Cold Warriors Page 16

  "Miss Ianna, what's this we hear about a curse?"

  "How long until we hear the announcement of a wedding, Ianna?"

  A voice rose above the questions pummeling her from all directions, “Wedding? How about an engagement first?” The crowd broke out in laughter.

  Dear Sweet Mother of Earth, I needed a break from all this. Wedding. Curse. Gossipmongers and harridans, snakes and liars. My skin crawled and right now I hated them all. A tide of neediness flooded over me, threatening to suck me down into an overwhelmed state. Everyone wanted something. Even Mickey. I jerked my arm out of his hold again. For almost six months I'd considered a break. Maybe a vacation. The crowd shoved forward against the line and I felt the desperate need to escape. I ran.

  Mickey bellowed after me but I couldn't hear anything over the roar of my heartbeat. Jhon was my friend. No, more than that. He was my family. His boyfriend was my family. Stage hands, fans, and now my own team were dying off one by one.

  I shoved through the crowd of people, ignoring the hands touching me or trying to hold on to me. With a desperate cry I broke through and raced to my bike outside, thankful there were no hover bike restrictions on this planet.

  With tears streaming down my cheeks I jumped onto the seat of my angel and gunned the engine. Her deep red paint reflected the lights in the alley. The dark scents of fuel and ozone filled my nostrils. I inhaled deeply, letting the familiar smells comfort me and wipe away the stink of death. I slipped on my ear piece and goggles. She settled to a purr and I was off, as high as the dome would let me.

  I opened her up and let her fly. We ran the rim of the dome with reckless abandon. Gods above, I loved this bike. The wind ripped the tears from my cheeks leaving icy burns in their wake.

  Nothing else flew in this dome. She brought me to the very top and I floated there, my sight drawn to the beautiful image of space. I took off my goggles and let go, let the horror and the pain tear its way through my soul. Only here did I let my tears fall unheeded. Sobs wracked my body and I pulled into myself, trying to remember, something, anything that could have stopped Jhon's death. I wish I could remember every bit, but only flashes of stage set up were in my memory.

  My mind went over the day in a loop. Every detail I could remember came in to a sharp focus. Everything had been normal, had felt normal. We ran through the show a hundred times. Everyone knew their positions. It had been practiced to perfection.

  After the cameras had been set up for the show, Jhon had asked if he could switch positions in the finale. We'd worked together for so long we could switch positions without a problem. He wanted the flair of lights behind him for his string solo. I'd laughed. Dramatic had always been his flair. I should have stopped him. The pyrotechnics were too dangerous. Too many things could go wrong. Godless law, he'd been thrilled when I agreed.

  When the last explosion rocked the stage, the crowd had surged to its feet, stomping and screaming. I knew. I knew something had gone wrong. Jhon was behind me and the horrifying smell of burned human flesh sent me to my knees. The smoke cleared and the screaming started.

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