Domestic Duet: Domestic Alliance & Asset (17 page)

“Good bye, Captain.”

“Sadie!” He tried again. “Sadie.”

He could hear the muffled scrape of a hand covering her device. “I hear you, Aroc, but I can’t fight with you right now. I’m at the courthouse researching Stadium Bank. Richard put in for a special government license to be able to transport fuel from his warehouse.”

“What warehouse, Sadie?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t have a warehouse.”

“Find out and report back to me, Detective”

“I’ll do my best, Captain. You know protocol. Captain Holston, then you.”

He hissed. “Be careful…Sadie.”

He sat quiet. How would he tell her he’d mated her without her consent? He wouldn’t. Without the mark, no one would know. He’d allow her to make the choice to come into his world completely or stay friends for Norese’s wellbeing.

The door buzzer sounded. The metal panels slid open. Montage emerged from the back entrance instead of the home corridor. He approached, tilting his head at the sleeping Norese on his chest.

“Go ahead, Montage…report,” he said setting down the electronic device. His daughter hummed in her sleep.

Montage settled his hands on the table to lean his face toward a sleeping Norese. “She hums in her sleep?”

“Sadie hums…now Norese hums.” Aroc smirked, smoothing a hand over Norese’s creamy skin before cupping her round cheeks. “She misses her.”

Montage straightened up, looking around the room. “Have you decided if you’ll release her permanently, or has my captain found his mate?”

He had to honor his friendship with Sadie. If she’d found a man, he’d release her to live her life.

“What do you have to report?”

Montage moved into the sturdy chair in front of his desk then sat forward absently touching Norese’s limp hand on the desk. All of his males found her amusing when she slept on his lap, her fingers locked around Aroc’s baby finger. He removed his hand then returned to his purpose for being there.

“They’re accepting contaminated shipments on the dark side. Here’s the report.” He pushed the device across the desk. “The commander on the human space station was correct. Containers that don’t pass inspection are being sold to the dark side at a thirty percent discount.”

Aroc sat forward regarding his commander, hoping he heard wrong. “What are they doing with the contaminated fuel?”

“Filtering it down an additional thirty percent so it passes inspection and selling it to other countries unable to afford the American prices… These fuels pass inspection, but are of no use as a fuel to run machines for long periods of time, leaving a residue to build up in their flow tubes.”

“So they’re purchasing more often and then selling the discards back to Sector Five as fuel ready to be recycled to the humans.”

“Have you spoken with the ocean king this week about the fuel we sent last month?”

Aroc knew he referred to the underwater world humans had no idea existed and traded sulfur for their recycled fuel. A clean burn in the ocean.

“Yes. Augustine reported everything going well. His sons will take on mates in a few years and we’ll deal with them.”

“Good, his son Dagger will make a good king. I haven’t met the other brothers yet.”

Certain Norese was in that deep sleep, Aroc got to his feet, gently lowered her to the sofa along the wall, tucked a blanket over her, and then came around the desk. He eased onto the corner. “Notify all captains around the planet that anyone found participating in any rogue act against the humans with the shipments involving recycled fuel will face prison.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “This treaty’s brought out the negative and greed in our people. We can’t conduct business this way and keep peace.”

“Has she agreed to be human liaison?”

“The special project,” he said shaking his head. “I’ll speak to her this weekend. We need her on this account.”

“True,” Montage replied as he typed out a message and sent it on. “Have you introduced your female to the other females yet?” he asked.

“No. I’m releasing her this week to give her back her freedom.”
And pray she decides she wants to stay.

Chapter 7

Sadie stood in the front room of the Edwards’ home, her attention trained on the clock on the piano. Less than three hours before the meeting should give her enough time to finish cleaning then search his office.

Sunlight bounced down over the beveled glass inserts in the coffee table. A colorful fan of
Life
magazines arced over one side of its surface. Every other headline read:
Are we sharing our planet with little green men?

She rolled her eyes.

People, if you only knew how alone we weren’t.

Stop thinking and get to work.

She’d already prepared the family’s dinner earlier to give herself time to search Edwards’ office. A large roast sizzling to a luscious mahogany in the oven, while small yellow potatoes sat in a sauce pan on the stove awaiting butter, milk, a dash of cream, a little salt, and a sprinkling of pepper to be whipped into smooth peaks. The fresh corn sat boiled and buttered. A chocolate cake with buttercream frosting cooled in the icebox.

She hurried to Richard’s office at the end of the hall, slid back the pocket door with the worn brass mechanism, and crossed the olive-green sculpted carpet. Each step released a hint of the cigarette smell she could never completely remove from the carpet. Not even the bowl of vinegar she’d left in there last week. She had things that were more important on her mind.

There had to be more than that one envelope in his desk and she’d find it. Settled in the leather desk chair, she carefully searched the small desk drawers. Household bills, a few new pens, a red and white box of Marlboros, and a dry cleaning ticket for his winter overcoat.

At a sound, she rushed over to peer out of the window overlooking the driveway. A calico cat sat content on the outside windowsill. A breath of relief whooshed from her lips.

She opened and closed every drawer until she tugged on the door on the credenza. Locked. Where would he hide the key?

Getting to her feet, she searched the small bar, checking under bottles, shot glasses, then the ice bucket, but came up empty. Suddenly, a glint of metal reflected through the glass walls from beneath the bottle of Scotch on the low shelf. Of course, his favorite Friday night booze. Removing the tiny key, she hurried to the credenza, and then dropped to her knees. The key fit the lock on the credenza revealing a wall safe from behind the door.

Sadie threw her head back. “Why oh why have a combination lock on the safe when it already needs a key to open. What’s in there, a key to the Knox vault?” she said to no one.

Crawling over the tightly woven carpet, she blew out a frustrated breath as her knees took a beating on the rough fibers. At the desk, she ran her hands under the center drawer; revealing she knew Mr. Edwards better than she’d thought. Running her hand under the unvarnished side of the drawer, she felt the edge of a piece of paper. With the tip of her fingernail, she pried away the piece of tape securing it in place.

She held it to the light, memorized the number then replaced the paper. At the credenza, she rotated the tumbler, her sweaty fingers slipping on the grooves. Right, left, right.

The satisfying click of the steel door opening released the tension in her shoulders. A bead of sweat cooled on her nape. Sadie wiped her moist hand on her maid’s uniform as the truth hit her square in the heart.
This will unhinge Savannah to know Richard’s a thief.
Blinking back her disgust, she steadied her hand to continue.

She reached inside to grab the papers, while keeping her attention on the sounds outside. Copies of bonds printed on linen paper, a life insurance policy, the house mortgage, then the paper she needed…Government fuel treaty. How did he get his hands on the treaty?

Sadie gleaned the bright blue words…

Humans and Karuntee will interact on the contingency that a respectful dialog remains in pursuit of an ethical and profitable exchange of technology and environmental progress. If either party breeches this, the offending party will pay a fine not to exceed four times that of the infringement cost. More than one occurrence and the treaty will go before a review board to sustain reasonable cause to continue with the alliance.

Sadie released a sigh of frustration. This wasn’t the first time the treaty had been compromised, so why hadn’t Aroc brought them before the board? Lost in thought, Sadie sank on her haunches. What wasn’t she seeing?

A car door slammed, and the sound reverberated through the thin windows. Sadie crawled on hands and knees over to the window. Holding back the edge of the curtain, she peered down the driveway, along the chain link fence separating the Edwards driveway from the neighbor’s house. There were no cars or even a child riding a bike. Paranoid of being caught, her mind picked up every sound.

She made her way over to the desk, tucking hair behind her ear before she flipped through the folder. Too much information. With no time to copy its contents, she pulled out her transmittal device and scanned it with the camera function, submitting the information directly to Captain Holston on Sector Five.

The door to the kitchen closed. The sound reached the office making Sadie stiffen.

“Sadie...anyone home? Dinner smells good.” Richard Edwards’ solid voice echoed through the house.

He’d gone through the alley entrance to the garage and came in through the breezeway.

Palms sweaty, she shoved the papers into the envelope and returned it to the metal vault. Her attention remained on the office door. Pain claimed her middle finger shooting fire down her arm. Cursing, she whirled around to drop to her knees and saw her finger trapped in the vault’s door. Eyes watered at the sight of her skin turning a bluish gray near the joint under her fingernail.

“Ow!”

The tumblers clinked when she twisted the dial right then left then right. Her finger throbbed. Tears dripped down her cheeks.

She gritted her teeth, when the metal released her and blood surged into the tip. She stuck her finger under her arm as she let a few more curses fly. The returning blood hurt more than the pinching had.

Composed, Sadie pushed the door of the safe closed, then the credenza’s door. Getting to her feet, she ran across to the bar returned the key under the bottle, then slipped out of Richard’s office. And was greeted by the man himself.

“Sadie,” he said setting his briefcase on the floor. “Can I help you with something?” He gave the briefest glance onto his office then back to her. He held a curious tilt to his head, more of a glower. “You thoroughly cleaned my office yesterday. Were you looking for something?”

Evidence to lock your stealing, conniving behind away for the rest of your life.

She couldn’t say that aloud.

Think. Think. Think.

Go with the truth.

“Your mail’s on your desk,” she told him. “Your guest don’t need to know every store you hold a line of credit with, now do they? People become needy when they find out you have two dollars and only need one.”

“You’re an attentive woman.” She accepted his hat, resting the tan brim on the palm of her hand, and using it to shield the slight tremble in her hands. “You’re always thinking, Sadie…always on your toes. What’s wrong with your hand?” His long veined fingers closed around her wrist. “Here, let me look.”

“Oh, I jammed it unclogging the vacuum cleaner. Don’t concern yourself. I’m fine.” Adrenaline thundered at the pulse in her temple. “Anything else you might think of before I go?”

He sighed then pulled out a cigarette, tapping it on the doorjamb. “Why are you here cooking and cleaning on your day off?” Edwards asked peering over his shoulders.

His suspicion showed in his accusing stare.

She fluffed the pillow on the low sofa. “The auxiliary sponsored garden party’s this weekend and every detail must be seen to. Savannah’s gone to pick up Timothy from swim class.” She straightened to look at him back in his doorway. “Is there something I can do for you while I’m here, other than finish dinner and wait for your guests to arrive?”

Richard Edwards studied her, his body propped along the casing of his office door. “Sadie…” he said her name a little too familiar, too accusatory. “Anything you see in my office…stays in my office… Understand?”

Sadie didn’t flinch. “Yes, Mr. Edwards.”

Snake in the grass, what are you up to?

“Sadie—the word you saw on the folder while cleaning my office,
OCHI
, refers to a new client at the bank. Old Country Holdings Incorporated,” he recited in a bland yet, don’t challenge me, tone.

Conflicted on how to react, Sadie swallowed the compulsion to call him a liar, and instead gave a shy smile and pretended to understand.

“Of course,” she replied suspiciously. “I knew it had to be a coincidence that the initials were the same as my middle name Ochi.”
Or a bag of lies.
What lie will you tell when they come for you, Satan’s henchman?

Richard folded his arms. “It’s refreshing to see you understand discretion in business.” He eyed the wooden antique clock on the piano in the corner of the living room, and then returned his venom on her. “Weren’t you cooking back in the kitchen?” The smooth lines of his suit bunched under now folded arms.