Rast rolled his eyes. He loved Barnes like a brother but his old partner was kind of a dog when it came to women.
“Thank you.” Nadiah smiled politely at Barnes. “But isn’t a model someone who wears clothing the manufacturer hopes other people will buy? I can’t possibly be one of those because my tharp is one of a kind.” She nodded down at her pale blue gown.
“It certainly is,” Barnes murmured, eyeing her appreciatively.
Rast felt a stab of jealousy as his old partner’s eyes crawled over Nadiah’s slender form like greedy spiders. “That’s enough, Barnes,” he said roughly. “She’s here to look at the evidence, not be your girlfriend.”
“I don’t see why she can’t do both.” Barnes was still eyeing Nadiah like a hungry dog with a juicy bone.
“Because you are already mated.” Nadiah withdrew her hand pointedly.
“What?” Barnes frowned. “Oh, you saw my wedding ring, right? Let me tell you, though, we’re separated right now and I’m leaving her. So that shouldn’t pose a problem.”
“What about your children?” Nadiah raised one slim blonde eyebrow disapprovingly. “You have a little boy and a little girl. Won’t they miss their father?”
Barnes frowned. “Hey, how did you know that? You must have done some research on me or something, right?”
“I’ve never seen you or heard of you before this minute,” Nadiah said. “I saw it when you took my hand—saw your family. They’re counting on you, Detective and your wife loves you very much. You should honor that love.”
Barnes drew back, his meaty face suddenly pale. “Wow, Rast she’s spooky! How does she do that?”
“I have no idea and no interest in finding out.” Rast frowned. How the hell had the girl known so much about Barnes and his family? Could it be just a lucky guess? He looked at Nadiah. “Let’s go.”
“Where are you taking me?” She stood her ground, arms crossed over her breasts. “I’m not going until I know.”
“To see some giants,” Rast growled, grabbing her hand. “Come on.”
* * * * *
The ride through downtown Sarasota was charmingly foreign. It was also a little frightening. Nadiah had lived in grottos and enclosed spaces her entire life. Being outside, on the surface of a planet, with such a high, open sky above her in all directions made her feel rather like a tiny bug crawling under a blue bowl. Detective Rast’s vehicle was what he called a “convertible” and the warm wind blew through her hair as they drove through the city.
It was hot and humid—almost oppressively so, especially compared with the frigid climate of Tranq Prime. But Nadiah felt it was worth it to be someplace so completely different and new—someplace so wonderfully foreign. She was glad, however, that she was visiting during the “cool” part of the year—at least according to Sophia. She couldn’t imagine what the temperature might be like during the hot season.
Regardless of the temperature, downtown Sarasota was exciting. There were tall buildings everywhere and the road they were traveling on was lined with a type of vegetation called palm trees. The people all wore light, casual clothes and pants which stopped above the knee. Many of the women had footwear on which exposed their feet—shocking to someone who had grown up on Tranq Prime, but obviously no big deal here on Earth. Clearly the natives were used to the heat and dressed accordingly. Nadiah wished they could stop the car so she could get out and explore—there was so much to see!
“You keeping looking around like that, your eyes are going to pop out of your head and roll down the street.” Rast gave her a sidelong glance as he steered the vehicle.
“Excuse me for being excited,” Nadiah said icily. “This is the first foreign planet I’ve been on. It’s exhilarating to see someplace so completely different from my home world.”
“Too bad you’re not here for a better reason.” He sighed moodily and looked back at the road.
“Yes, I guess you’re right.” Nadiah felt suddenly guilty. What right had she to enjoy the sights and sounds of the foreign city when the whole reason she was here was to find evidence about a missing girl? A girl who was probably still being held and tortured by the AllFather that very minute. Just thinking about it brought a lump to her throat and tears to her eyes.
“Hey.” Rast threw her another glance and then looked at her more fully. “Hey, don’t cry.” He sounded almost panicked. “Look, I’m sorry. I know I’m a bastard sometimes. I just get so wrapped up in the case and I don’t think before I talk.”