Loving Them

by Rebecca Royce

  One of the guards threw Quinn to the ground. It was everything I could do not to throw myself on top of him. This had been planned. He wanted this. Was Nolan in on it? I backed up. Whatever plan this was, I couldn’t watch them hurt Quinn. I ran like the wind itself chased me. I thought that maybe it did.

  I busted into the suite. Keith and Clay both stood in the kitchen and darted around when I came in.

  “You got arrested?” There was amusement in Clay’s voice. “I thought maybe I should go, being the lawyer and everything, but Quinn had just gotten up and he insisted. Where is he?”

  I took a deep breath. “He said he had a plan and I need to describe to you exactly what happened. Word-for-word. He said he knew what to do to find the traitors. Then he handed me the groceries.” I held up the bag. “And Nolan and the guards showed up. They arrested him for treason and plotting. He made a big scene. Called himself Quinn Sandler and said they would win and beat back everyone else. He was really carrying on. Then they knocked him to the ground, the guards.” I might not have been clear enough about what was going on.

  Still, Keith and Clay looked at each other, passing a look I didn’t quite read. Keith turned to me. “Quinn says he can catch the traitors. That means he can. For all that we give him a hard time, he never fails. Not when he says he can do something. He made a scene? Great, then so will we.”

  “Too bad Tommy isn’t up.” Clay set down his tablet. “But I’ll do it in his stead.”

  They were forming a plan, and I was barely following. “What will you do?”

  “If he made a scene saying that he wanted to kill everyone or whatever, then he wanted to be heard. Clay and I are going to make sure he is,” Keith responded. “Come on. Let’s go fake our way through denouncing my twin.”

  They both headed for the door. “Um, if Tommy wakes up, or when he does because it can’t be too much longer, what should I tell him?”

  Clay scrunched up his face. “I’m going to hope he misses what we’re about to do.”

  Keith nodded. “Me too.’

  That wasn’t an answer. Or at least not one I had any idea what to do with.

  I sat down on the couch and started reading about their uncles again because I couldn’t figure out what else to do exactly. News reporting agencies, which were slow and spread out, had the missing Sandler men working as pirates in the dark lands. That wouldn’t make contacting them all that easy. They didn’t exactly have easy tablets to locate. Still, it was important, and there had to be a way.

  A noise in the other room told me Tommy was moving around. I set down my work and headed back toward him. He sat on the bed, his feet on the floor, his head bent as he rubbed his eyes. He was so… handsome.

  “Hiya.”

  He raised his eyes to look at me. “My beautiful love.”

  “That’s a nice way to be greeted.” I walked over to him and knelt down. “How did you sleep?”

  “Um, like my cousin drugged me. Trying to clear my head, but I think I’m overall fine. Got to pee.” He jumped up and was in and out of the bathroom in just a few moments. When he came back out, his eyes were clearer. “Am I the first up?”

  I almost laughed. “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Who else is up?”

  I put my hand on his knee. “Everyone.”

  He took a second to answer. “You’re serious?”

  “Yep.” I kissed his cheek, feeling his stubble. He was warm and soft. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pushed him back until I was on top of him. His hands rubbed my back in a gentle motion. “But you’re up now.”

  “I guess I was the most stressed out of my family. Who would have thought it?”

  I raised my arm as though I answered his question. He rolled his eyes. “Love you.”

  “Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.” He laughed. “You smell really good, Paloma. Like flowers. Do I tell you that enough? How wonderful your scent it? How soft your skin? How perfectly you fit against me?”

  I loved this side of him and saw so little of it. “Why, General Sandler, you are a romantic.”

  He scrunched up his nose. “Hate that name.”

  “I think we should take it back.”

  Tommy leaned back on his elbows, a piece of his hair falling over his eyes. I pushed it back and got the grin I wanted in response. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean that I am tired of being chased around by that stupid scorpion in my dreams.”

  He blinked. “That’s happening?”

  “Yes. And I’m tired of it. I want to make friends with the arachnida. I want him to be mine to love. You’re a Sandler, like it or not, and I think before your dad went nuts, that was something to be proud of.”

  My oldest husband nodded. “That’s true. How do you propose to make friends with the symbol of my family?”

  “I plan to get it inked on my leg.” I lifted it. “I’m going to be Paloma Sandler. Between the five of us, we don’t need to run. We have nothing to be ashamed about. Did Quinn do some crazy things when he thought he was playing a game? Yes. Did you do some things you’d prefer you hadn’t as General Sandler? Sure. Does Clay wish he was on the other side of the law? Yes. Does Keith wish he had been stronger, more assertive, and not kowtowed? Absolutely. Do I think back and wish I could have done a million things differently? Or course.”

  He outright grinned. “You’re very enthusiastic this morning.”

  “It’s night.”

  Tommy laughed. “All right. Whatever. Go on. You want to get inked to match me?”

  “I want to take control of the Sandler name. That starts by actually using it, General Sandler.”

  He rolled me over until he was on top of me. “How about just Tommy Sandler. I don’t want to be General anything ever again. Paloma Sandler. It sounds… beautiful. Or it could be that the girl using the name would be gorgeous in any moniker.”

  We kissed lazily. I wasn’t sure which one of us initiated the caresses. It didn’t matter. I was boneless, and he was unhurried. Finally, he pulled back. “What are the other three of them doing out there? How much time do we have?”

  “Um.” I didn’t know if I was actually supposed to be keeping this from Tommy or not. “They’re not out there, and we don’t have a set time limit that I know of. Truth is, a lot happened while you were sleeping.”

  Amusement lit his gaze. “Tell me. Don’t avoid it. Whatever happens, we will deal.”

  “Your extended nap really helped, didn’t it?”

  He tweaked my nose. “Start talking, wife.”

  “Quinn had an idea to figure out the traitor. He came up with that idea after bailing me out of jail. That’s kind of a long story. Short version, I was arrested in a fight in the food market. Quinn got himself arrested and acted like he was the bad Sandler boy who hated everyone non-Sandler. When Keith and Clay heard about it, they went and denounced him, telling me it would help.”

  He nodded, and the yelling I expected to happen didn’t. Instead, he yawned. “I’m sure they’ve got it. If Quinn needs to be in jail, then that is where he will stay. Let’s go check on what arrangements he’s made, if any, with the Alexanders.”

  “Ah, okay.” I got up, and he followed.

  “You seriously got arrested?” He asked me the question over his shoulder. “For fighting? We’re bad influences on you. My sweet Paloma turning into a hooligan while I take a nap.”

  I turned toward the kitchen to grab him a banana. Thank goodness Quinn had thought to get more. They hadn’t been on my list. Tommy abruptly stopped moving, staring at the couch in the corner.

  “Yeah, that’s me, the fighter.” He didn’t answer me, and I stood watching him for a second. “Something interesting in the corner?”

  He swung around, eyes huge. “I know how we win. I know how to save this station. I need Quinn… he… damn it. He’s in jail. When he gets out. This is how we save things, Paloma. This is how we win.”

  He rushed to me, picking me up in his arms and spinning me around. I held
on tightly. “Tommy. Tommy. I’m not following you.”

  “I know. But you will. The hidey-holes, the ones all over the place where you hid as a child, they’re going to save the day.”

  Keith and Clay returned, having publicly admonished Quinn, and Tommy left to go make a scene in the jail. I had to go to work the next morning, so even though my husbands were not at all tired—and who could blame them—I climbed into my bed, hoping I could turn off my head long enough to get some rest.

  The sound of whatever they were watching in the other room was background noise and at least allowed me to remember they were all awake and fine. Even though Quinn spent his night in the jail.

  I hoped this plan worked. Would the traitors approach him? How long would he have to stay in there to prove himself to them? Would he have to endure a trial?

  The door opened quietly, and Keith snuck in. He took off his shoes, left them by the door, and climbed into bed with me. I rolled over, pressing my head against his chest. His heart beat steadily.

  “Tired?” I whispered my question, liking the quiet of the room and wanting to keep it that way. There was something so nice about the sanctity of the dark when I had one of my husbands with me.

  He kissed my head. “No, but I missed you. I’d rather lie here awake and hold you than sit out there wishing I was in here.”

  “If I conk out, it’s going to get pretty boring.”

  “Nah, I’ll just listen to you snore.” He waited a second. “What? Not going to argue that you don’t snore?”

  I laughed. “Each one of you has pointed out that I do, so at some point it’s just ridiculous to keep insisting that I don’t, right?”

  He sighed. “I love you.’

  “Me too. I mean, I love you, too. Are you okay with Quinn? I mean, I know the twin thing. He’s in jail.”

  “All right, so I’m quasi-obsessing over that too. I’m telling myself that if I were in jail, it would hurt him, too, and I would want him to know that I was fine.”

  I burrowed deeper against him. “We’re going to figure this out. If he says that he needs to do this, then he does. I miss him. I’m really only happy when the five of us are together. Otherwise, I feel the absence. Does that make sense?”

  “They’re my brothers. I love them. I always have, always will. But as for longing? I’m sure I would miss them if they were gone for too long, but that level of total distress? I do that for you. I know they feel the same way. I want them around too. Don’t get me wrong. It’s just a different pain. Sitting in jail tonight as he pretends to be someone he’s not, Quinn is longing for you. You make us complete.”

  The quiet eventually lulled me to sleep. But my dreams were filled with pictures of scorpions coming after Quinn in the jail.

  14

  Outthinking the Enemy

  I chopped as hard as I could, ignoring the side-eyes from my fellow chefs. The news of Quinn had spread through the space station, coupled with the stories about my arrest. I was once again notorious on Mars Station.

  “Paloma.” I turned around to face Diana.

  “Ah.” I had to laugh. “You’re in the kitchen.”

  “I know.” She took a deep breath. “But if I’m not with you, then I have to be with Ari, and I need a break.”

  I wanted to be able to talk to her. “I’m working.”

  “Your stove. It’s about to break.”

  I might have argued with someone else, but I’d seen Diana do this too often. She had a knack with things, seeming to understand when they were going to go. As though she could… taste it, as she’d once told me.

  Sure enough, the device drained of power. The stove was off. Fortunately, the others were still working, and my fellow chefs didn’t have to quit what they were doing. Diana looked at the stove and then outside. “It’s a power drain from the hallway. Come with me. I’ll fix it.”

  “I suppose I’m due for a break.” I took the hat off my head, letting my hair fall down. “I’ll come watch you fix the power. We can stand there together.” I followed her outside; glad to be away from some of the heat of the kitchen. I fanned myself. Diana stood in front of a control panel, pushing buttons. I’d never even be able to understand the readouts, and she ran through them like they were just basic ABCs.

  “Ah.” She tabbed it. “Just needs a reset. This place has missed me. Power jolts like this didn’t happen when I was here keeping things up.”

  I leaned against the wall. “Ari’s not so bad, you know. He’s really smart. Kind. Good at what he does. He cares about people under all that veneer.”

  She side-eyed me. “I don’t want to talk about Ari. He’s growing on me. This morning he brought me a fish. I have a fish living with me in my room now.”

  “Did you tell him that you hate fish? That we couldn’t get you into the aquarium more than that one time? That you refused and refused and refused to go after that?”

  She hit one more button. “The stove will be working now. The aquarium aside, and honestly I’d forgotten that, I am not fond of things on display. On Orion, there were Infected on the other side of the glass. Eventually one got me.”

  That wasn’t at all funny. And yet, with my tongue in my cheek I couldn’t help myself. “Better watch out; that fish might break out and come right to you with fangs.”

  She snorted and covered her mouth right after she did. “I wanted to talk to you about something I noticed. I could tell my Uncles or my father, only I’m not speaking to them. Not yet. Honestly, that’s because I’m afraid of what I’ll say. Anyway, the point is that when I walked past the speaker system, I can hear that there is fuzz to it, like two lines are blending together.”

  I nodded. “Diana, I’m afraid…”

  She interrupted. “You don’t understand. Yes, sorry. I’ve gotten used to having Judge around. He’d have grasped my meaning. Someone is listening to everything that is being said in the jail. I traced the signal. Your husband is in there, right? They’re calling him a traitor. I would have expected you to be more… worked up if that were true.”

  Diana was right. It had to be a good thing that someone was listening. That was what we wanted. “Any idea who?”

  “No. You’re going to want to figure that out. Your other husband—Keith—Wes says he’s a genius. Maybe ask him.”

  My friend, who saw the world on such a different frequency than me, had hit the nail on the head with this problem. I should seem more upset that Quinn was in jail. Particularly if someone was listening.

  “Diana, did you break that stove? Before you came in? So we could talk?”

  She shrugged. “Who knows what I do anymore. I’m crazy, right? It’s totally possible I broke something. Oh look, it’s Ari. He found me.”

  I laughed. When I got off work, I was going to put myself in the game.

  Being back in the jail so soon after having left it had not been in my game plan. And yet there I was. Quinn’s structure was further inside the facility than mine had been. I didn’t know exactly why, but I could guess it was somehow more secure. There was less chance of him breaking out from so far within the walls.

  I walked up to the plastic and stared in on Quinn. He sat with his head down, looking at the floor. I touched the button to turn on the audio and cleared my throat. Quinn raised his eyes, and that was when I could see the marks all over him. Someone had beat up Quinn and not fixed him. I made myself stay steady.

  “P?” Quinn’s voice was pleasant.

  I almost smiled. Then I remembered I wasn’t here to see him on a social call. My tablet vibrated. Someone wanted my attention. I should have known that one of my other husbands would be watching.

  I ignored the buzzing. “Don’t call me, P.” I held up my head. I knew how to pretend with the best of them. “You never get to call me P again, traitor.”

  Quinn didn’t respond for a second, and then he got to his feet. “As you wish, wife. What shall I call you then?”

  I took a deep breath. “Honestly, Quinn, you won’
t be calling me anything again. Now that I know what you are, we’ll soon be through. I won’t stay married to such a person like you. I’m just sorry they didn’t hit you harder.”

  I turned before he could respond and stormed out of the room. I couldn’t do much more than that and come across as true. Raised as I was, any huge display of emotion would be considered over the top. I didn’t know how much the people listening knew about me, but I was going to go from an abundance of caution.

  I’d start from there.

  I made it outside before I took a deep breath. I couldn’t pull out my tablet until I got into the transporter. My hands were shaking so hard I almost couldn’t read what it said.

  Tommy had sent a message. Good luck, love, with whatever you have planned. Come to the Alexanders’ wing when you get out. We need to talk.

  I nodded like he was right there and changed the direction on the transporter. Tommy wanted to talk. Okay.

  When I entered the Alexander wing, I found C.J. waiting for me. Tall and dark-haired, he never missed a beat. Diana had told me once that her mother called C.J. her spymaster. He always knew what was going on.

  “Paloma.” He extended his hand. “Between here and where we are going, don’t say a word. Where I am standing here, right now, no one can hear what we say. Do you see the movement of the transporter? It clogs up the sound. But just here. Do you understand? When we get to where we are going, you can speak in there, too. Measures have been taken to ensure that room is free from ears.”

  “We’re safe right here?” I cleared my throat.

  “If we don’t move even a bit.” He looked around. “Got something to say you don’t want ears for?”

  “Diana indicated to me that she thinks there’s someone listening to the transmissions out of the jail who shouldn’t be.”

  He furrowed his brow. “We always assume people are listening here. But in the jail? That’s a good thing for Quinn and bad for the rest of us. All right. Why didn’t D tell me?”