No Good Deed by Anne Cleasby

Author:Anne Cleasby [Cleasby, Anne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-10T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

Maeve lay on her side, on a broad sleeping platform, in a very small room. She propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at her companion. His name was Simen and he was a member of the Civilian Guard. She’d given him Scarlet’s name, suggested he might be the Silencer, and started this whole business. The den had been broken, the crew had fled, and she was in deep trouble. Why, why, why, had she done it?

Early morning light leaked through the shutters and showed the solid shape of his body, outlined by a thin cover. He still slept, his breath coming in small snores. In his sleep he looked young and ineffective; not the sort of man to propel her upwards, to security and safety. At least he’d brought her back inside the city walls. She was safe from Koo-Suki, for the time being.

She sank onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.

She’d heard whispers that Koo-Suki wanted to kill her, and when Maeve thought about it, she couldn’t really blame her. If only she hadn’t lied about Scarlet. After a couple of years of keeping her temper under control, she’d completely lost it again. Trying to kill the pleasar client didn’t count; he was a rapist and her survival was at stake. Holbeck had deserved her fury, but Scarlet hadn’t. He’d saved her life. She breathed out a sigh of frustration. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but Marius was a user and a thug, and now, because of him, she had a whole sector worth of enemies. Not to mention a serious case of a guilty conscience. If she got out of this mess, she’d just have to make a bigger effort to think before she acted. Shame twisted her stomach and she shifted back to her side.

Next to her, Simen stirred. His hand settled on her waist, hot and damp, but he hadn’t completely woken. Hopefully, he’d stay asleep for a while longer. She needed time to think. Simen’s accommodation was single use, level one citizenship, and while the concierge might turn a blind eye to a young man’s fun time, eventually she would throw Maeve out. The room was tiny, even for a single person, with space for the bed and a small desk. The hygiene facility was in a cupboard. Simen had bought a temporary entertainment permit for her, but it was time-limited, and when it ended, she would be illegal again. If she left the city, Koo-Suki would find her. She might forget about Maeve after a while, but not yet. She closed her eyes. Finding a job had to be her number one priority if she was to stay within the security of the city walls. Maybe the search for Scarlet would die down soon. If he escaped, maybe everyone would forget about her. If he was caught, it wouldn’t be only Koo-Suki she had to worry about. All his friends would hunt her down. Why had she done it? She groaned aloud.

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