Page 30 of Seducing Jenny
She tossed me a sly look as she twitched her tail. “I’ll do my best Deacon impersonation.”
I laughed and closed the ship’s hatch. “You’ve got this, Jade.”
“I know.” But she didn’t move. Instead, she gulped.
So, I took her hand in mind and gave it a light, encouraging tug. “Let’s go.”
We followed a plant-lined path toward the large outdoor patio where I had seen Jac greet Volatile the last time I hadvisited the island. A little overgrown for my taste but pretty, with flowered vine trellises and potted fruit trees. It had been updated to include a seating area around a small pond that flowed from the center of the patio, through a narrow stream, and emptied into an adjacent swimming pool, as though the pond was a natural spring.
Volatile Bateen stood at the pond’s edge. He did not strongly resemble his daughter, though they currently shared the same gray hair, leading me to believe Jenny’s features were more like her mother’s. Simple orange robes and khaki trousers for his island retreat left me feeling overdressed in my uniform. He was tan with a blue sheen and rather tall and muscular, which helped him appear imposing. But his disarming smile told me to relax as we approached him.
Several members of his staff flanked him including his flirtatious gardener, who did not take his eyes off me as Volatile gave us a greeting nod. “Good day to you, Jade Malongwah. I am Volatile Bateen, welcome to my home. Would you take refreshment?”
After greeting him cordially, she replied with a yes. A servant delivered a tray of food and drink. I took a small glass of neneed, and she did the same. We drank, then returned the glasses to the tray. It was the best neneed I had ever had, and I was inclined to say as much, but being unclassed, I was not supposed to speak until Jade did.
She smiled at Volatile, poised and graceful. “Thank you for accepting my request, and for your hospitality.”
“Of course.” He gestured toward the seating area, and we all sat down.
Jade’s posture was impeccable, just as we’d practiced. I poured her water with herbs, then him, then myself, as was the custom.
Volatile observed us carefully. “I was surprised to hear from you, Jade. I had thought after your father’s departure from Orhon, no Malongwah would step foot on our soil again.”
Jade merely smiled and sipped her water with herbs. He had not asked a question or made a demand, so responding was inappropriate. She was handling herself, and the situation, flawlessly.
“Tell me, what has brought you to Orhon?”
“I have come for a pilgrimage.”
Volatile huffed out a laugh. “The Malongwahs are not known for their devout faith, Jade.”
Her smile deepened. Unbothered.
Volatile leaned forward, his voice silkier now. “Forgive me, I am not normally a suspicious man, but I do not know you. I know your associate, however.” His gaze shifted to me, then back to her. “How is it that the two of you are here now?”
We’d rehearsed this story carefully and she didn’t miss a beat. “I have prepared for this journey for four months, as Orhon is quite far from home, and I wanted to be prepared for every possibility. I was told a woman traveling alone could be a target for unsavory types, so as opposed to traveling dressed as a man, I contacted Valor Ladrang, my father’s former associate, for some advice.”
Volatile’s amber eyes flashed in the late evening light. “I’ve not heard from him in a long time. How is the old boy?”
“Deceased, as I’m sure you’re aware.” She sipped her water with herbs again. “I understand you do not trust me, Volatile, and I do not blame you for that.”
“It would be foolish of me to trust a stranger in my home, would it not?”
She inclined her head. “Of course.”
“After you attempted to contact Valor, you met Tiger Orne how?”
“Valor put me into contact with his son, Deacon,” she said without hesitation. “According to Deacon, Tiger’s direct employer, Jacaranda Cozz, no longer had need of him.” She gave a slight smile my way, then turned back to Volatile. “So, he has agreed to be my associate during my travels through Ladrian space.”
“You have been off-system for a long time, so I am not sure how things are where you were raised, but here on Orhon—” he gave me a withering look, “—the classed and the unclassed do not do more than work together.”
Jenny didn’t even flinch at the insinuation. “Good thing I wasn’t raised on Orhon.” She took another sip of her drink before setting it on the table in front of us. “What else would you like to know of me, Volatile?”
“The nature of your pilgrimage,” he said, settling back in his seat. “Is this a pilgrimage of faith or family?”
“Family,” she replied easily. “I have been told that your father has taken ill.”
He nodded, and for a moment the hardness in his eyes softened. “Credo suffers from a sickness no doctor from any planet has been able to diagnose or cure.”
