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Serial: Bodyguard of Lies, episode 31: Nothing to Care About
Bodyguard of Lies is a serialized science-fiction novel updating once a week on Tuesdays. If you missed last week’s episode, Battle Plans, it can be found here. You can catch up on the entire serial on this page with a description of the story and links to all published episodes.
Bodyguard of Lies
Episode 31
Nothing to Care About
Gareth sat on the edge of his bunk and watched the looey stretching out his muscles. “Give it to him!” a merc shouted from the next cell over. The looey quelled the heckler with a look, but Gareth wasn’t fooled. He knew as well as any of them that Tam had asked the cops to put him in here with Gareth.
Sure enough, the looey came over to stare down at Gareth. “Vuest shoulda killed you, but I’m glad they didn’t.”
Gareth turned away; he agreed with the looey. Sabra’d had no right to interfere.
Tam punched him in the shoulder, a hard right jab obviously meant to provoke a response. When Gareth didn’t do anything, Tam slapped him in the face. “You know why I’m glad?” Another slap. “I get to show you exactly what I think of someone with no loyalty.” He slammed Gareth’s breastbone. “Someone who abandons his team.” He grabbed Gareth’s shirt and yanked him partway to his feet. “Someone who kills his friends.”
Gareth hung there, letting the looey take his full weight. The only thing he didn’t agree with was having abandoned his team. He’d made sure they were safe before he continued the mission. He’d done what he was supposed to do, and even if his reaction to the reik wasn’t his fault, he felt guilty. Let the looey beat him — what did it matter? What did anything matter now?
The looey dropped him to the floor then kicked him in the lower back.
Gareth couldn’t help himself. He moaned.
“Got your attention, did I?” Satisfaction oozed from the looey’s voice.
“Let him have it!” That was an unfamiliar voice.
Gareth tried to roll over to see who it was, but the looey kicked him again. Laughter sounded from the corridor. A whistle blast broke through the commotion.
“Break it up, break it up.” Another whistle. “Corp sprang for bail. You’re all free to go.”
“Even him?”
“Everyone.”
Gareth took his time getting to his feet. He’d rather have the pack of mercs in front of him than behind him. He snorted. Maybe he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Or maybe he wanted to make Sabra’s life miserable first. Either way, he hung back and let the others go through processing before him.
Outside again, he glanced at the other mercs. They were headed back to headquarters, one big happy family. Family . . . right. He turned the other way, toward his own apartment.
Once there, he knew he wasn’t ready to face the empty rooms. Sheil’s bodysuit lay on the floor near the shower, still wet. He picked it up, debated dropping it into the laundry chute, and instead tightened his fingers on it and carried it back to the couch. She was everywhere in the apartment, and nowhere. He’d have to sleep out here — he couldn’t take the bed, with her hairs still caught on the pillow.
He couldn’t avoid the reminders forever; he had to go back to work sometime. Unlike Sabra, he didn’t have options — especially after this fiasco, no one else would take a chance on hiring him. Is this what she’d saved him for? Serve her right if he threw her gift away, ended it all after she’d fought to keep him safe from the mercs.
It would be easy with his liver. He had the contacts in Yellow, the ones who knew all the different drugs and who was passing them. They were why he had had a shot at promotion. Just a couple visits and he could burn himself out, do all the things Sheil was afraid he’d do — and join her. Who should he visit first?
The vid chime interrupted his deliberations. He answered. Robb stared at him. “You look like hell.”
“Feel like it, too.” Gareth glanced at the bodysuit in his hands and set it beside him on the couch. “You calling to fire me?”
That was the one thing this week was missing — losing his only possible job.
Robb pursed his lips. “Some think I should, but I know your limits now. It’s easier to use people when I know how far they can be pushed.”
Gareth didn’t say anything. Of course Robb used people; it was what corps did. Sabra had been right about that at least.
“I’ve got a little job for you,” Robb said. “I need you to lead a team to intercept a reik drop. Do it right, and there’s a new liver in it for you.”
Two days ago, Gareth would’ve jumped at the chance. Now he frowned. “The other mercs won’t work with me, won’t trust me.”
“They will if I tell them to.” Robb grinned. “Think of it as revenge against Vuest, against everyone who blamed you, against the woman who brought you down.”
Revenge wouldn’t bring Sheil back, but it would give him a shot at Sabra. That would be enough, for now.
“What do I do?”
Click here to continue reading with Episode 32, Questioned by a Cop.
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Originally published at Erin M. Hartshorn. You can comment here or there.