03 Solar Flare - Spark Series Read Free Page B

bet he had no
trouble finding dates.
    Azor must have thought she was ignoring him.
He noted the angle of the nearly empty cup she braced on her leg.
Those green eyes of his rose to take her measure. “You’re welcome
to make one for yourself while you’re at it.”
    She sighed. It was clear there was no dealing
with him until he’d finished whatever he was doing. She could
always dump the tea over his head if he took too long.
    While she was preparing their drinks, Chief
Puyta, her father’s old friend, came by. His green hair was mostly
gray now, but it only added to the Kiuyian’s natural dignity. The
father of four daughters, he looked at her now with an air of grave
concern. “Brandy, it’s good to see you well. Azor told me he saw
you in a dangerous part of town last night.”
    “Did he also tell you he stole my car?”
Brandy softened her comment by handing him a cup of tea. Since he
was practically an uncle, she felt compelled to explain, “I was
taking a shortcut. He was dodging bullets.”
    The chief sipped his drink while he
considered her statement. “His report said it was clubs and knives.
No shots were fired.”
    She rolled her eyes as she prepared her
drink. He was so literal. Perhaps his daughters had taught him to
beware of exaggeration. “He jumped in front of my car.”
    “I looked it over myself this morning. You’ll
be happy to know he left no blood. You need to change your coolant,
though.”
    She sighed. He had a talent for lecturing
without touching a subject. “I hear you. I’ll ask him how he’s
doing.”
    The chief looked satisfied.
    Brandy felt rather like a chastened child as
she returned to Azor with the cups. He glanced at her face, noted
her expression and looked over his shoulder. “Ah. The chief’s been
at you.”
    “He has a talent,” she said glumly as she
carefully handed him his cup. “So, how bad’s the bruising?”
    He took a sip before answering. “I’ll be
fine.”
    She looked at him uncomfortably. “I’m
sorry.”
    He set the cup down. “There, that wasn’t so
hard.” There was a suspicious twitch about his lips. “Why don’t we
go get your transport before you combust from all that
charity?”
    “It’s not hard to understand why people want
to kill you,” she said matter-of-factly as she rose. She followed
his long stride toward the back of the station. It took some brisk
walking to keep up with him, but she didn’t complain. As usual, the
man made her uncomfortable. She wanted away from him as soon as
possible.
    She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw
for herself that the transport was fine. She hadn’t had it that
long, and she took good care of her stuff. The idea of someone else
messing with it was unsettling.
    He handed her the keys. “I refueled it for
you.”
    “If only all car thieves were so kind,” she
said drolly. He reached around her, and she blinked as he opened
the door for her, not used to such courtesy. “Thank you.”
    He tilted his head. When she’d slipped
inside, he leaned down. “The chief mentioned you need your coolant
changed.”
    She sighed. “I know. I’ll get to it.”
    “I could do it for you. After all, I owe
you.”
    She looked at the steering wheel as she
thought about it. The idea of him doing her a personal service made
her tense. She didn’t want to have any kind of exchange with him,
no matter how mundane. They weren't the kind of people who should
interact more than was strictly necessary. “I was just…cranky last
night. You don’t really owe me anything.”
    “I want to.” It was part of the unwritten
code of far-flung colonies that people paid their debts. She’d done
him a favor, let him steal her transport. He’d do her one—fix the
transport. That would end their mutual obligation. Very tidy.
    She risked a glance at him. His expression
gave nothing away. She hesitated, but really, what could it hurt?
“Okay, but just because I hate doing it so much.”
    His lips flirted with a smile.