Merchanter's Luck

“Huh.” There was a sober look on her face. “Not me at all, was it?”

“I could have taken my time getting here. I wanted to see you. That part’s so.”

The sober look became a thinking look, a different, colder one. “Well, then, I guess you will get out of it all, won’t you?”

“I will. No question.”

“Huh,” she said again. She rolled for the edge of the bed and he caught her wrist, stopping her.

“Where are you going?”

“Can’t stay any longer. I have duty.”

“What did I say?”

“You didn’t say anything. I just have my watch coming up.”

“It was something. What was it?”

Her face grew distressed. She jerked at his hand without success. “Let go.”

“Not until you tell me what I said.”

“If you put a mark on me, Stevens, you’ll regret it You want to think that through?”

“I’m trying to talk to you. I told you the truth.”

“I don’t think you know the truth from your backside. You didn’t tell me the truth and I’ll bet you didn’t tell it to customs out there.”

His heart slammed against his ribs, harder and harder. “So does Dublin tell the whole truth to customs? Don’t ask me to believe that”

“Sure. I figure there are all kinds of reasons someone would give me one story and customs another; but maybe only one reason a ship would dog us the way you have, and I don’t like the smell of it. You never have answered me straight, not once, and I gave you your chance. Now maybe you can break my arm and maybe you even figure you can kill me to shut me up, but, mister, I’ve got several hundred cousins who know who I’m with and where and you’ll find yourself taking a slow voyage on Dublin if you don’t let me out of here right quick.”

“Is that why you stayed? To ask questions?”

“What do you expect?”

He stared at her with more pain than he had felt since Ross died, let go her arm so suddenly she almost rolled off her edge of the bed; and she sat there rubbing her wrist and glaring at him. He had no wish to be looked at. “Go on,” he said. “I’m not stopping you.”

“Don’t tell me I’ve hurt your feelings.”

“Impossible. Go on, get out of here and let me sleep.”

“It’s my room. I paid the bill.”

That hurt I’ll take care of it I’ll put the fifty in Dublin’s account. And the fifty before that. Just take yourself off. No worry about the cash.”

“It really looks like it. What are you doing, following us to get me to pay your bar bills? You going to hit me up for finance?”

“I don’t charge,” he said bitterly. His face burned. “Go on. Out.”

She stood up, stalked over, collected her clothes from the chair and started pulling them on—paused, sealing up the silver coveralls, and looked back at him.

“Probably I’d better pay your rent for the week,” she said. “I think you’ve got troubles, Stevens. I think your combine’s going to have your head on a platter. You’re not going to turn a profit on this.”

“Don’t bother yourself. I don’t want your money and I don’t want your help. I’ll handle my combine.”

“Oh, sure, you’re going to explain how it all seemed a good idea at the time. This story’s going to be told over and over again, bigger every time it hits another station. How you did it to see me again, how you did it for a bet, how you took out of Viking the wrong direction and triplejumped solo through Tripoint, that you’re a Mazia

He thought about that, with a chill feeling in his stomach. “So, well, then, it looks like I’ve got a bigger problem than you do, don’t I? I’m sure Dublin’s going to survive it”

“Bastard.”

“You came out on the dock, Reilly. That was your doing. I didn’t arrange it.”

“I’ve no doubt you’d have come to Dublin asking for me. You used our name over com. What more did it lack?”

“Out.”

“You’re flat broke, Stevens. Unless you’re carrying something under the plates. And they’ll look. You’re going to get your ship attached. At the least”

“I’ve got funds.”

“What have you got?”

“Maybe it’s none of your business.”

“You don’t. Not worth this trip.”

“None of your business.”

“Huh.”

He stared at her, unwilling to fight it out. Watched her walk to the door—and stop. She stood there. Looked back finally, dropping her hand from the door switch. “You tell me,” she said, “really why you pulled this.”

“Like you said.”

“Which?”

“Take your pick. I’m not going to argue the point.”

“No. You tell me, Stevens, how you’re going to rig this. I really want to know.”

He shrugged, sitting up, hooked his arm in the pillows and propped himself against the headboard. “I told you already what I’m going to do. It’s no problem.”

“I think you’re in bad trouble.”

“Nothing I can’t solve.”

“So I’m flattered I made such an impression on you. But I’m not why you came. What made you?”

He tried a wry smile, reckoning he could hold it. “Well, it seemed reasonable at the time.”

“I keep wanting to believe you. And I’m not getting any encouragement.”

“I’m used to ru

She came back and sat down on the edge of the bed, leaned with her hand on his and looked into his face at too close an interval for comfortable pretenses. “Possibly,” she said, “you can claim fatigue and they’ll let you out of this. Maybe it was just being out there too long.”

“Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that one. I’ll try it.”

“I’d guess you’d better try something. You are in trouble. Aren’t you?”

He said nothing.

“Stevens. If it is Stevens… How much truth have you told me? At any time?”

“Some.”

“About what you are—how about that, for a start?”

He tried to shrug, which was not easy at close quarters. “I’m what I told you.”

“You’re broke, aren’t you? And in a lot of trouble. I think maybe you thought I could finance you. I think maybe that’s what this is all about, that you really did come chasing after me— because you’ve overrun your margin at Viking, haven’t you; and maybe your company’s going to be asking questions—and now you’ve got a combine ship where she doesn’t belong.”

“No.”

“No?”

“I said no.”

“You know, Stevens, I shouldn’t ask this, but it does occur to me that you just may not be combine.”

He stared at her, at a frown which was not anger, his hold on his silence loosened for no good reason, but that she knew—he knew that she knew. She was headed back to her ship, to talk there, for certain.

“Not, are you?”

“No. I’m not. I’m—” His arm went out to stop her from bolting, but that shift had not been to get up, and he was left embarrassed. “Look, WSC never noticed me. I made them money. I never cost them a credit…”

“Before now.”

“I’ll put it back.”

“You are a pirate.”

“No.”

“All right. So I wouldn’t sit here if I thought that. So you skim. I’m not sure I want to know the details.” She heaved a sigh and turned to sit sideways on the bed, slammed her fist into her knee. “Blast.”

“What’s that?”

“That’s wishing I minded my own business. So I know. So I can’t do anything about it. I’m not going to. You understand that? It’s worth no money to you, whatever you pla

Heat rose to his face. “No. I’ll tell you the truth: it was getting tight there. Really tight. So you made me think of Pell, that’s all. I figure maybe I’ve got a chance here.”