Destin's Hold (The Alliance #5)(40)
“It is a pleasure to meet both of you again,” Sula replied, extending her hand in the Earth greeting.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Tim replied, not taking her outstretched hand. “What do you mean she is with you?”
Destin didn’t miss that Mason hadn’t said a word, nor the fact that Tim had ignored Sula’s outstretched hand. His eyes narrowed at their rudeness and his lips tightened when he saw the flash of uncertainty cross Sula’s face. She lowered her hand back to her side. Taking a step closer to her, he wrapped his arm around her waist in a protective, and obviously possessive, statement.
“As in ‘she is with me’,” Destin repeated with a slight bite to his voice. “Any disrespect toward her is disrespect toward me.”
“Destin…,” Tim muttered, glancing at Sula then back at Destin.
Destin shook his head grimly. “I want to drop my stuff off at my apartment and give Sula time to settle in. Her belongings are being transferred here. When they arrive, have them delivered to my quarters. I’ll meet with the team in one hour to get a briefing on everything that has happened since I left and to discuss any new developments that need to be seen to,” he ordered.
“I’ll show you to your apartment,” Tim muttered, glancing over Destin’s shoulder to Trig. “What about that one?”
“Trig will need accommodations, as well,” Destin replied.
“I’ll show the alien where he can stay and inform the others about Destin’s return,” Mason muttered with a jerk of his head. “Come on.”
Destin didn’t miss the tight, assessing look in Trig’s gaze at Mason’s attitude. He knew that getting his people to accept the aliens wasn’t going to be easy. He’d hoped that working with them side by side for the past year would have made a difference. True, the alien species doing the rebuilding were smaller and less threatening than the Trivators, but still… Tim and Mason both knew and respected Cutter and some of the other Trivators who had worked with them over the past two years since Colbert’s death and the end of the war.
“What floor are we on?” Destin asked, following Tim when he turned toward the lifts set into the wall behind them.
“Nothing but the best for the leader of New Chicago. You get the penthouse,” Tim replied in a cool, distant tone. “Most of it isn’t furnished. There is still some work that needs to be done on the interior. The kitchen, one of the bathrooms, and the rest of the furnishings should be completed within the next couple of weeks. Still, you’ll be able to live in it while the work is being done.”
“I’m sure,” Destin murmured, holding Sula’s hand as the lift rose. “Thanks. What safety precautions have been installed to make sure that the top residents are not cut off in the event of a transport or shuttle accident?” Destin asked, holding Sula’s hand when the lift rose.
Tim glanced at him as they entered the lift. “Each unit has an external room with an escape pod capable of holding up to ten people. The pod will automatically eject once life forms are detected inside if there is a structural failure. It is capable of flying up to twenty miles before landing, but is programmed to identify and land in the nearest green area. The Trivators are huge on green areas in their designs. The city will be larger than before, but contain half the number of buildings, if you remember,” Tim explained.
“I remembered us discussing it in the planning sessions, but wasn’t sure it was a possibility,” Destin replied with a pleased nod. “In the original designs, there had only been two such pods per floor.”
“Yeah, one of the alien engineers working on the building thought it might overtax the pods if there were additional people attending a function. She was also concerned that residents could become trapped and unable to reach a pod in the designated area. The change in design is the primary reason the apartments aren’t completely finished,” Tim explained, stepping out of the elevator on the one hundred and twenty-fifth floor.
“It seems strange being in such a fancy place after so many years living in the rubbles of the city,” Destin remarked. He paused when Tim stopped in front of a door across from the lift.
“I know what you mean,” Tim stated, pressing his palm to the door panel and waiting for it to open before he stepped back and motioned for Destin and Sula to enter first. “Welcome home, Destin. I’ll show you how to program the door.”
“Thank you. I appreciate everything you’ve done while I was gone, Tim. I look forward to finding out what else has been accomplished.” Destin responded, releasing Sula’s hand when she tugged at it so that she could walk over to the large expanse of windows and look down at the city.
“Yeah, well… I’d like to know what in the hell happened to you, too; and, how you ended up with a Usoleum bit… broad on your arm.” Tim muttered under his breath. His gaze was fixed on Sula’s slender back.
Destin’s jaw tightened into a stiff line and he could feel a hard, steely mask settle over his features. An air of displeasure and warning settled between him and his best friend, who was also his second-in-command. The only reason he didn’t physically strike out at Tim was because he knew Tim had a right to be distrustful of the Usoleums, namely because of Badrick.
“She isn’t like him,” Destin stated.