Free A Stellar Affair by Laurel Richards Page A

Jack asked.
    Norma rolled her eyes. “You’re just in time. It’s not interstellar news yet, but I’m sure it will be. Our Roimiran Romeo caught a break.”
    He smiled. “You asked Celia out on a date?”
    Nash nodded proudly.
    “I don’t have to be a precept to guess her response. Way to go, Nash. You two should hit it off.”
    Nash cleared his throat and glanced at Norma, which seemed to be her cue.
    “Oh, for the love of morons,” she said. “Just tell him.” When Nash didn’t respond, she threw up her hands and turned to Jack. “Ask him where he’s taking her.”
    Now he was really curious. “Where are you taking Miss Roberts?”
    “Only to the best restaurant this side of the galaxy,” Nash announced, all but puffing out his chest. “We’re heading over to the Delta compound to the Stargazer Lounge. I have reservations for this evening.”
    Jack was impressed. “The Stargazer? That must have cost you some serious credits.”
    “You’d better believe it,” Nash said. “But she’s worth it. Celia is smart and pretty and funny. I can’t believe she agreed to go.”
    “Once again, I told you she likes you.”
    “Tonight is going to be perfect,” his friend said. “The sky is clear, the temperature is right, and Celia and I will be dining at the Stargazer.”
    “All right already.” Norma had turned exasperation into an art form. “You’d better learn to shut up before Celia finds out what an insufferable drone you are. Now move along. You’re holding up my work.”
    Jack shot her a look.
    “I hate to knock you out of orbit,” he told Nash, “but I wanted to check on the status of your research. Have you learned anything else about Ardra Kelly? I need to know her background.”
    Although it was obviously a struggle, Nash focused. “I haven’t uncovered anything yet, but maybe if you could give me some more clues, I could find something faster. Otherwise, I’m waiting to hear back from some of our operatives. I contacted as many as I could to find out if they know about her.”
    “Hopefully, that will turn up something. I’ll keep working with her and see if I can learn anything else.” He glanced at the dreamy expression that had returned to Nash’s face and had to smile. “All right. I can see where your mind is today. Relax and have fun tonight. I’m sure you and Celia will have a wonderful time.”
    Nash grinned.
    After Jack left, he found that he was also preoccupied with a woman. He couldn’t stop thinking about Ardra—about who she was and where she had come from. He knew that someone, somewhere, had abducted this beautiful woman. It was impossible to believe she had willingly submitted to programming, so who had done it? When he closed his eyes, he could imagine her lying bound and helpless with shadowy figures looming over her, but he could never picture their faces. More than anything, he wanted to help Ardra and to know the truth, but she kept fighting him.
    The next morning, Jack decided to follow up on one of the first clues she had given him—the wind chimes. After an hour, he managed to get her mind moving toward the soft melody, and he entered into her memories. The clangs and dings gradually floated farther away until they seemed to resonate from more than one direction. She was no longer hearing the chimes from his back patio but recalling them as an echo from her past. Along with the sound, he saw the inside of a house and, through the window, a small yard.
    This, evidently, was Ardra’s mother’s house, the place where she had grown up. It was a comfortable home with creamy walls and warm furniture. In the kitchen, there were bits of light wood trim on all the cabinets, and he felt the heat of an oven. Tapping into Ardra’s olfactory sense—or her sensory memory—he took a deep breath and smelled the sweet odor of freshly baked cookies. His mouth watered.
    Who was the baker? Focusing more carefully, he saw a woman with Ardra’s face near the sink—not