Bianca didn’t cut and run but returned it with interest, her fist slamming into Catherine’s jaw like a sledgehammer.
Catherine staggered back. This wasn’t anything like the sparring she was used to.
Bianca stepped back, keeping her attention on Catherine as she wiped her bloody cut lip.
Catherine felt around the inside of her mouth with her tongue. Yep, there was a nasty cut on her cheek, courtesy of her too-sharp teeth.
She resisted the urge to spit blood.
“Good punch,” Bianca said, not breaking eye contact. She balanced herself on the balls of her feet, ready to strike. “Didn’t expect that from a high-priced bitch.”
“Right back at you,” Catherine said. She licked her lips. “Want to call April and make it a threesome?”
Bianca stopped still, hands raised.
Catherine grinned.
“Shit.” Bianca giggled. “She’ll wipe the floor with both of us and probably get off on it.”
“Then I’ll have to send her a bill. Would love to see Grendel’s face when it arrives.” Catherine wrote an invisible invoice in the air. “Can you imagine?”
Bianca hiccupped her way through another series of giggles before dropping her hands to her sides. “Damn it. I need to get to work. All riled up and no place to go.” She brushed at the wet spot on her shirt. “I don’t like being thrown off my routine. Got bills to pay.”
“Her death hit you pretty hard.” It didn’t take a genius to see the woman was full of rage, rage and sorrow. “Lots of bad nights.”
Bianca blinked and Catherine saw the crack in her armor, the tough courtesan flinching just enough to let the truth through.
“She didn’t deserve to die.” Bianca’s voice cracked on the last word. “She was a good woman.”
Catherine nodded. “I’m sure she was. The last thing she expected was danger here, on a Mercy ship. In her own cabin.”
Bianca hesitated before replying. “Yes. In our home.” She looked around the galley. “This is our sanctuary, our safe place. You shouldn’t ever have to feel afraid in your own home.”
Catherine went to the drink dispenser. “Does this give out booze?”
“She does, for a price.”
“I’m buying. Name your poison.”
* * *
The cockpit door swung open just as they’d finished their second beer.
Sam walked through first, followed by Daniel. The captain wiped her forehead with the sleeve of her T-shirt, her face flushed. She grunted at the tug of full gravity.
Daniel rubbed his eyes, grinding his knuckles into his face. Their exhaustion showed with every weary step they took forward, mag-boots pounding the floor.
The two of them stopped and stared.
Sam looked at Catherine. The captain’s eyes were wide and her mouth opened a fraction but she remained silent.
Daniel looked at Sam. His lips twisted in an effort not to smile.
The captain swallowed, loudly. “How did the two of you end up here?”
“The alarm forced us into the galley.” Catherine took another soothing sip. “By the way, nice choice of beverages. Venusian Cream Ale. Expensive but nice.”
Bianca giggled.
“I’ll make a note.” Sam looked from one woman to the other, surveying the damage.
Catherine knew her cheek was bruised and sore. Bianca’s lower lip was swollen, though the bleeding had stopped.
Kind of hard to hide the evidence when they were both wearing it.
“You two okay?” Daniel asked. He linked his thumbs through the front loops of his jeans.
“Slipped on the floor.” Catherine pointed at the puddle of spilt tea. “Accident.”
“Uh-huh.” Sam studied Bianca. “Everything okay?”
The dark-haired courtesan raised her half-empty tube. “Fine, Captain. We’re good.” She looked over at Catherine. “We’re good,” she repeated.
“I’ll call Jenny to clean up.” Sam’s tone made it evident she wasn’t buying the story but wasn’t going to pursue it.
Catherine nodded. “Did you get my affidavit?”
“Yep.” Daniel turned his attention onto Catherine. Their eyes locked.
She felt like a deer in the headlights. This man, this marshal—he saw everything. Including what wasn’t meant to be seen.
She was used to watching others, weighing what they said and what they didn’t say to decide what type of people they were.
It was unsettling to be on the other end of such scrutiny.
She wondered if she’d passed.
“It was a hell of a presentation. We bounced it to the base. It won’t replace you being up on the stand but it’s something.” His glance dropped to the locket, nestled in the hollow of her neck. “I assume that’s where you’re keeping the data crystal.”
Catherine resisted the urge to grab at the small piece of jewelry. This wasn’t some law enforcement rookie prancing around in a pretty uniform looking toward doing his time and mustering out to play security guard on a distant colony. This was a professional who knew more than he would ever say.
He looked at Sam and grinned.
She returned it with interest, ignoring the two women.
Catherine felt a pang of jealousy. Whatever this couple had, it was tough and hopefully able to weather the storm she’d brought down on their heads.
“Belle, call Sean to the galley. We have some light injuries and need a bit of first aid.” Sam failed to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “Sloppy housekeeping.”
Bianca mumbled something incoherent before taking another sip of beer.
“What was that all about?” Catherine gestured at the outer wall. “Belle said there was a drone—” She stopped as Sean entered the room.
A hot flash shuddered through her veins, assisted by the alcohol.
He looked...delicious. Dark short hair tousled as if he’d just woken up and a shirt hanging off his shoulders, exposing his bare chest.
A delectable display of skin. The light-colored chest hair was just the right amount, spiraling down to the top of his jeans where they disappeared into a dark gap where the well-worn fabric bulged out.
Catherine licked her lips. Damn it. She was more wired than she thought.
Near-death experiences seemed to be quite the aphrodisiac.
He carried his medical bag which he started digging into before arriving at the table.
“Sorry it took me so long. I was sleeping.” His eyes were half-closed as he fumbled through his supplies. “Nothing I could do about the alarm, so I figured I might as well grab some rest.”
“Glad someone was able to relax through this.” Sam rubbed her hands together.
“Belle, please hook me up to everyone. General announcement time.” Daniel cleared his throat. “Folks, sorry for the trouble. We had a drone approaching at a high speed and it wasn’t responding to Etts’s request for identification. Sensors showed it was packed full of high explosives and we blew it up long before you were in any danger. Etts nailed it with a shot from our rail gun and triggered the explosion. It was set to detonate on impact with the Belle.” He paused and glanced at Sam.
“Full disclosure.” She nodded. “We’re all in this together.”
“But before we took it out the drone transmitted terms of surrender. If we consented to turn over Catherine they’d leave us all alive.” He snorted. “After a very short discussion the captain and I agreed to reply in the negative.” Daniel shook his head. “As if I’d take the word of a bunch of killers.”
“We’re not stupid,” Bianca mumbled between Sean’s attempts to check her bloody lip. “They’d come on board and do whatever they wanted. Without paying.”
Catherine suppressed a smile. Bianca mig
ht be a bitch but she was a smart, cunning, business-oriented bitch.
“Anyway,” the marshal continued without missing a beat, “it’s not an option at this point. I wouldn’t trust these guys to tell me the time. But we felt it was only fair to tell you all about it.” He nodded at Sam, passing the lead over.
“Show’s over for now, folks. Anyone wants to talk to me privately, you know where I am. Jenny, please come to the galley and give me a report on what you’ve managed to wrangle in the way of offensive and defensive upgrades.” She looked at the wet floor. “And bring a mop. Keller out.” An audible click signaled the group communication link being terminated.
“Just a nasty cut. You’ll survive.” Sean moved to Catherine. He dropped his voice to a whisper. “What the hell were you two doing? And don’t tell me you fell on the floor. I know what I’m seeing.”
“Why—did you want to watch?” Bianca giggled, tipping the beer tube in his direction. “I’d give you a good discount, more if you joined in.”
Catherine couldn’t help laughing at Sean’s shocked look.
Daniel cleared his throat. The solemn stare brought them all back to near-sobriety.
Sean ran his fingers along her cheek, wincing as he touched the swollen skin. “Looks like a punch.”
“I ran into my hand when I fell,” she deadpanned.
Bianca smiled, showing off bloodied teeth.
Sam cleared her throat, bringing everyone’s attention around to her. “Look, if you’re finished bonding and beating each other up, maybe you can all go to your cabins and sleep it the hell off. We’re going to be in a shit storm soon enough and the last thing I need is for you two rolling around the halls trying to take each other out.” She eyed Bianca. “Or do I call April? I hear she’s been quite busy of late keeping you all in line.”
Sean ducked his head down but Catherine could see the blush rising.
The name was enough to bring the young woman up out of her chair. “We’re cool, we’re cool. But you’ve got a point.” She burped. “I think I better go lie down.” She grabbed at the edge of the table. “Ooh.”
Sean sighed and took her arm, leaving Catherine alone. “I’ll take her home and get her settled. Give her something for what ails her.”
Bianca slumped against him as they headed for the hatch and let out another belch.
Sam shook her head. “This is—” She glared at Catherine. “I’ve got too much on my plate to ask you to tell me what went on but know I’m not happy.”
“Understood.” Catherine finished off her tube of beer and leaned back in her chair to slip it into the disposal chute behind her. “If I said she started it, would it make any difference?”
“None,” Sam responded. “You’re old enough to know better.”
“Ouch.” Catherine came back down hard on the plastic chair. She made a face. “That hurt.”
“Welcome to my world.” The captain didn’t miss a beat. “My job is to get you to the base alive and well. It doesn’t help any when you’re fighting with the crew.” She motioned at the drink dispenser. “Making peace is good but you’d be best to keep in mind we can’t all be bribed with beer.”
“Good expensive beer.” Catherine felt compelled to point out. “At least three times more than what I’d pay in a bar elsewhere.”
“I’ll make a note,” Sam looked at Daniel. “Want to say anything?”
He held his hands up in front of him. “Far from it for me to interfere in some good woman-on-woman action. I’m sorry I missed it.”
Sam scowled at him.
He grinned back, his hands on his hips.
Sam made an obscene gesture including mimicking a pair of scissors, which she pointed at parts south of Daniel’s belt.
It was like being with two children. The boy who wanted to tug on the little girl’s pigtails ’cause he liked her and the girl’s protestations that she didn’t like him, not at all.
Despite the tense situation Catherine couldn’t stop smiling.
Dinner and a show.
She cleared her throat. “It seems I’m in a dead woman’s cabin. To be specific, Bianca’s deceased girlfriend. It upset Bianca.”
Sam raised an eyebrow. “Bianca doesn’t get to call the shots. It was that or put you in the landing bay. Which Daniel’s now occupying in a little cot in the corner by what used to be your life pod. If you’d like to switch—”
“Captain Keller.” Daniel cleared his throat. “Wherever you’d like me to put my boots is fine with me.” He cast a hopeful look over his shoulder toward the cockpit and presumably, the captain’s quarters.
“You’re fine where you are,” Sam replied.
Daniel’s face fell as if he’d been rapped across the nose with a newspaper.
Catherine held back a laugh.
He turned to Catherine. “If you’d like to trade—” Daniel started.
“My quarters are suitable,” she answered quickly, noting Sam’s ticked-off expression. There’d be a lot more discussion as soon as these two got someplace alone. “In fact, I’ll be headed there now.”
She beat a hasty retreat from the galley, getting out of the line of fire.
* * *
It only took a few minutes for Sean to tuck Bianca into bed, reassuring the courtesan no one held a grudge against her or Halley and, yes, they’d all survive this ordeal.
He opened the door and walked out into the corridor.
Right into Catherine Rogers’s crosshairs.
She pushed herself away from the wall where she’d obviously been waiting. Her cheek was still bruised but the swelling had begun to go down. “How is she doing?”
“Bianca? She’ll be fine. Not the first time she’s had a bit too much to drink and won’t be the last.” Sean rapped the top of his head with his knuckles. “Hard up there. She’s a tough one.”
“I guess so.” Catherine crossed her arms. “Can’t say I blame her having issues with me. Taking the room must have been a bit of a kick to the gut.”
Sean shook his head. “Not your problem. Everyone’s under a lot of stress and it’s not surprising we’re overreacting.”
“Like you picking a fight with Harry?” She tilted her head.
He didn’t want to have this conversation. Not now, not ever.
“That.” Sean walked by her and went to his own door. “That was a private matter.” He fumbled for words to try and put her off the topic. “Whatever you saw could be easily taken out of context.” He feigned a yawn. “Now if you don’t mind—”
“I saw enough. You thought I paid Harry for a—” She cleared her throat. “Paid him for services rendered.”
“Whatever you did with him is none of my business.” The words tasted sour. “He said something and I just—”
“Wanted to defend my virtue?” Catherine glared at him. “You think I’d pay him for sex?” Her voice rose to a shout. “After all I’ve told you, all you know about me, you think I’d pay a Mercy man to fuck me?”
“I just—” Sean repeated. “I didn’t know his intentions and wanted to make sure you were safe.” He patted the air with his hands to try and calm her down, get her to lower her voice.
The last thing he needed was for Kendra and/or April to come out of their cabins.
“His brother died on a Global Transport ship. I included Max’s picture in my testimony.” She crossed her arms. “He gave me a personal story I could use to bring those bastards down. It’s one thing to play in generalities and toss around numbers, another to give the jurors the story of a family’s tragedy and put a face to the evil they’ve done.”
“I know,” he mumbled.
“It was hard for him. Ripping the scab off that old wound to tell me about his brother, his mother, his friends and family trying to deal with a death he know
s now wasn’t the fortunes of war but a horrible accident created by greedy monsters wanting to squeeze every cred they could out of building those ships.” She leaned in, face flush from anger and alcohol. “It hurt me to listen to it but I had to. I had to because it’s my duty to tell his story to the court, to the jury that’s going to convict these assholes and send them away for a long, long time. His brother can’t tell them so I will and I did.”
Sean nodded. There was nothing he could say.
“But if I had wanted to buy his services it’d be no business of yours.” Her voice rose, each word striking home as surely as if she’d slapped him. “Correct?”
He bowed his head.
“Then we understand each other.” She spun and walked the few steps to her suite; opened the door to her suite. “Don’t we?”
She was all full of piss and vinegar, primed and ready to go off. Blood and steel molded into a woman’s image and God help the man who tried to tame her.
“Understood.” Sean couldn’t stop himself from smiling. “But I’d at least give you a discount.”
Catherine’s cheeks went even redder, if that were possible, before she disappeared inside. The hatch slammed shut with such force he could have sworn the Belle shook.
A few minutes later Sean lay on his bed and studied the ceiling.
He’d wanted nothing more than to follow her back into her cabin after the conversation and kiss her, kiss her hard enough to banish any lingering thoughts about Harry, Mike and every other lover she’d ever had.
To start.
What was wrong with him? Why couldn’t he get Catherine Rogers out of his mind?
He’d seen women before.
He’d seen soft, shy women who had to be coaxed into their own enjoyment and blossomed under his short time with them.
He’d seen strong, independent women. He’d serviced them, tough ladies who barked orders and screamed their satisfaction not long after, enjoying themselves enough to warrant a fat tip and a wink when they’d left his cabin.
But no one held a candle to Catherine Rogers.
He mumbled the keyword to activate the AI.
In the Void Page 17
