Broken Flyght – Chapter 20

The Oitavo Central Police Station is subdued when we arrive. Since Oitavo caters to the elite, its main police station is a marvel of convenience, even for felons like Jinzo and me. We’re brought in through the garage and back door, thankfully not in handcuffs. I’m dripping wet and barefoot. Who knows what happened to the heels I shucked off running after Sonia? I’m just glad they weren’t my beloved Bomba-Farias. Jinzo’s shoes squish with every step, and if I were in a better mood, I might snicker at that.

At the intake window, Jinzo pulls his datapad from his pocket, takes off his socks and shoes, and dumps them all on the counter while I hand over my wristlet. And then comes the mug shot. I catch sight of myself in a mirror, and I look like a drowned rat, hair plastered to my head, mascara running, shirt and skirt destroyed. Standing for the mug shot, I’m careful not to scowl. I keep a neutral face with a hint of a smirk in my eyes.

I should be ashamed of myself — really — but I can’t help but feel powerful. I chased that girl down, and I almost caught her. If the bike hadn’t shut itself down and called the cops, I could’ve caught her. I went to that casino to find something of my brother, and I did. And here I am being arrested for driving recklessly and violating city limits laws. Possibly for trying to steal the rental bike, too.

Yeah, I broke the law. Little Ms. Boring and Predictable me. My parents are going to shit a brick, but I think Skylar will be impressed.

“Do you want to change out of these clothes?” A female officer asks me. “We have some prison scrubs, the ones we use for long-term inmates.”

“No thanks,” I say, watching Jinzo get his mug shots taken. “Any chance for some paper slippers?”

“Sure,” she says, with a jerk of her lips. “Lose your shoes in the drink? I saw the footage of that squid trying to eat you. You’re lucky to be alive.”

I guess the police caught more of my struggle on video than I initially thought.

“No. I ditched the shoes when I was running after… Never mind.”

She leans closer. “Why were you out there, Ms. Kawabata? I saw your story on OEN.”

This woman is not what I expected from an Oitavo police officer, so I raise my eyebrows at her. She shrugs.

“We get a lot of drunk and disorderly violations in here. The occasional theft. Not a lot of people we have to rescue from the sea.”

“I spotted my brother’s girlfriend in the casino, a woman I had only ever seen in photos. And you know my brother stole the family inheritance?” She nods. “So I confronted her, and she ran. Led me on a chase all over town. I was ready to give up and head back when the bike shut down.” I shrug, obfuscating the emotions I felt during that chase. Now, it’s just a list of my bad decisions. “Bitch got away and took any hope I had of fixing my problems with her.”

The officer nods. “That’s a right shame.”

From across the room, Jinzo is assessing me from head to toe. “Nice bra,” he mouths at me. I glance down and see that my shirt is half open and my lacy bra is poking out.

The officer catches my eye roll and smiles. “Let me get you a blanket before we put you in lockup.”

“I get a phone call, right?” I ask before she’s able to walk away.

“Actually, you get to designate someone we call. There aren’t many people in lockup today, so I can call your contact right away.”

I give her Marcelo’s information and pray to all the gods he’s not mad at me when he arrives.

The actual jail cell is a sad concrete room with hard plastic benches and a toilet in the corner. In the opposite corner, two women doze, leaning on each other. Both are in party dresses, their makeup smeared and hair a mess. Drunk and disorderly? Probably. I choose a spot on the opposite side of the room, wrap the thin blanket the officer gave me around my shoulders, and sit with my back against the wall.

I could really go for a huge meal right about now since I skipped lunch to go on a chase. My stomach is an empty canyon waiting to be filled with saucy noodles, dumplings, mashed potatoes, chocolate cake, pistachio gelato… Vivian! Stop thinking about food!

I sigh as I take stock of my body. I’m exhausted beyond belief and running on pure adrenaline now. My legs and feet ache from all the running. I stretch out my legs in front of me and notice long red bruises all up my calves. I pull my leg closer and run my thumb over a few. Ow. Oh, that mother fucking squid gave me these. Bastard. I’ll need that nanite healing spray again as soon as I can get it.

I close my eyes and try to remember all the details of being underwater and fighting for my life. In my head, I see Jinzo slicing at the squid and the moment comes into focus. He tore the plastic shell off the rental hoverbike and used that as a weapon to save me! Wow. He’s a fast thinker. I wouldn’t have thought of that. My face heats remembering how he pulled me up and held me on the bike. He wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t care.

Last night, I wanted to sleep with him. My body hummed as we danced, and I spent a few hours in bed after we parted imagining what it would be like. His fingers on my skin. His kiss.

My seat on the bench becomes uncomfortable, and I shift from left to right to adjust my body. This is such an inappropriate time to be having dirty thoughts.

It’ll be a while until I’m sprung out of this jail. I shift the blanket the officer gave me to the bench, fold it into a pillow, and set my head down to rest. I may be a wet mess, but I’m beat. I can sleep. Will I sleep without nightmares though? Probably not, but I can’t stop how tired I am.

So I close my eyes and await the verdict.

—-

Drowning. Tugging at my leg. His hands are around my neck…

The door slides open and light spills into the jail straight across my face.

“Vivian Kawabata, your time with us is over.”

I gasp as I come back to consciousness. Where am I?

The female officer I talked to on the way in stands in the doorway, her hand on her hip. I look over at the corner where the two women were earlier, and they’re gone, replaced by another woman in ratty clothes.

“What time is it?” I rub my eyes and try to focus my voice.

“Almost two in the morning.”

I sit up, yawn, and stretch. Space lag? I’m probably screwed now. I slept most of the afternoon and into the night.

“What happened to you?” the woman in the corner asks, her eyes on my legs.

While I’ve slept the squid’s injuries have turned black and blue on my right leg, the first leg it grabbed. My left leg is better.

“Sea monsters,” I mumble as I walk out of the cell.

“No shit,” she mumbles back.

I’m relieved when I’m brought to the front of the jail, and Jinzo and Marcelo are there waiting for me.

Marcelo’s mouth drops open, and he turns to Jinzo. I can only imagine what I look like.

“She’s alive. Be thankful,” Jinzo says. He holds out a hand to me with a sweet smile, so I slip my hand into his. “I called in a favor. My cousin is a Rio Police Force Section Chief. No charges.”

Oh good. As badass as I was, I really didn’t want to deal with fines and possible court and jail time.

“Where are your shoes?” Marcelo asks, opening the bag he’s carrying and looking inside. The bag is practically empty. I had very few belongings the police could confiscate from me. I even lost my purse with my favorite plum-colored lipstick somewhere along the way.

“Gone.”

He closes his eyes and his lips move in a silent curse? Prayer? Not sure.

“Ready to go back to the Amagi?” Jinzo asks, squeezing my hand. Behind him, Marcelo lifts his eyebrows at me.

“Definitely. Though, all of our belongings are still at the hotel.”

“I’ll ask Lia to pick everything up in the morning,” Marcelo says, handing my belongings to me. “I’ll walk ahead and call us a car while you two catch up.”

As Marcelo strides away from us, Jinzo pulls me closer to his side, and we stroll forward.

“I meant what I said before that thing tried to eat you.”

“I know you did,” I whisper back, trying not to draw attention to us. I strengthen my grip on his hand.

And somewhere, deep in the night, a bunch of Vivians come together to make me whole again, if only for a short while.

“I’m scared, Jinzo. I don’t want to fuck any of this up. I’m my family’s only hope.” His face is full of concern. “But I also don’t want to not live my life. I can’t let my brother take my life, too, like he took the farm and our future.”

“Then?” he asks, as we approach the front hall of the police station.

“I’m sorry I tried to break things off with you without hearing you out.” I produce a weak smile with the small amount of energy I have left. “I think, maybe, we might be able to make this work.”

“Maybe?” His smirk is pretty darn charming. I like the way it produces a small dimple in his cheek.

“I can upgrade that to ‘possibly.’ You saved me from a giant sea monster with a piece of plastic.” I shake my head as I remember the terror that ran through me. “That was awesome.”

“I’ll handle Cressida…” Jinzo’s voice and smile fade away fast as flashes of lightning filter through the front door of the police station. The lobby itself is quiet. A few officers stand around drinking coffee. Another officer sits behind the front desk. A man in a suit snoozes in a chair in the corner.

But outside, it’s a different story. What I thought were lightning flashes in a storm are actually flashes from camera drones and people snapping photos. Of what?

The door slides open, and Marcelo is there waving us forward.

“I got us a taxi. Hurry through! Cover your face.”

“Jinzo! Jinzo Lee!” Someone yells at us.

I grab Jinzo’s hand and pull him forward, bringing my other free arm up to block out my face.

“Jinzo! Have you left Cressida Briar-Stevenson for good?” “What are you doing on Rio?” “Why were you both arrested?” “Vivian Kawabata! Are you bringing Mr. Lee into your relationship network?” “Jinzo, why would you choose to be with someone like her?”

The last question stings as I duck into the waiting taxi. I pry my fingers from Jinzo’s, not wanting to be comforted from the slings and arrows of cruel and unfeeling people. Jinzo’s face is soft with understanding, and instead of pulling away, he shifts over and presses closer. I sigh. My first instinct is always to withdraw and protect myself, instead of letting someone else defend me. I rest my head on his shoulder and make eye contact with Marcelo sitting in the rear-facing front seat. He nods slightly, his head bopping a sure rhythm.

“I’m glad something worked out on this trip,” he says, as our taxi pulls away and enters the sparse late night traffic.

It’s time to return to the ship. There are still many more things I have to fix before we can move forward with our plans.