2
Liam
—
Liam strode across the conveyor to the parking silo. His thoughts wandered to the beautiful woman he recently encountered in the grocery store.
Those big, brown eyes had snared him on contact. Despite her unfriendly responses when they spoke, it hadn’t diminished his insane urge to pull her body against him and taste her plump lips. He was the last person anyone could call a prude, but the swiftness with which he’d envisioned having her beneath him shocked him.
In the end, she’d proved that there was always a bit of crazy in the cute ones. She had manhandled him and not the fun kind he preferred.
Granted, he deserved it. He had seen her reaching for the package of soup tubes. But his forthcoming job might require several hours of flying, and that brand of soup tubes were the only palatable thing he could tolerate while in the air.
Since the package of soup tubes was the last one Gamazan Groceries had in stock, he had bought bland oatmeal instead.
Once he relocated the lot he’d parked his hoverbike, Liam stuffed his purchase into the trunk. He rubbed his jaw to soothe a light itch and decided he needed a shave. It bothered him the woman had seen him unkempt. Although she probably didn’t give a shit. Her expression before she’d ran off with his soup tubes said enough.
Ah, well. You win some, you lose some. So he’d made a less than stellar first impression on a pretty girl. She wasn’t the first. Probably wouldn’t be the last either.
Liam straddled the black machine he’d affectionately nicknamed Camille. The gleam on its scratch-free coat was testament to the care and attention he paid to the powerful beauty. He pressed his palm to the console screen and it lit up at his touch. Connected to his identity chip embedded in his right hand, the bike purred to life and activated the invisible protective shield.
He guided Camille out of the parking silo to the on-ramp that led to the Mid Air Pathway. The tall glass buildings of Gamazan City glimmered from the midday sunshine, the spread of the dark lake surrounding the city almost endless. Even this high up, the lights from the underwater city life was visible if he squinted. Dotting the cloudless sky were several Gamazan delivery drones on their way to fulfil their purpose.
It was a short drive to the restaurant ran by his sister, Demi and her husband, Nas. After claiming an available parking space, Liam entered the squat building. At one point, Demi and Nas were struggling to bring in customers and had encountered financial troubles as a result. But now it teemed with people enjoying Demi’s spicy fare.
Liam spotted Demi talking with one of the customers. As usual, Demi had her dark hair pulled back into a hasty ponytail. Similar to the way the woman in the grocery had carried hers. When he caught her eye, he waved and took a seat at an available table.
The glassy surface bloomed to life, presenting him with images of the choices offered at the restaurant. He closed the menu without selecting anything since he wasn’t spending long. He was about to check his hand-held communication device for any new messages from his contact, Scotty, when Demi approached his table.
“Hey, stranger. What the hell are you doing in my restaurant?” she asked, grinning. She slid into the seat beside him and gave him a tight hug.
“I missed you too, Demi,” Liam said, chuckling. Even though they’d been in contact, he’d been too busy with various jobs for the past several months to visit her in person. He nodded at a table across from them where a group of five chatted animatedly as they ate. “Business is booming.”
“Because of you,” she said. Then her gaze filled with gratitude. “Thanks again for the help, Liam. I know I keep saying it but I promise I’ll pay you back.”
“Forget it. I wanted to do that for you.” Then he grinned. “Think of it as some of your future birthday gifts rolled into one.”
“Yeah, OK,” she said, her eyes shiny with amusement. “But when Max’s birthday rolls around, he’s going to want a copper pot set, and maybe tickets to a LaLa Maranda concert from his uncle.”
“The obvious gift choices for a 10-year-old kid. Cookware and terrible music.”
“Terrible music? Liam, don’t make me kill you when this is the first time I’m seeing you in six months.” They shared a laugh, then Demi tilted her head, her gaze enquiring. “So how’s the delivery business?”
“Can’t complain.” Liam traced a finger across the table’s surface, unsure if he wanted to tell her the truth. He decided he would. Growing up, he and Demi had always been good friends even though they sometimes got on each others’ nerves. “I’m on my last run today.”
“Really? And then that’s it? You’re never delivering another mysterious package again?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Liam shrugged. “Tired of heading off to the middle of nowhere all the time. Thinking of putting down roots like you.”
Demi’s hazel eyes widened and she sat up straighter. “You mean… you’re finally settling down?” She rubbed her hands together, a grin on her face. “Perfect timing!”
Liam frowned. “I don’t like the way this is headed. When I said ‘roots’, I meant—”
“Marriage? Babies? Don’t worry, baby brother, I got you covered.”
“No, I meant I want work that has me staying in one place for a while.” Liam’s frown deepened at the shifty look on his sister’s face. “Demi, what’s going on?”
Demi fidgeted. “Don’t get mad, OK?” She pursed her lips and then mumbled something. All Liam heard was ‘service’. When he glared at her, she sighed and spoke up. “I signed you up for a dating service.”
“What? Why would you do that?”
“Because it’s been three years since Nyla and it’s time you find someone again.”
Speaking Nyla’s name was like invoking a curse. The unpleasant memories of Nyla he’d buried resurfaced to plague him.
“I don’t need your help finding a date,” Liam said, his voice cool. He wrestled all the images of Nyla back into the darkness where they belonged. Then he eyed his watch and shifted a bit in preparation to leave. “I should head out now. I have a meeting with someone.”
Demi let out an exasperated breath and grabbed. “Liam, I said don’t get mad.”
“I’m not mad.”
“The crease between your eyebrows is so deep, it could crush a walnut.” Demi shook her head. “Look, I just wanted to do something good for you after what you did for me and Nas. You deserve to be happy.”
“I am happy. And like I said, I don’t need help getting a woman.” He grinned. “I get ‘em just fine on my own.” Not counting that gorgeous one in the supermarket, of course.
“With that rug on your face? I don’t think so, buddy.” She smiled in return but it wavered. “I’m sorry I did it without asking you first. But the dating service promised a perfect match and I got so excited for you.”
“It’s OK,” he said, pulling her into a quick sideways hug. “Besides, this service is never gonna find anybody for me because there’s no such thing as a perfect match.”
After promises to see each other soon, Liam left the restaurant. The journey to meet Scotty’s location was a longer drive that carried him into the more unsavoury parts of the city.
When he pulled up at the meeting spot, Liam climbed off his bike and headed inside. It was a bar with only two lights to service the room. Shadows lingered in the corners, and the floor looked liked it hadn’t seen a clean bot in years. Grime covered the windows and a sour odour hung in the air. Predictably, the patrons were sparse in this establishment. It was in stark contrast to the bright, clean atmosphere and contented customers in his sister’s restaurant.
A few suspicious eyes followed him to his perch by the bar. The bartender, a rotund, balding man approached him.
“You a cop?” asked the bartender.
“What makes you think I am?”
“You look like one.”
“I didn’t know cops all looked the same.”
“Yeah, they do. They got this look like a stick up their ass, and their boss said they can’t shit the stick out. So they gotta walk around with this scowl on their face to hold that stick in tight.”
Liam chuckled. “That’s the best description I’ve ever heard of a cop.”
The bartender grinned too, advertising less than the required amount of teeth that should be present.
“What’s your poison, son?”
“Nah, I’m good. I’m just here for a quick meeting.”
Nodding, the bartender rapped the counter and returned to wiping glasses that looked like they could never get clean.
Liam didn’t have to wait long. Scotty showed up dressed entirely in flaming orange. Orange jacket, orange shirt, orange pants, orange shoes. Even an orange feather in his damn orange fedora. Liam bet the bastard was wearing orange socks and underwear too.
In this business where secrecy and discretion was advised to ensure one’s safety, Scotty loved painting a target on his back. Even though Liam sometimes questioned the wisdom of doing business with the man, Scotty often got him hassle-free jobs which paid well.
Behind Scotty were two beefy bodyguards who eyeballed Liam with stony gazes. Liam amused himself during his meetings with Scotty by calling the duo Twinkles and Tink-Tink in his head.
“Cross!” said Scotty for the whole damn room to hear as he approached. “You’re on time. You know, I like that about you.” He slapped Liam’s shoulder as he took a seat. “Of all my delivery guys, you’re the only one who’s never been late. Not even once.”
“Quicker I’m here, quicker I know what’s the job so I can get it done.”
“And the quicker you get the credits, eh?” Then Scotty let out a boisterous laugh at his own joke. “It’s a shame you’re retiring. Just when business is getting real good. You’re making a big mistake, man.”
“Gotta make room for fresh blood,” said Liam. “What do you have for me, Scotty?”
“Right, right. Always about business with you,” Scotty said. He produced a small black box and handed it to Liam. The box was made of a firm material with a dull shine. When Liam’s thumb passed over the top, a message blinked on: PLEASE ENTER 5-DIGIT NUMERICAL CODE. Even if he knew the code, he wasn’t going to enter it. He had no wish to find out what it contained.
Liam tucked the box into his pocket. “Coordinates?”
“Already messaged you. Half the payment, too,” said Scotty. “You’ll get the other half when you meet Tandra.”
Liam took out his hand-held communication device to check that all the information and his payment had arrived. He masked his astonishment at the several digits present in his account. And to think that was only half of the payment.
There was also a new message from a strange address: Celestial Mates. The subject read: Congratulations, Liam! You’ve been matched with… but he didn’t bother opening the message to read on further. Probably annoying advertisements, he thought, and deleted it.
“It’s 2130,” said Scotty, eyeing Liam’s HCD with disgust. He tapped his ARC glasses. “Get with the times.”
“And have my every move and choices recorded for future exploitation? No, thanks.” Liam pocketed his HCD and stood. So did Scotty. Liam hesitated before extending a hand to the man. “It’s been great doing business with you, Scotty.”
“I promised myself I wouldn’t get emotional. Now look at me!” Scotty pretended to wipe away a tear as he shook Liam’s hand. Then he opened his arms wide. “How about a parting hug for Scotty, eh?”
Liam glared. “Try it and you’re dead.”
Twinkles and TinkTink’s features got even meaner at Liam’s threat.
“Jeez, lighten up a little.” Scotty shook his head. He turned to leave with Twinkles and TinkTink when he turned back. “Oh yeah, I forgot to mention there’s a timer on that thing.” He checked his watch. “Ten hours and counting. If you don’t deliver it in time… BOOM!” He mimicked an explosion with his hands for extra effect. Then he laughed. “Needless to say, Cross, the sooner you get that package to Tandra, the better.”