He tapped again and the map disappeared, replaced by the feed from the detention area, showing Griff’s angry outburst. “You don’t want to be on the wrong end of that.”
“Now get out of here.” As they all filtered toward the door, he barked, “Not you, Sanderson.”
What in the hells had she done now?
Her foot tapping in staccato rhythm on the lino, Kylie hung back, nodding encouragement at Pax as he left without her. “Why not me, Jaco?”
“Well.” He scuffed his feet then took a few steps backward. “I got a comm call.”
“And?” He was stalling. She might be in trouble. Had something she’d done gotten to the upper echelons? All she read on his face was embarrassment.
“The, uh, Colonel wants you to make a visit home.”
She blinked, stunned at her father’s audacity. “I—No way.” Outrageous. “Are you playing message boy for my father? Seriously?”
He held out his hands, affecting an innocent expression. “Come on, Sanderson. Take one for the team.”
“Jaco, we’re finally ready to crack this case. This is no time for me to be missing in action.”
“I agree. You’re a valuable member of the team. You’ve given us the only real break we’ve had. But I’m really stuck between a rock and a hard place here.”
The truth eluded her. If he acknowledged she was so necessary, why was he sending her away? “Just lay it on the table, will you?”
“Look, I didn’t want to tell the guys this, but I’ll share it with you.” He came closer, staying out of arm’s reach. Smart man. “We’ve been cut. I’ve strung things along this far, practically holding my breath. When this op is done, I’ll have to let someone go because I just can’t afford a full squad any more. Probably Loring.”
Kylie considered well-intentioned rookie Pax, enthusiastic and a good evidence collector. He loved this work as if it was a girlfriend. His heart would be broken.
Jaco went on, “I’m battling every other division of planetary law enforcement to get the money to haul our people around the subdivisions. Paranormal and oddity investigation isn’t exactly high on everyone’s list of priorities, you know.”
“So my father’s going to fund our department if I go visit. Really?”
She knew it wasn’t Jaco’s fault, but she couldn’t just let him off the hook. Not because she was angry with him, but because she hated how her father always managed to do this to her. He couldn’t keep his hands off her life. One of these days, she’d cut those ties so he’d never get back in. Never.
“Reality check, Sanderson. Comes with the paycheck.”
“So tell me how much my visit’s worth to him. At least make me feel justified.”
He stared at the piles of boxes on the table. “Twenty thousand kronins.”
Whoa.
Her father was serious this time. That much could buy a fleet of shiny new economy vehicles. What was so important?
“I wouldn’t ask you if I had another choice. It’s your family. How bad can it be?”
Her lips pursed, holding back the torrent of words defining the depth of the break between herself and her father. The saddest part, of course, was if he’d quit pulling crap like this, she might be able to tolerate him.
She took a deep breath. “Bad enough I won’t go unless my boss is blackmailed for twenty thousand kronins.”
He started to speak and she raised a hand in his direction, palm flat toward him. “Skip it. This is crap and you know it. I’m going. Not for you. For Pax. I’ll return tomorrow and I’ll expect to be right back on this case.” He started to speak and she waved a finger at him. “What you’re going to say is, ‘Yes, Kylie.’”
He chewed his lip then nodded. “Yes, Kylie.”
“Asshat.” She stormed out. Twenty minutes to pack then she’d hop an interplanetary to Santoso. She’d stay just long enough to give the old man a piece of her mind then she’d be back. There had to be a way to convince Griff to tell her what he knew. In the meantime, she’d pack a couple sleeptabs in her bag, so she could use the six-hour IP transit to catch up on her sleep. At least the trip wouldn’t be a total waste.
Chapter 6
Every time she returned, the first view of her family home shouted ostentatious overspending.
The estate, for so the Colonel liked to refer to it, encompassed half a planetary subdivision. He had started with a modestly sized property then slowly bought up those around him with a combination of large sums of cash and blackmail when possible. He hired a staff of twenty to tend to his every need, and once his needs were met, his family’s too.
Kylie and Nissa had wanted for no material thing while they were growing up. The Colonel’s business empire funded a private school education, debutante balls and the indulging of most any whim they’d come up with. They’d had their own vehicles at a young age, private lessons in martial arts and even a stable of quadrupeds to ride. Although, Nissa had preferred to ride the hot young stable boy.
Kylie asked the cabbie to drop her at the end of the driveway. She preferred to avoid the cloying fuss over guests who arrived at the front door, staff members helping them from the car, her mother, wrapped in her layers of imported pastel silk robes, coming out for a formal greeting. She slung her small suitcase over one shoulder and her work case over the other then walked through the perfectly manicured lawns with their collections of rare imported flora. She didn’t wave to the hidden cameras, though she was under no illusion that she wasn’t being observed. The Colonel’s security was top notch.
Each step took her farther into a world from which she’d tried so hard to distance herself. As much as she wanted her father to approve of her, to see all the good she accomplished, he refused. The pain of his rejection sparked her own, almost by automatic reflex. If he couldn’t love and respect her for what she had become, she needed to close that door.
But he wouldn’t let go.
She struggled to remain positive in the face of tentacles that sucked at her without possibility of escape, no matter how far she went. Her resentful haze tainted this landscaped beauty that the Colonel paid thousands each year to cultivate.
Greeting several groundskeepers as she passed them, she strolled up the drive to the front steps. She’d learned to be respectful and appreciative of the staff. It was the best way to garner their assistance in thwarting the Colonel’s directives. A smirk came to her lips as she thought about some of the mischief she’d gotten into over the years. No wonder her father assigned a security guy just to watch over her. She shook her head to clear the memories.
Focus on the present. And her anger at being summoned as if her own life activities didn’t matter. As if it was right to blackmail her through her boss, at the price of her co-worker’s career.
The polished stone steps of the three-story white building were spotless. Probably some poor employee had scrubbed them until the wee hours, whether anyone appreciated them or not. She reached for the door handle, promising herself she’d get through this.
The heavy wooden door opened without a sound. Amaranta had redecorated since Kylie had been here eight months before. Instead of heavy dark pieces with red upholstery, she’d now chosen white pieces with blue cushions and trim. A lot more antiques, good ones. Certainly the Colonel wouldn’t tolerate cheap reproductions.