Nimmet, Goddess of Love Page 5

  Rain beat on the garage roof above. He kept walking. At every turn, he hoped to see Sima standing there safe and chewing her cheek with worry. "You evil, evil woman," he muttered. "You messed up my whole life."

  Olen Road lay at the north end of the garage, and Razi stopped beside it to flag down a shuttle. A green cab came whooshing to a stop and lowered close to the metal so he didn’t have to step in the gutter. "Where to?" the driver asked.

  He sank into the seat and frowned. The young man at the helm needed a shave. Dark circles lay beneath wide set eyes. "Can you swing by the exotic pet shop down the street?"

  "Sure thing." A few taps and the shuttle hovered, whizzing around the corner. With the rain coming down so hard, few people shuffled along the walkways. Razi eyed the three police cruisers parked outside Ailen’s.

  "Looks like something’s going on there," the driver announced. "Must be shady if it’s Hicklan’s. They don’t usually get the heat. Everyone knows they pay not to."

  "Guess they didn’t pay on time." He pursed his lips. One of the policemen came out, the card machine and its wiring tucked under his arm. They’re hiding her transaction. Don’t want Daddy to know where she was. Especially not a place like that. "Hey, how much to get me to the Habiri Church on 9th?"

  "Be about three kets. Don’t feel like a pet anymore?" The driver quirked a brow in his view mirror.

  "No, not now. Might get busted for buying something illegal. Damn police." He leaned back and watched the horizon as the shuttle hovered along the street. Purple Unangi Mountains rose above the jungle. The driver sped onto the freeway and merged with traffic. Razi closed his eyes. It seemed every time he did so, he saw Sima’s face, her hazel eyes and that seductive pout she made when she watched him. She wanted me. He knew she had, and he’d wanted her. Not that it was unusual for him to feel anything for his clients, but Sima. I wish she’d let me make her finish. The thought turned him on. He smiled despite himself.

  The driver clicked on the radio. Low, Akian pop rock mellowed the silence hanging in the air. The drive to Habiri would take a while. Razi looked out the window once more. Time slipped away, and soon he saw the manicured shrubs in front of the church. The shuttle dipped and landed, its feet clunking on the street.

  "Thanks." He held out the cash and bolted, ready to change his life. He didn’t know any other place to start. The rain slowed to a drizzle, just enough to be annoying. Razi didn’t know his way around the Habiri Church as he’d never been there before, but he guessed the office had to be in it somewhere. He slid the great, iron door open and entered. The inner sanctum glittered with candles on every wall. Orange and yellow light flickered over the lines of pews. A woman stood in front of a stone carved icon, praying near the entry.

  "Excuse me," he whispered, tapping her on the shoulder.

  She turned and frowned at him. "What?"

  "I need to find Sister Lensi."

  The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes. "She’s out by the gardens. Just knock twice."

  "The gardens?"

  Clearly annoyed, she waved her hand in the direction of a side door. "Lensi tends the gardens. She’s always there. Now let me alone."

  He sighed and turned. The door led him to a silver walk edged with copper tubing. Strolling down it, he studied the garden. It spanned a covered courtyard, sections of it squared off for hydroponic use while other areas held urns and topiaries. Razi came down from the walk and saw a little, metal tender’s house. "Aha, there," he said.

  He sprinted to the door and knocked. "Sister Lensi?"

  "A moment," she called out. Her voice sounded the same as he remembered, only calmer, less sultry. The door opened and her round face filled the space. Freckles crossed her nose and cheeks. Her verdant eyes widened, and her skin went bright pink. "You can’t come here."

  "Relax, Lensi. I need your help."

  She groaned and shook her head. "If the other sisters find out—"

  "It’s not like that. Look, I’ve got my Ward Release. No one has to know. I just… I just don’t know where to start, and you said if I ever needed help, if I ever needed out... Remember?" He winked, and Lensi shook her head.

  "Raz, this is my job. If they find out the things I’m into, I’m fired, not to mention the implications if Hicklan gets wind of it."

  Taking a chance, he reached out and placed his hand against her plump cheek. He touched her lower lip with the pad of his thumb and offered his best charming smile. "Help me, Sister. You’re the only person I know with any heart."

  She closed her eyes, and he felt the slow breaths she took in. Just that small caress was sending chills through her. He hadn’t forgotten what she liked or how she wanted to be touched. Lensi backed up and let him in. She looked larger than he remembered, her wide hips showing beneath her plain black dress. "So, what is it, Raz? How’d you get your release?" She backed to a chair and sat down, the wood creaking under her ample weight.

  Razi glanced over the simple room. Lensi’s bed stood at the far end, beside it an open door that probably led to the bathroom. Her paintings graced every wall, simple works of blooming flowers. "Some woman paid my way out. Lensi, I don’t know what to do."

  "She bought you?" She eyed him with a curious twinkle in her eyes. "Some woman bought you? I knew you were good but…"

  He paced the room. "No, she didn’t buy me. She paid my way out and gave me walking papers. No one owns me now. I didn’t even sleep with her."

  "Didn’t sleep with me either."

  Razi shook his head, averting his gaze from hers. He knew she’d be laughing over this.

  "Oh Raz, it’s not that bad. You look like a caged panther. Just sit down and think. Some woman bought your freedom. Isn’t there anything you want out of life?"

  He stopped and stared down at her. "Shit, Lensi. I never wanted out. You know that. Hicklan was good to me. Life was easy. And now this. I can’t get her out of my head either. I close my eyes, and I see her face."

  "Whoa, whoa, whoa. You feel for her? No way." She giggled, a sound that didn’t suit her at all. As she shook her head, auburn hair bounced. "How much time did you spend with her?"

  "A night and a morning."

  "Then you can’t love her. You don’t even know her." Lensi tapped her foot on the polished wood floor. "What’s her name?"

  "I can’t tell you."

  She laughed harder then. "You always were a mystery to me, Raz. So, how can I help? You must have some idea if you came to me."

  "I want a job." He smiled, trying to charm her. "You still work in Oemir Leuj’s gardens?"

  "Only the best for that man, and I’m the best at what I do. So, that’s a yes. You want to trim his hedges?"

  "You’ll have to teach me how."

  Snorting out another burst of laughter, Lensi stood and snatched up his right hand. "You’ll get blisters. These hands don’t know an honest day’s work. They’re softer than a baby’s bottom."

  "Very funny," he shot back, pulling his hand away. "Can you get me in there?"

  "Sure," she chimed. "I need someone to carry the manure. You want a place to stay too?"

  "Yeah."

  Chapter Eight – Leuj’s Garden

  Leuj held the slip of plastic between his thumb and forefinger. "That’s a high sum for such a place, and she stayed only one night?" He shook his head as he looked up at the bushy browed officer, trying to hide his intrigue. "You sure that’s all she paid for? A night with one of Hicklan’s wards?"

  "Yes sir. We checked the room as well. No sign of her." The officer’s gray-brown gaze flickered over the desk and then back to Leuj.

  "And the attendant?"

  "Disposed of as you requested. No one inside knows what happened. We informed Hicklan that a shooter was on the loose and killed the attendant in the crossfire. It’s all clean." The officer scratched at his neck and frowned.

  "Who was she with? Did you take him into custody?" Leuj tapped the plastic record against his knee, his cotton haberes dulling the so
und.

  "The room was empty. We searched it. Usually one ward occupies a room but, at times, they rotate for cleaning purposes."

  "Keep looking for her. I don’t want the Shiemir to find her first." Leuj tossed the debit record onto his black marble desk. He stood and waved the officer away. "Go find her I said."

  "Yes, my Oemir." The policeman marched away, his stunner and gun clicking together in their adjoining holsters.

  The rain had stopped that morning and Leuj felt like taking his daily walk. He climbed down the steps to his rear courtyard, two servant boys trailing in silence behind him. As he followed the winding path through the winter crocus rows, a frown tugged at his lips. Puzzling over Sima’s unusual transaction, he stopped beside a cherry tree and watched Jahid.

  The woman stood at the edge of a fanciful fountain, her profile showing just so in the light filtering from the glistening water. A light breeze tousled her chestnut hair. From the distance, he saw the small bandage on her face where the surgeon removed her mole. "I will not miss her," he whispered. "She is not who I desire."

  Leuj hastened his pace, bypassing the fountains. He favored the statuary in the lower courtyards. Sitting down on a gilded metal bench, he watched the breeze caress the thin layer of fallen leaves as they tumbled and skittered across the brick walk.

  Memories of his father lingered in this place, old memories, angry images of hiding and beatings. He could almost see his mother trailing behind that burly monster of a man, her eyes glittering with tears and just a hint of something more. Leuj’s father took many things; he possessed many women, but he could never steal his wife’s spirit. The day he brought her to stand accused her of crimes against their marriage, she still denied his words. She fought him to the death.

  "My Oemir," a woman’s voice interrupted.

  Leuj raised his head, his gaze falling on the plump Habiri Sister. Her freckled skin and auburn hair coupled with her smile made a cheerful picture. "Good afternoon, Sister Lensi. The crocuses are beautiful."

  "As beautiful as you wanted?" She clasped her hands in front of her waist, regarding him with that curious gaze of hers.

  "Always." He eyed her. Lensi came forth, held out her hand, and he squeezed it. There were few things that kept his attention longer than two weeks, and Sister Habiri was one. With his leave, she tended the immense gardens, changing the landscape as often as the Irnian weather changes its mind. "What are your plans today?"

  "A surprise as always, My Oemir. I know what you need." She winked at him, her smile flashing warm in the chill air. "You get bored too soon."

  He let her fingers go, disappointed at doing so for they felt hot. Her ample body lay hidden beneath her black dress. For a fleeting moment, he pictured her naked.

  "Are you well?" she asked, stepping closer, her skirt brushing his leg. "You’re looking a little red around the edges. Thought I was the only one that did that."

  "Just thinking." He ran his hands through his hair and peered around Lensi at the three men accompanying her. Two he recognized. The third, a tall man with broad shoulders, he did not. "Who is that?"

  She turned. "That’s just Razi. He’s carrying in the manure for me today."

  "He looks Unangi."

  "I think he is, at least half." Sister Lensi swayed on her feet, blocking Leuj’s view. She smelled of geraniums and stock, sweet and musky. Once more, her full skirt brushed his leg.

  The Oemir turned his attention to her. Reaching out, he touched her hip with two fingers. "I wish you’d join me in the palace, maybe today?" He watched her lick her lower lip nervously even though her emerald eyes remained steady.

  "You know I can’t. Goes against the order."

  "I know, Lensi, but I always have to ask." He leaned closer, his fingers spreading across her cotton shrouded skin to her inner thigh. The men, he knew, saw nothing of his taunts. "You’re very pretty to look at," he murmured. Glancing up, Leuj smiled as her face flushed with color. "What a waste of a woman. To be hidden away in that church. You should be cherished, made love to." He stood, his hand reaching higher until his fingers brushed the mound beneath her clothes. Lensi made a small cry in the back of her throat. "Don’t you wonder what it feels like?"

  Her eyelids closed as he rubbed gently between her legs. "Only when I see you, my Oemir."

  Her breathy voice made his shaft twitch. "Come inside to my room. An hour or more. I’ll make you feel good. There’s no harm in it."

  She leaned against him, her right breast pressing into his chest. "As I said, my Oemir. I know what you want. You would soon tire of me. I much prefer this…forbidden heat between us."

  Her denial angered him, and delighted him as well. "Do you dream of me?" he moaned against her cheek.

  "Often." She pulled back and turned from him, sauntering in her way toward the men she’d brought in.

  Leuj sat down and watched them cart in the bags of manure. After that, the three men wheelbarrowed the flowers across the courtyard. Lensi kept the plants under shrouds, as she did her body, teasing him for a final reveal. Sinking back into melancholy memories, he hardly noticed the brazen stare from the Unangi man she called Razi.

  Chapter Nine – Soldiers

  The rain dwindled to a light washing of drizzle falling across the outside world like dew. Sima watched it from a hazy window. Gotiri sat beside her, carding her wool in long, determined strokes. The makeshift hut smelled like oil and mud. Grandfather continued to watch his battery television, his old eyes wide, fixed on the flickering screen.

  "S-S-Sima."

  Turning, she looked down at the young girl. Gotiri smiled wide and patted the place beside her on the blanket.

  "Y-you sleep b-by me." She sucked in a frustrated breath.

  "Of course." Sima sat and crossed her legs. She watched the girl return to her work, the wire combs scraping against each other as they straightened the fibers. "Can I help you?"

  Gotiri nodded. She passed a set of straightened fibers to Sima. Setting her combs down, she reached into a woven bag and pulled out a section of screen. "L-l-lay them." Pursing her lips, the girl gave up speaking. She set the fibers across the screen in one direction. Indicating what she needed with her hands, she started a second layer in the opposite direction. "F-f-f-felt."

  Sima nodded though she didn’t quite understand what they were making. Grateful for the shelter, she filled the screen and then two others, working in silence. She felt grateful for their kindness and the shelter they offered without question. With that came the bite of guilt. I should leave in the morning. I need to find my way to Alga. Bits of the newscast drifted to her, drawing her attention.

  "…channel nine news reporting. In Irnia’s southern district, police shot down a criminal by the name of Yenir Foline. The alleged murderer tried to hide in one of Hicklan Corporation’s Ward Halls. Unfortunately, an employee was taken hostage and killed before the police could dispatch Foline."

  Sima squinted at the screen. The familiar glass doors and the snippet of ‘meals served in bed’ with a reporter standing next to the building made her shudder. They can’t find me here, not here.

  She thought of Razi and prayed that it wasn’t him, that he hadn’t been shot. I hope he ran and had sense enough to get out of there. "Damn," she whispered.

  A commercial for Chocolate Coffee came on, and Sima looked back to her work. Tears brimmed in her eyes, hot and uncomfortable. If he’s dead, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have paid for him with the card. They tracked it.

  Someone pounded on the wooden door, and she held her breath. Looking up, she saw Grandfather hop down from his seat and shimmy across the floor on his hands, using the stumps of his legs to steady himself.

  "Scht Scht," he clucked, and shot Gotiri a baleful stare. The young girl stood, grasped a length of curtain and pulled it across the space, hiding herself and Sima from view.

  "Quiet," she said with a finger at her lips.

  Sima backed against the wall, terrified. She pulled a woolen blanke
t over herself and ducked beneath it. To her surprise, Gotiri crawled in with her and huddled close, shivering.

  The door opened, creaking on its worn hinges. Sima heard the clunk of boots against stone and pounded earth. Grandfather shouted in Unangi, his words harsh, angry. Clay clinked and shattered. "Where is she, old one?" a man asked.

  "I send her away to the hills. I send her to my sister."

  "You should take the money." Something pounded on the stone floor, a stick Sima guessed. "Get yourself out of this hole. She’s a pretty little thing. They’ll teach her talk right and how to please a man."

  Gotiri slipped her cold fingers into Sima’s hand, her dark eyes wide in the shadows of the blanket. She looked ready to cry. Appalled by what the man wanted, Sima stiffened. How many times have they come for this girl?

  "Gotiri not for those men!" Grandfather shouted. "I send her away!"

  "Sure you did. I bet you tend those goats all by yourself." Boots clunked as the soldiers searched the house. The curtain slid part way. "I have shens here for you. Cash. There’s no shame, old one. What kind of life does she have here? Sign the Ward Surrender, and I promise she’ll go to school."

  Sima heard the old man breathing in panicked gasps. The dragging of his skin against the stone sounded like leather rubbing together. "You have no souls," he muttered. The television clicked and went silent. "Steal our children. Kill us off. Make us one of you. No souls."

  The curtain slid a little farther, its rings grating against the metal rod. Sima squeezed Gotiri’s hand. "Stay down," she mouthed against the girl’s ear, hoping she could stop this. "Don’t worry." Forcing the blanket away, careful to keep the girl concealed, she crawled out. The soldier’s back faced her. She reached to tuck the blanket over Gotiri’s toes and stood, clenching her fists.

  Grandfather’s eyes widened, and he shook his head, clucking his tongue.

  "What are you doing here?" Sima shouted. "You climb into the hills to find wards for your brothels? You take poor people’s children and exploit them?"