19. Elodie

When I told Calder about Sarai’s research, his expression changed. For a split second, I saw a different man. Someone cold as ice, ruthless and driven.

And then he smiled down at me, and it was Calder again.

There are things about me that you don’t know. Things I haven’t been able to tell you.

What could they be? What’s he keeping from me? What did that woman, Deandra, want with him last night, and why is it so important that I stay in this hotel room?

I could have asked Calder to tell me the truth last night. He would have answered my questions. He would have explained the fancy clothes and the expensive ship that costs thousands of credits to fuel. He would have told me how he knew the private shuttle terminal layout on Harte. Wouldn’t he?

But last night, I didn’t ask. Last night, being with Calder was more important.

And now he’s gone, and I’m supposed to stay here until he returns. How long could that be? I don’t know; he didn’t say. And when I try calling him on his comm, for the first time since I’ve known him, he doesn’t answer.

You trust Calder, I remind myself. There’s nothing to worry about.

Right?

I orderbreakfast from the hotel’s room service menu, trying not to wince at the cost. There’s no way Onel Corp will cover this. I’ll have to pay for it myself. Adding insult to injury, the food, when it finally arrives, isn’t very good. The congee is lukewarm and lumpy, and the hot sauce isn’t spicy. The noodle place would have been much better.

An hour passes and then another with no word from Calder. It’s almost time for my meeting with the Starslinger reps. Should I go, or should I cancel? I’m almost ready to call them when my comm chimes.

Calder. Thank stars.

I grab it eagerly, but the person who materializes on my screen isn’t my podmate. No, it’s quite literally the last person in the universe I want to see right now.

Foder Throop.

“Elodie,” he says, a serious expression on his face. “I’m afraid I have some bad news.”

What now? “What is it?”

“You said Calder was a bodyguard? I’m afraid he’s been lying to you.” He looks sympathetic, which is a very odd look for him. “He was in a fight, and… It’s easier if I show you.”

Typical. He saw Calder being beaten up and came running to me to gloat about my boyfriend’s so-called physical prowess.

“Watch this.”

He recorded Calder instead of helping him? Throop is literally the worst.

But the vid that plays on the screen isn’t set in Luxaria, and Calder isn’t being attacked. He’s doing the attacking.

He’s in a fight ring. Crowds of people press into the walls from every direction, their eyes glued to the center. As I watch, a drum starts to beat, and a huge, hulking creature in the rough shape of a man strides into the ring.

A Crill Centurion. Pumped with drugs and protected by an exosuit, Centurions are the pride of the Crill army, the pinnacle of their military power. They are killing machines, ruthless and relentless.

“This fight took place in the Juventus Sector on Harte at a club called Cage. Your boyfriend Calder is fighting Bull.”

I’ve heard of Cage. Nobody I know watches the fights, but they’re extremely popular among some people. The most savage fights happen in the Juventus Sector, and the most vicious of those are held at Cage. The authorities have been trying to shut the venue down for as long as I’ve lived on Harte, but they’ve never managed to succeed.

Calder is a courier. What is he doing at Cage?

But is he really a courier, a small voice in the back of my mind asks. He used to be a soldier. His skin is laced with scars. He’s come home every day covered in bruises, bruises he told me he got when he was attacked in unsafe sectors. I believed him.

I’m starting to see what a fool I’ve been.

The fight unfolds in front of me. The Centurion swings his massive fist at Calder, but my podmate dives to the ground an instant before the fist can make contact. He kicks the Centurion in the knee, jerks him off his feet, and slams his head into the ground.

How is this possible?

The Centurion lumbers to his feet, bellowing in rage. Calder waits, relaxed and ready. He roars and charges again, but this time Calder doesn’t move. Instead, he grabs the other man’s arm and twists it behind his back. The Centurion screams in pain, but Calder doesn’t let go.

“Then there’s this.” Foder’s voice drags me back to my penthouse room in Luxaria. A different image replaces the fight on the screen. This time, Calder and Sarai are sitting on a bed, and he’s got his arm around her shoulders. “This was three hours ago.”

Nausea fills me. Three hours ago, my pod mate jumped out of bed and raced out of our hotel room.

To be with Sarai?

None of this makes sense, and I feel like I’m about to be sick. My mind is churning; I need air and answers. And only one person can give me the latter.

Calder.

“I don’t know where Sarai is,” Foder continues. “But your boyfriend is at the Hotel Devonshire. He’s about to fight another Crill Centurion.”

I pull up a map. Hotel Devonshire is one skimmer stop away from our hotel, around the corner from the noodle restaurant we ate dinner at just two nights ago.

I need to see Calder. Talk to him. I need to know why he’s been lying to me about everything.