Free The Bond That Ties Us by Christine D'Abo Page B

father passed away last year. He was a shuttle pilot on Luna where I was deputy security chief. “
    “Thank you. But those are things I can learn by looking you up in one of your records. I want to know about the real you.”
    That seemed to catch her off guard a bit, her lips turning into a slight pout.
    “I’m thirty-one?”
    “Haylie.”
    By the goddess, he sounded like his father.
    “What would you like to know?”
    Kamran stopped and thought for a moment. “Tell me something that you haven’t told another being.”
    She was about to answer as they turned the corner and walked into a crowd milling around one of the station’s bars. He would have to work on his timing. Paying attention to the world around him might also help. But that would prove more difficult as time went on and the two of them grew closer.
    “What’s going on?” Haylie asked one of the men on the edge of the group.
    She stepped between Kamran and the man and Kamran had to fight off a smile. It would figure she’d be like Taber. Security instincts.
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    “Bar fight. A real slugger ‘til security showed up.”
    Kamran’s height allowed him to peer over the tops of the humans who had been displaced from the bar, their drinks still firmly in their hands. Security had the situation well under control, with the drunks being escorted toward the door.
    “I think everything is fine,” Kamran said. When she didn’t move, he leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You’re not on duty yet, Chief.”
    That got her moving.
    Only once they had cleared the group did she speak. “Is that common here?”
    “Not normally. Though Taber mentioned that there have been greater occurrences of fights in recent weeks.”
    Haylie frowned. “I wonder why.”
    “I’m sure that’s one of the reasons the administrator is anxious to have you on board. He needs someone who can monitor these situations. I’ve been telling him for months that his talents are better spent elsewhere.”
    “I thought it odd myself that the colony administrator would be in charge of security while you waited for a new chief,” she said—her tone was formal.
    This wasn’t good. “What’s wrong?”
    She stopped short and simply looked at him. Kamran was struck again by the exquisiteness of her eyes, the rich hazel color reflecting her deep emotions. But this time, he noticed the strength that mingled with her beauty. There was more to his Haylie than he first realized.
    “Are we permitted to go somewhere and talk?” Her voice was very quiet, but there was no mistaking her meaning. They had to talk. Now .
    “Of course. As long as it wouldn’t be perceived as intimate.”
    “Excellent. I believe this hallway loops around to the main corridor where my office is located. I assume the interrogation room sufficiently lacks intimacy.”
    As an ambassador, Kamran had dealt with many hostile races in the past.
    Humanity was the only one he knew who expressed their anger passively. Based on the pace with which Haylie was now walking, this conversation wasn’t going to be pleasant.
    Haylie’s legs were almost as long as his own and she set a brisk pace. They reached the security office in record time. She paused only long enough to release the door lock on the control pad and strode into the dark room.
    “Lights, computer.”
    Her voice echoed for only a moment in the dark before the lights came on. When they did, Kamran cringed. Hurt and confusion was clearly on her face as she stood there, arms crossed over her chest.
    Before he could say anything, she added, “Computer, privacy screen.”
    “Haylie—”
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    “Are you playing me?”
    “Pardon?”
    “Are you playing me? Use me for a quick one-night stand and then play stupid the next day. I don’t mind. But I’d appreciate knowing before this goes any further.”
    And there it was. Kamran respected bluntness. As an ambassador, he’d wasted many hours of his life trying to sort through lies and half truths to get to