Free Beluga Fay (Dragon Bone Hill) by David S. Wellhauser Page A

sure...”
    “He’s right.” Synon didn’t seem to like the idea, but was agreeing with Bannly nonetheless.
    “Alright.” Titus didn’t want to do this, but their situation was strategic. “Give them to Lander and make sure he knows it’s to be fast and clean.”

    “What happens to me now?” There was a coquette in the voice, but Pym wasn’t going to be taken in by that.
    “Let’s begin with your name.”
    “Glenna Budiman.” She appeared to have caught on to Pym’s coolness, and the woman dropped the voice, though Titus was certain it would not be far off. It was clear the woman understood she was negotiating for her life and would do whatever it took to save it.
    “You are from Makati?”
    “Yes.” Fingers worrying each other.
    Glenna was a beautiful woman with skin a deep chocolate brown, faultless, and an athletic body, little hidden in a short, tight, blue cocktail dress. The shoes were matching cerulean stilettos. He wondered if the woman had worn these for the guards—was she taunting them or attempting to encourage commitment. Her hair, having fallen loose from its bun, was long—down to the middle of her back—and a shiny raven. The woman’s eyes were about as black. She was probably from the southern islands—or her people were. As Titus took this in, she again uncrossed her legs and let the right shoe dangle loosely from her toes.
    Since getting on with the Beluga Fay, Titus had not had a woman—that was a long time ago—but this was not the place to work out his personal issues. As he considered the foot, Budiman abruptly stood and stepped up against him. Not tall, perhaps not more than one hundred and sixty centimeters, she had placed her face nearly into his chest and tilted it back just enough so he could see the black eyes. Glenna gently pushed her hips forward so her abdomen, tight and hard, brushed into his groin. Titus took her neck gently in his hand and pushed her back. “Not quite yet.”
    “I want out.” The statement didn’t quite make sense, and she seemed to recognize this. “I want out of the city.”
    “How can I help you?”
    “As it happens, I believe quite a bit.”
    “Is that what you were doing in the column?”
    “No, I was going to meet my father. He is up north inspecting the Wall. My brother is there as well.”
    “Inspecting?”
    “Yes. Father is in the government—part of the Governor’s Cabinet.”
    This caught Pym’s attention. “Yes, you could ransom me.”
    “Or?”
    “Do you want out of the city?”
    “Yes.” The answer a whisper; though alone, Titus was worried someone might have returned. The warehouse they’d relocated to tended to carry voices that were little more than a whisper quite far. That was dangerous because there was no way to be certain who was who, nor what their agendas were. Those such as Lander were forthrightly stupid about their goals, but this left everyone else that was waiting for an opportunity. Here was a chance all of the Beluga would want a part of. Glenna, appearing to have seen something in Titus’s eyes, continued.
    “Only you.”
    “How many in your group?”
    “Group?”
    “You won’t be doing this on your own.”
    “You’re not stupid. After that business today, I was certain you would be.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “That thing guarding me.”
    “Ah, Lander—sorry about that.”
    “His sort is easily handled, but I wondered if you all were like that.”
    “Not all, but there are some left over.”
    “You keep them around?”
    “They have their uses. Back to the business about getting out and your group.” Budiman smiled and pushed back into him. This time he did not push her away. “My brother and some friends—small group, not more than a dozen of us at the moment.”
    “At the moment?”
    “The situation, even in Makati, is fluid. Some people die; some fall from favor and are forced to leave the district; others lose heart and give up; some even kill themselves. Suicide has been