Page 88 of Agent's Integrity

Julia almost glared at me. But she closed her eyes and visibly relaxed. She looked at me again with annoyance rather than anger, but also with resignation. “Fine.”

“Help with what?” Sosa asked plaintively.

I explained the situation to him and what our plan was. He listened carefully, finishing off the food on his plate. When I was finished talking, he sat there for a long moment, looking thoughtful. Then, he nodded. “I’ll do it.”

Emerson smiled. “Excellent.” He looked at Steel. “Can you send out a message and set up a meeting for tomorrow?”

Steel’s face remained like granite, but he nodded. Without a word, he got up and left the room. I watched him go, wondering again if he really was a person to be trusted or not. Sometimes it seemed like he was a good guy, and then other times he seemed completely inhuman. I just wasn’t sure which side was real and which side was pretend.

“I can only stay through tomorrow, I’m afraid.” Sosa pushed his plate back and folded his hands on the table. “I have business to attend to on Fairfax.”

Julia’s mouth tightened. I knew this was hard for her. I wanted to give her hand a squeeze and tell her I understood her feelings, but she was too far away to do that.

Emerson relaxed a little. “We should have this all wrapped up by then.”

I hoped so. The sooner we got off Esmuna the better.

Julia stood up abruptly. “Let me know when the meeting is set for tomorrow. I want to rest.”

Emerson gave her a look I could tell meant something, but I wasn’t sure what thesomethingwas. “You aren’t going anywhere by yourself.”

Her jaw tightened, but she said nothing. For several tense moments, she and Emerson stared at each other. Then, she looked at me and then at Sosa. I opened my mouth to volunteer to go with her, but she turned sideways, almost turning her back to me, and focused on Emerson. She put her hand on his shoulder and rubbed it. “Would you escort me back to your room, then?”

I blinked. I wasn’t sure how her voice remained civil when she was obviously angry. Emerson leaned back to look up at her. I saw his eyes move around the room before he slipped his arm around her waist. He pulled her down to sit on his leg. “One minute.”

Their voices sounded strange to my ears. I hadn’t heard either of them use those tones before. They weren’t nice, but they weren’t quite sarcastic either. But she was sitting in his lap, and I couldn’t make sense of why. I suddenly felt like I was sliding down the side of a mountain. Just when I thought I had traction, the stones beneath my feet would fall away.

Julia sat obligingly on his leg, though her eyes did seek out mine. I gave her a confused look and she rolled her eyes before smiling faintly. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but it was obviously supposed to reassure me.

Reuben appeared suddenly, making me jump. He dropped into the seat Steel had just vacated next to me. He had a huge pile of food, and he immediately began forking it into his mouth. He looked between Emerson and Julia but didn’t comment on their odd behavior. “All repairs have been finished, Captain,” he reported.

Emerson seemed pleased. “Good. I want us completely operational and stocked up by tomorrow at noon. Hopefully we’ll be leaving the planet by nightfall tomorrow if everything goes well.”

Julia folded her arms and tapped an impatient finger on her elbow. “Are you done yet?”

I was having a hard time following her rapid mood changes. Sosa hid a smile beside me while I blinked at her. Emerson rolled his eyes. “Patience, woman.”

“Woman?” Julia dropped her hands onto her hips. “Who are you callingwoman? I have a name, you know.”

They were starting to draw the attention of others in the room. Emerson glowered at her. “I’ll call you whatever I please.”

She glared right back at him, shifting positions to look him in the eyes. “I’m not a piece of property, you know. I have a mind and ambitions and I don’t need you.”

Someone across the room scoffed loudly. Everyone was watching. I didn’t know what else to do except watch the drama unfold before me.

Emerson laughed at her. “Oh honey, you just don’t realize you need me. Why else do you think you came back?”

She made a disgusted noise and started to pull out of his grip. His arm wrapped tighter around her waist, and she growled. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and smacked him on the chest. “Stop being a caveman and let go.”

Instead of obeying, Emerson grabbed her wrists and trapped her hands behind her back. “You think you don’t need me? That you don’twantme?”

A brief look of genuine annoyance crossed her face before she leaned back, lifted her foot, and shoved Emerson with it. She had enough power behind her that he lost his grip, but before she could wiggle away, he grabbed her by the waist again.

Enough was enough. I didn’t know what was going on, but I wasn’t about to let Emerson manhandle her. I didn’t know what had gotten into him, but I wasn’t afraid to stand up to him. I started to rise, but Reuben clamped a hand on my shoulder and pushed me back down. I glared at him, and he leaned over to whisper in my ear. “Ease up, cowboy. This is an act they do. They did it when she was here before. Just watch. It’ll keep the men away from her. For her safety.”

Not sure I believed him, I turned back to the two of them. Julia slapped rather weakly at the hands holding her. Emerson laughed at her. A few of the other men laughed as well. Julia’s eyes sharpened, and instead of fighting his hands, she hauled back and punched him in the face.

She caught his cheek, and he immediately released her. She scrambled away from him and stood there, hands on her hips. He prodded his cheek, real irritation in his eyes, before standing up and facing her with a predatory look. “You’ll pay for that.”

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