Page 27 of Stars At Dusk

‘What’s this? For Dunia’s sake, Kage. A bar? Is that where you plan to stash me?’ she teased.

‘You wish,’ he replied with a grin as he executed a U-turn and came to a stop. ‘Nada, we’ve got you in one of our executive apartments. Across the road.’

She exited the flyer and turned to see what he was referring to.

She looked up at a soaring tower. Its ground and the second floor was a 360-degree high glass and chrome structure, and she gasped at the gleaming flyers and racers displayed within the elevated glass façade.

She strolled to the windows where she spotted glass-panelled walls inside designed to resemble diamonds, made even more alive with richly coloured ambient lighting in the private customer spaces and bright in the areas where the flyers stood. The sleek, luxurious, light-boxed designs had her gasping.

‘This is incredible,’ she sighed.

‘It’s our main Sable dealership,’ he said, joining her by the window. ‘Maybe one day soon, when you’re settled in, I’ll show you inside,’ Kage offered. ‘There’s also a multiverse room where you can test drive our flyers and racers. Complete with stellar VR experiences that instantly transport you to raceways on asteroids in the farthest reach.’

‘No way!’ Harlow exclaimed. ‘I love racing!’

‘Is that right?’ Kage probed, his eyes sparking with interest.

‘Love it,’ she confirmed.

‘Heard of The Nirvana?’

‘Who hasn’t?’ she said slowly. ‘Just the sexiest race course in the galaxy!’

‘Would you like to get a taste of it? Maybe even race in it?’

‘Don’t torture me,’ she begged.

He laughed at her earnest expression. ‘Leave it with me. I can pull some strings.’

She gave him a wide joy filled grin.

His eyes lingered on her mouth for a long moment. ‘You could move moons with that smile,kara,’ he said softly.

She blinked. ‘Kara?’

His silver eyes met hers and held. ‘It meansjewelin Kwavi.’

‘I see,’ was all she could say through the rush of unexpected emotion.

She turned away from him but could still sense his eyes lingering on her.

Overwhelmed, she stepped back to look at the rest of the stunning building.

Kinetic panels dripping with lush greenery encased with the floors above the showroom.

She cocked her head. ‘Flowers or organic farming Eden style?’

‘We commissioned the design to incorporate a vertical planting system that gathers light energy that recycles water and grows our gardens.’

‘We? The Sable Group owns the building?’

He nodded. ‘Above the dealership is Zane’s office, and higher still, our guest accommodation and rental apartments.’

‘Zane?’

‘The Sable Group’s business and financial controller. He runs our business, sales, private equity and finance. And speak of thekinai. Here he is.’

On cue, a lean, tall, striking, powerfully built man in a beautifully cut suit with thick dark, silver-streaked hair, a neat moustache and a beard with piercing blue eyes stepped out of a nondescript doorway to the left of the dealership. He oozed confidence, sophistication and understated elegance. Yet there was an energy about him of barely contained danger like he could strike like a Lyseian cobra, without warning and at a moment’s notice.

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