Labyrinth (Deuces Wild Book 3)

by Ell Leigh Clarke

Adelaide looked confused. “Why?”

  Nickie frowned at Adelaide. “You have a boyfriend, I thought you two were all loved-up together.”

  It was Adelaide’s turn to shrug. “It doesn’t look that way anymore. He’s been drifting away since the incident. I think we’re over.”

  Nickie didn’t know what to say. She could definitely use the help with the ship, and she didn’t find Adelaide completely annoying. “I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have you along—”

  Adelaide threw her arms around Nickie, cutting her off with a quick hug that Nickie was powerless to avoid. “You won’t regret it!” She turned and set off running for the airfield exit. She looked back with a massive grin. “I’m going to pack. I’ll be back soon. Don’t leave without me!”

  Nickie chuckled. Adelaide was enthusiastic, that was for sure.

  She headed over to Grim to pick up her next load.

  “Did I hear you agree to bring Adelaide along with us?” he asked.

  Nickie shrugged. “She’s pretty good at fixing shit around the colony. It can only be good for us to have her aboard during the mission.” She kicked at a patch of loose ground.

  Grim looked her up and down. “She didn’t have to come with us for that. She could easily work from here. Is it something to do with the disagreement she and Raynard had at breakfast?”

  “Probably? I don’t really care. She wanted to come, and she’s useful, so I said yes. End of it.” She ignored Grim’s searching look and shoved past him to grab the next crate before stalking back onto the ship without another word to him.

  Give Grim a break. I think you were unsettled that you saw something of your own need for escape in Adelaide.

  As if she were going to admit that. In Adelaide? Nope. I saw a chance to get this ship running smoothly, and I took it. If Adelaide gets something else out of it, that’s got nothing else to do with me.

  If you insist.

  I do, now less chat. We have a mission to prepare for.

  Chapter 10 Nickie

  Nickie diverted to the bridge to monitor the progress of the systems check. She wiped her oily hand on the leg of her coverall and grimaced at the streak it left behind. The ship was fully loaded, and Nickie had heard Adelaide mumbling about “getting better acquainted with the heart of the Granddaughter” as she vanished into the ship with Lefty and Lucky carting her tools behind her.

  Grim, Durq, and the others had headed back to the mess hall after they’d completed the loading, taking John with them and leaving Nickie alone at last.

  Peace and blessed quiet at long-fucking-last.

  She flounced onto the bridge and dropped into her chair with a contented sigh. She allowed herself just one minute to enjoy it before she sat up with a slightly less contented sigh and got to work. She had barely begun the checks when there was a knock behind her.

  “Permission to enter,” Keen called from the open door.

  Nickie spun her chair one hundred and eighty degrees and motioned him in. “Let me guess, you want to come on the quest as well.” She chuckled until she saw her joke was actually spot on. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. You weren’t joking in the mess?”

  Keen shrugged bashfully. “I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t jump at the chance…if you’d have me.” He perched on the edge of Grim’s chair and leaned over his clasped hands. “I’m about done here.”

  Nickie gave him an incredulous look. “Aren’t you supposed to be the leader? You didn’t strike me as the quitting type.” She hesitated a moment before asking, “What gives?”

  Keen straightened up. “Who said anything about quitting? I’m just ready for something different. I’ve been responsible for the colony for too long. It’s time to leave it to someone with the youth and drive the people here deserve and find some adventure.”

  Nickie snorted. “You’re not that old.”

  Keen grinned. “I know, which is all the more reason to make the most of the opportunity for some action before my wrinkled ass is ready for the boneyard. I spoke to Raynard today after breakfast, and he’s ready to take over. He’s been picking up my slack these last few weeks anyway. He wants to do this.”

  Nickie turned back to the systems checks. “You’re aware this quest isn’t any less high-stakes than leading the colony, right?”

  Keen smirked. “Sure, but what are the chances I’ll get to punch anything except a clock if I don’t take the risk? No way do I want to go out on that slow spiral. I’m serious about this, Nickie. I want to come with you.”

  Nickie wanted him to not want to come with her. “Okay, and what about the colony? Are the agricultural biomes completely up and running now? No more issues with the water supply line? Do you have a replacement for your duties there, too?”

  Keen was taken aback by her sudden rush of questions. “The colony is going to be just fine without me. It’s not a dictatorship. The council has everything in hand.”

  “Thank fuck for that,” Nickie mumbled. Keen frowned in puzzlement, and she waved him off. “You were saying?”

  “I was saying that they don’t need me here. So, what do you say?”

  Nickie was torn yet again. Her first instinct was to refuse Keen’s request. She wasn’t so stubborn that she wouldn’t take another gun hand when it presented itself. She internalized her sigh. “Whatever.”

  “So that’s a yes?”

  She nodded and waved him away. “You’d better go get your shit in order. We leave first thing tomorrow, and if you’re not on the ship, we’re leaving without you.”

  “You’ve got it.” Keen grinned and jumped up from the chair. “I’ll go and let everyone know I’m leaving.”

  Nickie nodded absentmindedly, already back at work. “You do that. See you bright and early.”

  Keen hustled off the bridge with a renewed spring in his step.

  Nickie huffed and jabbed a little harder than was strictly necessary at the screen.

  What’s the problem?

  Nickie closed her eyes and let her breath out slowly. This is my ship, Meredith. My space, my sanctuary.

  Your hiding place.

  That too. So what? The point is that I had just started to feel like I had somewhere that was just mine, and now I have a ship full of unwanted guests.

  You could have turned Adelaide and Keen away. You didn’t have to accept their help.

  Didn’t I? You saw them both, right? All eagerness and puppy eyes. And don’t even get me started on His Highness. Ugh, even his name pisses me off! Nickie flopped back in her chair.

  Again, you invited him.

  Only because John doesn’t want his rivals to figure out he’s so close to finding the plant. Besides, you don’t want to share a ship with Briar Rose, do you?

  Perish the thought. That EI is the most vapid airhead I’ve ever met. I wish I knew who programmed her. All she talks about is… Well, never mind. The point is that you can still feel at home on the ship, even though you have people to share it with. Maybe even especially so.

  How do you work that out? My space has been invaded. I was just getting everything how I like it.

  By “everything,” do you mean the rock-hard slab you sleep on and the two pieces of gym equipment you’ve installed? Let me call the media! They must know immediately about your interior design prowess.

  Nickie snorted. Hey, I was thinking about getting a mattress next!

  Careful, you don’t want to push it too far. You might actually start feeling good about yourself if you keep spoiling yourself this way.

  Seriously, Mere. I was starting to settle.

  I know. And you will adjust again.

  I don’t know. I was never good at sharing, especially when it comes to my space.

  Are you sure it’s not just the thought of being responsible for them?

  Nickie wanted to deny it. Maybe.

  Rebus Quadrant, Themis Colony, Airfield

  From the bridge of the Penitent Granddaughter, Nickie watched the colonists gather on the airs
trip. She left the screen and walked to her captain’s chair to begin the last minute pre-flight checks while she waited for the others to say their goodbyes and finish boarding.

  Durq was hidden safely in his quarters, away from the fuss of the big sendoff. Nickie expected he would emerge once everyone was aboard, and no one would pay him too much attention. He was getting better at being present, but participating was still a bit much for him in these situations. Nickie kind of knew how the traumatized Skaine felt. She wanted no part of any drawn-out emotional farewells either. They would be back soon enough, anyway.

  Keen detached himself from the crowd around him and tried again to make his way up the ramp. His former council colleagues had all come to see him off, all except Raynard. Come to think of it, she didn’t know where Adelaide was either—which meant she didn’t want to know where they were. She just needed them to get their asses on the Granddaughter before the man pacing up and down in front of the viewscreen drove her completely batshit.

  John tapped his foot impatiently. “I thought we were leaving first thing?”

  For once, Nickie couldn’t argue. “Let’s see if I can light a fire under them.” She grabbed the microphone and sat back in her captain’s chair with her feet up on the console. “Attention, crew of the Penitent Granddaughter. This is your captain speaking. We lift off in T-minus twenty minutes. Anyone still on the ground will be remaining there. I suggest you hustle.”

  John chuckled as the crowd finally began to disperse. “Looks like your prickly side has its plusses.”

  “You’ll be feeling my prickly side all the way off the damn ship if you keep saying stupid things like that,” Nickie deadpanned. “Why don’t you go and make yourself useful somewhere?”

  John shrugged. “Sure. Where do you want me to go?”

  Nickie shrugged. “I dunno, just not here.” She didn’t feel bad for being a bitch. Not one bit.

  You know I can hear you lying to yourself.

  Dammit, Meredith. Stay out of my private thoughts!

  John shook his head. “Wow. Nice, Nickie. Did your mother teach you how to be that charming?”

  Nickie snickered. “My grandma, actually. My mom’s pretty tame compared to Grandma Jean.” She bent over the console and waved him off. “Shoo now, I’m busy.”

  John stared at her for a moment. “Grandma Jean? But your name is Grimes… That would make her… Who are you?”

  “None of your damn business, that’s who.” She glanced up again. “You’re still standing there, Prince Precious. Do you need instructions? Chop chop, fifteen minutes to liftoff.”

  On the airfield, the gathered colonists were startled by the sudden static burst that preceded Nickie’s twenty-minute warning when it boomed from the ship’s speakers. Grim caught Keen’s eye and nodded toward the ship.

  Keen was finding it hard to say goodbye—or rather, he was finding it difficult to say goodbye to so many people at once. He was swamped by hugs and handshakes, and his heart swelled with the warm wishes he was receiving from the friends he’d made over the years.

  Grim hooked one of his arms through Keen’s and extracted him from the knot of people surrounding him. “If you’re coming, it’s time to go. Nickie doesn’t joke. If she said she’ll leave without us, then she will leave without us.”

  Keen grinned and allowed Grim to tug him toward the ramp. “I’ll be back, and I’ll have a story and a half for you all.” He paused at the top of the ramp to wave one last time to the colonists, who all waved and called their goodbyes once more. He scanned the faces below, regretful that Raynard hadn’t been there to see them off. “Hey, Grim, did Addie come aboard yet? I can’t see her or Raynard anywhere.”

  Grim shook his head. “I haven’t seen her since she went to find Raynard, but we still have a few minutes for her to get here.”

  Keen hesitated and looked out over the airfield again.

  “Come on. She’ll be here if she’s coming.” Grim headed into the ship.

  Keen took one last look at the colony and set off after the Yollin.

  Adelaide clung tightly to Raynard in the dimly-lit room. “This is a far cry from the storage cupboard,” she teased, attempting to lessen the sting of their parting.

  Nickie’s boarding call blared across the airfield, drowning Raynard’s reply.

  Adelaide disentangled herself from the sheets and slid out of the bed. “That’s my final call, so I have to go.” She leaned over kissed him one last time and grabbed her coverall, hopping from one foot to another as she dressed. “I’m glad we didn’t leave things unresolved.”

  Raynard’s satisfied smile melted into something altogether more pensive. “I’m going to miss you. This all came out of the blue.”

  Adelaide looked up from lacing her boots. “It really didn’t. But I’ll be back before either of us knows it, and we can talk about it then, okay?”

  His forlorn expression brought a hot sting to her eyes, but she remained resolute. Raynard had made his choice, and it was the right one. She just wouldn’t be a woman who sat around waiting for a man. She refused to waste her life that way. She had her own gifts to explore, and her own path to forge. She was leaving with Nickie, and no amount of sadness from Raynard could mute the quiet joy she felt at the knowledge that she was leaving the colony behind for however long the trip took.

  Raynard’s eyes shone as brightly as Adelaide’s. “I wish you weren’t going.”

  “And I wish you were coming with me.” Adelaide released him and held him at arm’s length. “You understand that this is what I have to do for myself, right?”

  Raynard nodded sadly. “Of course I understand! I really do. It just hurts that our paths are taking us in different directions.” He captured her hands. “You know I love you, Addie. I’m sorry I’ve been so cold since the attack. I’m sorry I’ve wasted our time together.”

  “It is what it is,” she told him gently, then pulled her hands away, grabbed her bag, and hurried to the door before the tears overwhelmed her. “I love you too, and I’ll be back. Maybe the distance will remind us to appreciate each other. It’s not goodbye, just au revoir, sweetie.” She smiled and blew Raynard a kiss from the doorway. “You make sure to look after yourself, do you hear me? Everyone needs you to stay strong and lead well.”

  Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter

  Nickie was still feeling less than hospitable, but she had to admit that the pre-mission vibe was contagious. Grim and Keen were laughing and swapping stories for Durq’s wide-eyed entertainment while Nickie made the final-final preparations for liftoff and John sat quietly in the chair nearest hers observing the performance.

  Keen recounted an especially disgusting anecdote about an alien world he’d visited in his youth where they used psi-trickery to lure in males of all species. “My crew only just escaped with our balls intact. I was lucky enough to have been thinking a lot about a particular woman at the time, and there was no way she could have been there, so we hightailed it out of there.”

  John nudged her with his elbow. “Was that almost a smile?”

  Nickie glowered at him. “Fuck off and smile at yourself.”

  John grinned. “I could…but don’t you need the coordinates to our destination?”

  “You can give Meredith the coordinates. What I need is for Adelaide to hurry her ass up so we can get going already. Time’s a-wastin’. Grim, is she aboard yet?”

  “Why does everyone keep asking me?”

  “I can go look for her,” John offered.

  “Adelaide has just boarded the ship,” Meredith informed them from the speaker. “The final launch sequence is complete, so we’re good to go as soon as everyone is securely in their seats.

  Keen cut his story short and he and Grim got to strapping themselves into their harnesses while Durq did the same.

  An out-of-breath Adelaide hurtled onto the bridge a minute or two later. “I’m here, I’m here!”

  Nickie raised an eyebrow. “Nice of you to join us.”
/>
  “Sorry I was almost late.” She dashed over to the remaining empty chair and strapped in.

  Nickie took in her rumpled clothing, hastily-done hair, and the stubble rash along her jawline. “As long as it was worth it.”

  Grim was delighted. “You and Raynard made up?”

  Adelaide blushed and looked down to adjust her restraints. “Uh-huh.”

  Nickie smirked. “Then it wasn’t a wasted minute. Now let’s go find a magical plant. Meredith, take us up.”

  Adelaide and Keen exchanged a glance as the Granddaughter lifted off. Their eyes were bright with the prospect of adventure mixed with the bittersweet sadness of leaving their home behind.

  Chapter 11 Nickie

  Rebus Quadrant, Aboard the Penitent Granddaughter, Mess

  Nickie grabbed the dish of mixed vegetables and passed it to Keen, who was waving at her from a few seats down to get next dibs on the veggies. She took the platter he offered in return and piled her plate with meat.

  “I hope you didn’t just take everything but the greens,” Grim admonished. “After I put all that effort into them just so you would eat some.”

  Nickie smirked and cut into a chop. “Do you see any on my plate? I’m happy with what I’ve got here, thanks.”

  Grim shook his head sadly as he filled his plate from another dish. “Heathen.”

  Nickie waved her fork. “Food is food. As long as it’s edible, it will do. I’m just not that fussy.”

  Grim laughed. “If you want to put it that way.”

  Nickie grinned. “Food’s good, Grim. Thanks, you’re the best.”

  Grim put a hand to his chest and pretended to swoon. “All the compliments—it’s too much!”

  Nickie leaned over and slapped his arm. “Don’t be such an ass, Grim.”

  Adelaide’s chuckle was quieter as she worked her way through her food. “It’s nice to all eat together. Makes it a bit easier to be away from home.”

  Nickie laughed. “It’s a change from sitting by myself in my chair on the bridge. I didn’t even know this place existed. I thought the only mess on the ship was the one I leave in my wake.”