Havoc (Dred Chronicles 2)

“We hope to see you soon.” Zed smiled as he stepped back, waving farewell.

Jael strode past them and out the door, waiting for the surprise attack that never came. But why would it? Zed thinks he has a hold on me. And the worst part?

He does.

29

Whispers in the Dark

“So where’s the old man?” Martine asked.

Dred lifted a shoulder. “No idea. I left him drinking with Katur and crew.”

“Then you probably won’t see him again tonight.”

Calypso refilled their glasses and dropped down at the table with a weary sigh. “I don’t understand why you two limit yourself to a single man. We’re like goddesses here, and I can pick and choose, a different slave in my bed every night.”

“If they hadn’t sterilized us before we came in, I’d worry about you,” Martine said.

“Why d’ya think the strapping one threw herself in front of the Bug?” Calypso asked.

Dred had been wondering that. “They were close friends, I suppose. Is there anyone you’d die for in here?” she asked Martine.

The smaller woman laughed. “Not hardly.”

Dred had been monitoring the situation in the common room, but with the aliens in seclusion, things seemed to be relatively calm. The watchmen on patrol weren’t idiots, either, at least by Queensland standards. So she pushed to her feet.

“I’ve had enough of the public eye. Come on.”

Calypso raised a brow. “Party at your place?”

“Depends on how much we drink.” Martine grabbed Calypso’s hand and dragged her toward Dred’s quarters.

She realized then how long it had been since she’d spent any time in the company of women. Back on Tehrann, there hadn’t been many girls her own age, and her dreams had been too big for a small colony, where most wanted to grow up, go to work, and help populate the company town. Dred had dreamed of nothing but getting away. And after that, the freighter crews were comprised mostly of scruffy men. Beyond that point, she hunted alone, where everything boiled down to stalking and slaughter. There were no friends or even allies, only people she used to make the kill.

They left the common room and went to Dred’s quarters. It would be interesting to see how long the party lasted before Jael interrupted and what he said when he found three women waiting for him. You could tell a lot about a man by how he reacted to such surprises.

She ushered Martine and Calypso in. “Make yourselves at home.”

“It’s smaller than I expected,” Calypso said.

“The lock works on the door, at least.”

Martine flung herself on the bed without waiting for an invitation. Dred let it go because if she wanted actual friends—and she wasn’t positive she did—she couldn’t be all Dread Queen in private moments, too. So she crawled past Martine and sprawled against the wall, leaning her head back with a weary sigh. Calypso settled on a chair nearby, stretching out her long legs.

“I feel like we should be playing a game,” Martine said, grinning.

Dred raised up enough to ask, “A drinking game?”

“Might not be wise, but it could be fun,” Calypso said.

Martine raised her glass. “I’m down.”

“I’m too tired for anything complex. Keep the rules simple.”

“We used to play this game when I was a little girl,” Calypso said, sounding thoughtful. “You tell two lies and a truth about yourself. If we guess the truth, you take a drink. If we don’t, then the others do a shot.”

On the surface, it was a silly childhood game, ridiculous among hardened criminals, but on another level, it was also a gateway to things that normally stayed hidden. It wasn’t like any of them could acknowledge being lonely or being sick of having so many ass**les around them night and day. That was the same as admitting weakness, something that would get a woman killed if word got around, and neither Calypso nor Martine were soft.

“Why the hell not?” Dred said.

“I’ll start.” Martine crossed her legs as Dred focused on her face. “I was born to wealth. My favorite color is pink. And I killed my first man when I was fourteen.”

She’s a good liar.

“I say the third thing is true,” Calypso said.

“Is that your official guess?”

Dred just nodded, figuring the other woman knew Martine better.

Martine laughed. “Wrong! There’s nothing wrong with pink. It makes me feel pretty.” Her tone rang with a self-deprecating note. “Not that I’ve seen the shade for a while. You lose, bitches. Bottoms up.”

“My turn.” Calypso frowned, seeming thoughtful. “I’ve loved only one person in my life. I killed her. And I’ve never spent a day in school.”

Dred considered for a few moments. “The last thing.”

Calypso raised her glass and tipped back a mouthful. “Good guess. I wonder, do I not look educated, oh Dread Queen? Beware of judging by appearances.”

“Not going to school doesn’t mean uneducated. You might’ve grown up on a remote colony and did coursework via VI.”

The mistress of the circle quirked her mouth in an expression of approval. “Got it in one. I see why your coup succeeded when so many others failed.”

There wasn’t one. But she wasn’t about to ruin Tam’s hard work by admitting she’d murdered Artan and the spymaster had turned it into a change in regime after the fact. So she forced herself to smile through the dismay. “Before, there were too many conspirators. The fewer people who know a secret, the less risk of betrayal.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Martine said. “Your turn, I think, queenie.”

She didn’t bitch at the other woman for borrowing Jael’s irreverent nickname, not that he used it much anymore. These days he was more likely to softly whisper love. She told herself it was just a word and that she couldn’t let him worm too deep into her head. He’s a bed partner. That’s all. And she was matching his loyalty by paying him in the same coin.

After thinking about what the other women had revealed, she offered, “I killed 224 men before they caught me. I’m an only child. I miss choclaste more than anything else about the outside world.”

“The last thing can’t be true,” Calypso said with a shiver.

“Agreed. No sane person would miss it when there are so many better things.”

Dred shrugged. “I’m not telling you. Make your official guess already.”