Page 55

Councillor Agrave shook his head, a smirk on his face as he pulled out a laser and shot Rane.

Chapter 15

Nell dozed in the soft chair outside Doctor Kingsbury’s office. She’d been waiting to see her for four hours and regretted her hasty exit from Prodigy. Her neck ached, and her back protested at the unnatural sleeping position.

When she’d arrived on Starland, she hadn’t been able to locate Doctor Kingsbury, and there was no one around to tell her where she was. A check with the station’s computer told Nell that Doctor Kingsbury was inactive, which didn’t help her one bit.

She felt foolish for acting so rashly. Doctor Kingsbury hadn’t meant for her to leap aboard the next available shuttle and visit in the middle of the night.

Nell yawned and scrubbed her eyes. She would be late for work if Doctor Kingsbury didn’t arrive soon.

She opened her wrist comm and sent a message to Vegas.

I’m not feeling well. I’m taking the day off. Don’t worry about me. I’ll let you know how I’m doing.

Vegas would worry if Nell didn’t show up on time, and she didn’t know how long she’d need with Doctor Kingsbury.

If she didn’t warn Vegas away, she’d turn up at her quarters with a box of chocolates and lots of sympathetic messages from everyone in the office. Then she’d be rumbled and didn’t want to explain the real reason for her absence. All she cared about was finding out what Doctor Kingsbury knew.

Nell considered looking for somewhere that served extra strong coffee with a side order of triple espresso shots but didn’t want to miss Doctor Kingsbury’s arrival.

She jumped from her seat as she heard people approach the office, but it was only drunk looking partygoers dragging themselves to bed after a night of fun.

Brisk footsteps headed toward Nell. Nerves twisted her stomach as the door opened and Doctor Kingsbury entered.

Doctor Kingsbury stopped in her tracks. “Nell!”

“I got here as soon as I could.”

“Thank goodness you’re here.”

“I messaged you to let you know I was coming.”

“Oh, my mistake for not receiving those.” Doctor Kingsbury opened her main office. “I switch off my comms at night. Otherwise, I never get any peace.”

“Of course, sorry, I don’t want to hassle you. When I got your message, I panicked.”

“Do come in.” She ushered Nell into her office. “I didn’t want to alarm you but needed to see you as soon as possible. Your last communication concerned me. I needed to ensure you were safe.”

Nell nodded as she watched Doctor Kingsbury activate her tablet, clip on her wrist comm, light the oils on her desk, and fetch two mugs of coffee from the replicator. She was so efficient it made Nell breathless.

“Thanks.” Nell grabbed a mug and took a sip. “I’m here, and I’m safe. You had me worried.”

“You are right to be worried. Take a seat.” Doctor Kingsbury gestured to a chair as she settled in her own.

Nell sat. “What’s this all about? You said I shouldn’t see Rane anymore. Have you discovered something bad about him? He wasn’t involved in my abduction, was he?”

Instead of answering her questions, Doctor Kingsbury simply pursed her lips. “Tell me everything you know about this alien you’ve been spending time with.”

Nell blinked in surprise. “You probably know more about him than I do if he’s the reason I’m here. He’s an Olickie. He works as a diplomatic support advisor.”

“How did you meet?”

“By accident. I was walking one night when I had trouble sleeping and discovered him painting.”

“An Olickie who paints? Are you certain?”

“Yes. He has a studio on Prodigy. We only spent a few minutes together. Then he turned up at my dance class.”