In the Black

by Sheryl Nantus

  “They covered it up.” The disbelief in Daniel’s voice broke her heart. “They lied to the public. I remember the news feeds, but there was nothing about this.”

  “They had to.” Now that the gates were open she couldn’t stop talking. “There was no way to explain the depth of the conspiracy, the number of troops and so many levels of officers involved. It would have broken the public’s faith in the military forever.”

  “So they covered it up,” he repeated.

  “Yes. And told the survivors we had to toe the official line. Massive casualties from terrorist attacks. It wasn’t a total lie.”

  “It wasn’t the truth.”

  “No.” She pressed against him, feeling his body heat chasing away the chill in her bones. “But it was enough for me. I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t be a part of that cover-up.”

  “I understand. But why a Mercy ship? Sam, you could have written your ticket to anywhere.” He reached up and stroked her cheek. “Security chief like Huckness or a spot in one of the colonies as a sheriff. With your experience no one would have thought twice about hiring you. You didn’t have to take this job.”

  She wasn’t sure if she could find the right words to express what she was feeling. “It’s my penance. For not saving more of my men. For surviving.”

  It was as close as she could get.

  Daniel sighed and kissed her. “I’m not going to start to tell you what to do. I’m not even going to suggest it. But you’ve got another four years plus on the Belle and it’s not going to be an easy ride.” He waved at the shadows around them in the small room. “The Guild’s corrupt and you’re not. It’s not a great pairing.”

  “Like us?”

  He laughed. “We’re not too bad as a team. You kick ’em, I cuff ’em.” Daniel glanced past her to the digital clock set in the wall. “In theory, I have to leave in an hour.”

  Sam frowned. “In theory?”

  “I have some vacation time coming. Ten days, I believe.” His hand slipped off her cheek and slowly descended between them, agonizingly slow. “Nothing says I have to go to a specific base to spend the time. I can spend it here, if you’d like.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Here? On Branson Prime?”

  “Do you have anything else to do while the Belle’s docked and your people conduct their ‘business’?” He began to nibble on her jaw, dropping light kisses. “Anything better than spending time with me? And realize that if you answer ‘yes’ I’ll need details.”

  “No, but—”

  “Hush.” He nipped her bottom lip, silencing her. “Etts, send a note to Kyle Harris. Tell him I’m staying here on Branson Prime for my downtime. He wants any more details I’ll talk to him later. A few hours later.”

  The AI made a cheerful beep.

  She would have made a counter-argument but his hand started to move, and then she couldn’t think at all.

  Chapter Fifteen

  It’d been an interesting two weeks.

  Interesting as in discovering how many sexual positions the two of them could manage in zero gravity, half gravity and the old-fashioned full gravity.

  As it stood Sam was favoring half gravity for the most part.

  There were just some things her knees couldn’t handle.

  “Don’t sulk.” Daniel leaned against the wall in his quarters. “By the way, you’re adorable when your lower lip sticks out like that.”

  “Bah.” She stuffed a dirty T-shirt into a small travel bag. Two weeks on the Razor’s Edge hadn’t created much laundry but she wasn’t going to leave anything behind, despite Daniel’s gentle request. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

  “Me neither.” He continued to watch. “We’ll work out something. I can swing my patrols by your landfalls, do an inspection of the base at the same time you’re there.”

  “And that won’t look suspicious?” She arched an eyebrow. “I doubt the Guild gives a damn what I’m doing and who I’m with when we’re docked, but that’s going to get us both in trouble eventually.”

  He spread his hands. “I’m trying, Sam. You knew this was going to be tough when we started.”

  She sighed. “Yes, I did.” Her throat closed up on the words. “But I didn’t know how hard it was going to be to leave.”

  Daniel crossed the cabin in three long strides and had his arms around her before the first tear escaped.

  “I know.” He dropped a kiss into her hair, holding her tight. “It’s not going to be easy for me either.”

  Etts chirped over the speaker, a long, stuttered line of sounds.

  “Damn.” Daniel pulled away. “Something from Kyle. Priority feed.” He growled. “Why don’t you finish up here and go back to the Belle? I’ll be by as soon as I finish this.”

  She nodded, the ache in her chest spreading. “We won’t leave before you come visit me one last time.”

  “Good.” He stole a fast kiss. “Etts, I’ll take it in the cockpit.” He backed away from her and blew another kiss. “See you soon.”

  Sam sniffled as he walked out of the room.

  * * *

  “Belle, how are we doing?”

  “Ready to go, Captain.” Belle sounded almost cheerful. Sam could understand why—two weeks of sitting in dry-dock was as boring as it got for an AI who existed solely to get the ship between stops. “The last of the clients are exiting the ship now.”

  She floated in the Belle’s cockpit, studying the camera feed. The landing bay showed a handful of men strutting toward the exit, laughing and slapping each other on the back.

  At least someone was having a good day.

  “Make sure we’re all clear. I don’t want any stowaways thinking they can grab a free ride to the next stop. I’ve got no problem tossing their asses out the airlock in a suit with the emergency beacon blaring.” She wasn’t in any mood for that crap.

  “Affirmative. I have the marshal coming on board,” Belle announced.

  Sure enough, the screen showed Daniel sliding past the group of happy miners with a wave and a tip of his invisible hat, headed onto the ship.

  “Great.” Sam exhaled. “This is going to suck.”

  “Captain?”

  “Never mind, Belle.”

  It only took a few minutes for him to make his way to the cockpit, swimming down the short aisle to meet her.

  His wide smile shocked her.

  “Oh my God. You got in trouble for yelling at Grendel.” If she could have sat down without flailing in zero-g, she would have.

  “What? No.” Daniel laughed at her expression. “I don’t answer to the Guild.”

  “Then why are you smiling?” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m about to haul ass out of here for another two weeks of travel and another two weeks sitting on some mining base while the crew make the Guild money.”

  “Exactly.” He moved in to put his arms around her. “It seems that the Guild and the Service have been doing some talking about the situation.”

  “What ‘situation’?” she asked. “Murdering Dane Morris or attempting to keep him working for the Guild?”

  “All of it. Every part of the sleazy, dirty politics we’ve talked about.” He chuckled. “Seems there was a bit of a public relations leak in regard to the Guild trying to keep Morris active as a courtesan and plucking him free of the Service’s grasp. Strange how that happens. Someone talks to someone and it hits the papers and while it’s not front-page news it’s enough to shake the tree.”

  “And?” Her heart began to race.

  “It seems that the Guild and UNS have negotiated a special arrangement for the Mercy ships. While the Guild was satisfied with your actions until I arrived it was decided that the marshals should be more accessible to the Guild ships in case of emergency.”

&
nbsp; He looked like he was about to burst.

  She motioned him on. “And?”

  “Currently a group of marshals are being reassigned to specifically patrol with and around Mercy ships, one marshal for every three ships. The patrol area for these marshals has been modified to allow them to visit and monitor Guild ships on an ongoing basis and offer assistance much faster than waiting to respond to a crisis.” He tapped his chest. “Guess who got assigned the first group?”

  She blinked. “What does that mean?” The static in her mind was overwhelming.

  “I’ve been assigned three Mercy ships for my new patrol route. Including this one.” He spread his hands. “In other words, you’ll be seeing me a hell of a lot more often than we thought. It’s not perfect but it’s a whole lot better than trying to hook up between my making the old patrol route and following the Belle’s path.”

  Sam stared at him, still not understanding. “The Service assigned you to protect us?”

  “In a way.” He waggled his hands. “Think of it as a sort of private security. They don’t want to pay the Service to have us stationed on the ships but they want the Service nearby for fast response to emergencies.”

  “The Guild.” She couldn’t keep the sarcasm out of her voice.

  “To the public eye, yes.” Daniel chuckled. “Kyle told me we rocked the boat too much with the attempted framing of Kowalski, Comet’s murder and Morris being basically executed on the way to a Justice base. The Guild couldn’t sweep it all under the mat but the Service knew there was only so much they could demand.” A wry look came over his face. “The Mercy and Charity ships are a necessary evil. They can’t be shut down. What we can do is try and make it safer for everyone involved.”

  “And us?” She pointed at herself then at Daniel. “They’re not fools. They’ve got to know about us.”

  “Kyle says that they don’t care as long as the job gets done. I don’t believe it but I’m willing to take the good and deal with the bad when it rolls in.” He reached out and tugged her close, hands tight on her waist. “In other words, you’re not getting that far away from me. I’ve got to spin out to visit the other two ships but I’ll cycle back in about three weeks and ‘inspect’ the Belle while you’re on your next landfall.”

  “Holy—” The reality of the situation hit her between the eyes.

  “Yep.” He pulled her close. “So shut up, kiss me and let’s get this show on the road.”

  * * *

  Ten minutes later Sam hummed an old marching song as she watched Daniel leave the Belle. It wasn’t a perfect solution but it was a hell of a lot better than it’d been a few hours earlier.

  “Captain, we’re all ready to leave. I have Kendra on the line requesting an audience.”

  “Put her through.” Sam looked down at the monitor as the courtesan appeared. “Hello. Any problems?”

  “Not at all,” she purred. “I just wanted to let you know that the preliminary numbers show us leaving with a profit. Not a whole lot, but a profit nonetheless.”

  “Really?” Sam couldn’t hide her surprise. “Even running two short?”

  “Well, some of us took double shifts, cut into our downtime.” Kendra gave her a wide smile. “Less competition and the novelty of having some good gossip seem to have invigorated the customer base.”

  Sam fumbled for words, suddenly overwhelmed with sadness and guilt about benefiting in a warped way from the situation. “I’m sorry about Halley. And Dane. I wish—” She stopped, unable to say anything more.

  “It’s not on your shoulders, Captain,” Kendra said softly. “Fate sends us in different ways and on different paths. It sent Halley and Dane here on a collision course. But it also sent you to help find justice for her.” She tilted her head to one side. “Nothing happens without a purpose.”

  “I’d like to think so. But I might need a bit more convincing.” Sam forced a smile. “Tell everyone to make sure they’re locked down and ready to go. Jenny’ll be open for discussions regarding any renovations or redecorations as soon as we clear the first safety buoy.”

  “Roger that.” Kendra blew her a kiss. “Onward and upward, Captain my Captain.”

  The monitor went dark before Sam could answer.

  Jenny poked her head in through one of the vents. “All ready here. Seals tight and lines are cut—we’re ready to go.” She held up a paperback. “You could have told me the twin sister did it. Save me a lot of reading.”

  “And spoil the surprise? Besides, you need to read something other than tech manuals.” Sam fastened the four-point harness around her. “Expand your horizons.”

  Jenny scrunched up her face in a mock pout. “My tech manuals are just fine, thank you. Bet I can guess what you’ll be reading between now and the next landfall. Romance novels, while waiting for messages from your beau.” She giggled. “Or borrowing manuals from Kendra, maybe.”

  Sam turned to scowl at the mechanic but she’d already slipped back into the shaft.

  “Belle, please contact the foreman and tell him we’re about to leave. Request clearance from the tower for the Bonnie Belle to leave Branson Prime.”

  It was a formality, a ceremonial farewell.

  “Incoming call from the security chief,” Belle said.

  Sam reached for the water bottle and took a sip. “Put him through.”

  “Sorry to see you go, Captain.” Huckness’s jovial voice came out of the speakers and reverberated around the cockpit. “I hope to see you soon, despite recent circumstances.”

  “Back at you. I’m sure Kendra will be happy to see you again. Just remember to speak kindly of us when the Guild asks for their report, and ask for us on the return cycle.” She studied the monitors, watching the workers clear away from around the ship. “Until next time, Chief.”

  “Keep ’em flying, Keller.”

  Trainer came on the line. He hadn’t spoken to Sam for the remainder of the Belle’s stay and she didn’t intend to make this call any longer than was needed for protocol.

  “Captain.”

  “The crew of the Bonnie Belle thanks you and Branson Prime for your courtesy.” The formal words didn’t annoy her as much as she thought they would have. “Bonnie Belle, requesting permission to leave.”

  “Granted,” Trainer said in a monotone voice. “Good sailing, Captain.”

  “And back at you.” Sam stuck out her tongue at the window, imagining Trainer watching. The Belle began to move, headed for the hangar entrance. The force field shimmered around the edges as it prepared to let the Belle through and out into space without jeopardizing the ground crew.

  A few miners had gathered on a nearby walkway to see them off.

  One of them was the rookie she’d kissed upon their arrival. He waved and yelled as the Belle moved toward the darkness outside as if cheering on his favorite sports team.

  Another satisfied customer.

  Sam chuckled.

  “How are we doing, Belle?”

  “All systems operational,” the AI answered. “Incoming call from the Razor’s Edge.”

  “Thank you.” Sam leaned forward but couldn’t see the sleek Service ship to her right. The Belle was too far out in the bay. “Marshal.”

  “Captain.” Daniel sounded casual as if they’d exchanged nothing more than pleasantries in the chow line.

  She suppressed a shiver. A tingling started between her legs at the memories.

  Three weeks. She could do that.

  Then she’d do the good marshal until he begged for mercy.

  An image washed over her inner eye. Daniel beneath her, naked and writhing. Gasping and cursing her with each breath, his hands tied over his head with her leather belt.

  He’d been surprisingly imaginative, especially in zero gravity. She shifted in her chair, rememberin
g some of their more exotic positions.

  She couldn’t stop smiling.

  There was no way she’d let him go without a fight. Somehow, someway they’d found their way to each other. And for now she wasn’t going to question it, wasn’t going to self-sabotage or analyze it to death. She wasn’t sure where this was going or where she’d end up, but it felt good, it felt right, and she was ready to take a chance with Daniel LeClair.

  “I see you’re headed out. So am I. Next to leave, right behind you,” Daniel said.

  “Right behind?”

  “Your favorite position, if I recall correctly,” Daniel deadpanned. “Good sailing to you Captain. See you soon.”

  Sam grinned. The window in front of her went fully black as the Belle continued to ease out of the bay. Distant stars came into sight, flashing and twinkling at the Mercy ship.

  “Okay, Belle.” Sam settled into her chair. It wasn’t a perfect universe out there, but right now she felt like she was where she was supposed to be. For the first time in a very long while she had a bit of inner peace, and she’d be damned if she let it go anytime soon. “Let’s get going.” She gestured at the stars, giving them a wide smile. “Let’s make some dreams come true.”

  * * * * *

  Can’t get enough of Sheryl Nantus? Check out her Blood of the Pride miniseries—available now!

  Blood of the Pride

  When a severed rabbit’s paw is delivered to her office, outcast cat shifter Rebecca Desjardin recognizes the summons home. One of their own has been murdered—and a shocking photo published in a local tabloid—and her Pride needs Rebecca, now a private investigator, to track down the killer.

  Claws Bared

  Book two of Blood of the Pride

  Rebecca Desjardin, a P.I. and cat shifter, doesn’t normally find herself in strip clubs. But a popular male dancer has been murdered in Pennsylvania, and it looks like the work of a shifter from the local Pride. Rebecca has a duty to help protect her kind—and she needs to find justice for the dead.

  Family Pride

  Book three of Blood of the Pride