Crash Deluxe by Marianne de Pierres

Delly owns. We c-can talk more there at breakfast. You better g-go now.’
    I took my cue from him, slipping the star around my neck. Then I headed back out to the bar.

Chapter Eight
     
     
     
     
    I was helping myself to another drink as Glorious and the Koreans reappeared at the door. She made straight for me, pale and distraught. Her hands dabbed at the blood spatters on her underwear as she blurted her message straight out.
    ‘Delly said I should show you where your room is. He said you can eat with us at Freeza’s Café on 151, or you can stay in the club - otherwise the deal’s off. Either Lam’ - she nodded at the Korean with a shaved head - ‘or Tae will . . . be with you.’
    I gave the small, tightly muscled men my best grimace.
    Their return smiles were uncomfortably bland.
    I switched my attention back to Glorious. ‘Everything all right?’
    She trembled violently. ‘Brigitte was new. She didn’t have a spotter.’ She blinked at me through frightened eyes. ‘I know it’s selfish. But all I can think of is . . . one day it might be me.’
    Suddenly she bent over, hair spilling around her face, looking like she might get sick.
    ‘You should . . . err . . . lie down,’ I said awkwardly. I wasn’t used to comforting beautiful women about murder. Actually, I wasn’t used to comforting anyone. And the gloom of the low-lit bar was getting to me. I wanted out of the place.
    Glorious straightened up and swallowed a couple of times, composing herself. ‘I’ll show you your room. It’s right next to mine.’
    Lam trailed us out into the corridor and on to the lift.
    ‘We live on the floor below the club,’ Glorious explained, pressing the button.
    We were there in a blink. Lam stepped out first and held his hand to the sensor to make sure the door stayed open. Just in case.
    I followed him and Glorious out into another plush corridor decorated with native plants and squirming fish murals.
    Glorious caught me eyeballing the fish and managed a laugh. ‘Used to make me seasick at first. It’s supposed to be relaxing.’
    A sleek black-and-silver-tailed fish swam alongside me for a few paces before it flicked its tail and retraced its path towards the lift. I thought of Kiora Bass, one of Daac’s Fishertown devotees, and wondered if she was still alive.
    Lam showed me the code to my door lock and watched me go inside. Then he settled himself cross-legged by the door.
    The room was more than luxurious by my standards. The bed was the real deal and so were the ’drobe, san and entertainment unit. A weird module hunkered down at one side.
    ‘What’s that?’
    Glorious had followed me in. Colour had seeped back into her cheeks and her crafted turquoise eyes had regained some shine.
    ‘That’s the Alkem. And those clothes in the wardrobe belong to the Luxoria. You’re free to wear any of them if they fit but if you damage anything Delly takes it out of your pay. Merv keeps account of all that side of things. Don’t you, Merv?’
    I glanced behind me for the nerdy boy but came up empty.
    ‘Every room in the Luxoria and our apartments contain i-bugs for our protection. Merv monitors them all the time,’ she explained.
    ‘Doesn’t he ever sleep?’ I asked, wondering what would happen if I inhaled a bug.
    ‘Only the hours when clients aren’t in.’ She saw my expression and tried to reassure me. ‘Merv’s very discreet. You’ll get used to it. It’s kind of comforting.’
    I knew a few voyeurs - all of them would have murdered to get a gig like this. No wonder Merv hung around.
    I pointed to the Alkem again. ‘What does it do?’
    ‘Put your things away and tap me here when you’re ready.’ Glorious pointed to a number on the comm. ‘We’ll start right away.’
    Start what? I didn’t want to start anything. ‘Don’t you wanna take some time to . . . um . . . recover?’
    Something about Glorious made me trip over my words.
    Maybe because she was cultured. Maybe because she was