though it wasn’t meant for me.
"No. This isn't his fault," I said firmly.
"It is his fault. He should know better," Lily demanded.
"No, it really isn't. His people have a propensity for gambling to the point that it's been made illegal throughout much of the galaxy, and in places where the law isn't looking, they simply push it hard.
" I glared. "If I didn't know better, I'd suspect that this whole Perez gambling house targeted our ship specifically and made it difficult for us to find work just to push us into an even more desperate situation. "
"And how do you know better?" Lily asked.
"Because no one has that kind of power. That would mean they practically controlled the city, and even then, they couldn't get everyone on the same page that fast," I grumbled.
"What if they don't target you specifically but all new arrivals?" Lily tilted her head.
I frowned and glanced at her. "If I were a financial predator like these people, I would know that some percentage of new arrivals would be in need of money and hoping to turn around and leave. And if they arrived here, that means they're part of a ship's crew."
"A ship is good collateral." Lily nodded. "If they can hook a few officers, even just a few a year, they could potentially snap up a number of ships. Just need to set a trap laid wide open for anyone to step into."
I stared at Lily and blinked, thinking through the conversations we'd had.
Besides a few rather shady offers we'd turned down, it had seemed like no one wanted to hire the foreigners.
I had taken it for some form of xenophobia.
However, whether it was that or something broader…
I suddenly wondered if she couldn't be at least partially right.
I shook my head. "Regardless, we're having trouble with money. And if there's one person I wouldn't mind taking some from, it's the gambling houses." I squinted at Lily. "Now, on to another topic. You and Melgara, what are you up to?"
"Hmm?" Lily suddenly clammed up, cuddling closer and kissing me on the cheek before moving her mouth to my lips.
I wasn't going to say no to the kiss, but I pulled back after brushing her lips, squinting. "I don't like secrets."
"Melgara asked for my help with something. It's not mine to tell," Lily whined, staring at my lips and wanting more.
I squinted at her, then nodded. "Fair enough. I won't squeeze between you and Melgara. I'm happy to see the two of you are getting along." I gave Lily a heated kiss, my hand still inside her suit. "How about we take a break before everyone gets back for dinner?"
Lily kissed me again fiercely, then came up for air, breathless. She wiggled against me until she was in my lap, straddling me with her fingers in my hair. "If this is an interrogation, I think you will succeed."
"No," I chuckled. "I just missed you while I was out with Violet all day."
She paused, her eyes searching mine. "Really?"
"Yes." I chuckled and kissed her again. "The truth is, Lily, I'm becoming increasingly attached to you.
The first thing I thought when I suspected we were in trouble was wishing you were with us.
Violet did just fine, but I can't say there wasn't a moment where the concern crossed my mind that I wouldn't see you again. "
I trailed my hand up from her hips and scooted her securely into my lap, kissing her again before pausing to stare into her eyes. "Of course, if you're interested, I don't think being together physically is the last step of this. But it’s a good block of the engine we’re building."
She paused, nodded, then held me by the wrist and popped out of my lap, lifting me with enough strength that I found it comical she ever let me push her around at all.
"What?" she asked as she dragged me through the front room where Tiri had disappeared and up the stairs.
"Nothing. You're just strong as all hell, Lily," I told her.
She nodded sharply. "You were saying this is still part of the beginning?" she asked as we reached the door.
I nodded. "You're right. This isn't the end. In fact, I think it's still just the beginning." I pushed the door open and grabbed her by the wrist. "It's finally time I take the lead."