by Elle Thorne
“Please, help me.”
“You have a deal. I’ll make sure you get to Janus, to your man.” His lip curled.
She wondered if he had a problem with Baldwin Porter. He’d be a good ally if he did. But she couldn’t tell him the facts.
“Problem is,” Caayn continued. “You’ll have to stay out of jail in order to be with him. This means that the authorities can’t know that there’s been a breach of contract.”
She got his drift. “You’re right. What do you propose?”
“Give me a while to think on this. To see what options we have. We’ll turn toward Janus, but we also need to come up with a story that your two friends in the other room won’t contradict.”
Truth.
She couldn’t have Emily and Katrina ruining her plans.
Chapter Fourteen
“Why are we switching direction?” Rush asked.
Caayn sat in the navigator seat next to Mn’eth. Rush stood behind them.
Caayn swiveled the chair to face Rush, glanced at Mn’eth. “Give us a moment.”
Mn’eth rose.
“No, on second thought. Get a bit of rest. It might be a long day.”
Rush took Mn’eth’s seat. “Not that I care about whether we go to Marcomal or Janus. You know that. I’m just wondering what’s changed from the moment you left me with those two mail order brides to the moment, almost two hours later, when you and the other one returned.”
Two hours? Had that much time really passed?
He studied Rush’s face. How much should he tell him? Rush was his best friend. He was closer to him than his own brother—okay, that didn’t say much, since Caayn and his brother had a rocky start, but still. How much should he tell Rush? Did he want to bring him into this mess?
Caayn fiddled with the controls.
“That bad?” Rush interrupted his thoughts.
“Complications have arisen.”
“What does that mean? You slept with her? In your private dining room?” Rush’s eyebrows rose and fell suggestively. “That was quick.”
I wish. “No, man. Not that.” Never that. She has a man already. She’s carrying his child.
“Then…”
“I’m going to Janus to hand-fast with her. To make her mine.” Then I’m going to have to find that piece of shit she calls her man and watch her go to him. And she clearly has no idea the type of man he is.
This was the plan Caayn came up with. It was the only one that made sense.
“Really?” Rush shook his head in disbelief. “I thought we kidnapped them so you could avoid that fate.”
“I know. Circumstances have changed.”
“What about the other two? We kidnapped them. Need I remind you that’s a crime. And because of the relationship our government wants to have with Earth, it’s high profile. Very much so.”
“I know. I know.”
“So, what about the other women? Those two? They are going to sit back and just say nothing?”
“I’m going to talk to Smyrna about it. She’ll have to figure that part out.”
“Since when is she a part of our team? Since when is she part of the ones who figure things out?”
“I guess, after the hand-fasting ceremony, that’s exactly what she’ll be. Part of us.”
Except Caayn had no intention of sticking around. He’d set her up in his household. He’d find Baldwin Porter and give him a job in his household. Then he’d leave the planet for a year. When he returned, that passionate woman with fire in her eyes would already have a baby, be happy with her man, and Caayn could unbind the hand-fast and go away. And watch her go away.
She deserves so much better than Porter.
That’s not your call. And how the hell would you know? You barely know her.
He argued this between himself, one part of him on one side, the other on the other side.
“Just take the helm while Mn’eth rests. We’re going to Janus. I’ll work out the rest of it.”
“Aye, Officer.” Rush spared no sarcasm in his tone.
Chapter Fifteen
Smyrna lay on the bed in one corner of the room. She put her hands behind her head and studied the ceiling.
“Have you ever wondered why these aliens look so much like us?”
“Didn’t you read about it?” Emily was sitting at the corner table, folding a piece of paper into an origami. So far, she’d created an assortment of animals.
Impressive, Smyrna thought, if not practical.
“I didn’t. What do they say? Do you know, Katrina?”
Katrina shook her head. “I’m not much into reading.”
“First off, I’ll tell you what I read, but I don’t know anything more about it. And I didn’t understand the technical terms. I had to look them up.”
“Can you just sum it up for us?”
Smyrna got the feeling that patience wasn’t one of Katrina’s virtues.
“The article said that humans splintered off into various parts of the universe. Or galaxy. Like millions of years ago or something.”
“How’d they do that? We just figured out how to get a man on the moon close to a century ago.”
Emily shrugged. “I didn’t read the rest of the article. My niece wanted more origami, and…” Another shrug. “The magazine was handy.”
“Figures,” Katrina muttered under her breath.
“Be nice,” Smyrna whispered, though it seemed Emily didn’t pick up Katrina’s snark.
“Did you feel that?” Emily’s lower lip trembled. “The ship is turning.”
“There’s nothing to worry about.”
“What happened?” Katrina asked her. “Are they going to ransom us? Kill us? Sell us as hookers? I was eavesdropping at the door. I heard some crew members say Marcomal. I know what that place is. I did my research. It’s a place full of brothels and shit like that.”
Emily gasped, clutched her chest.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Emily.” Katrina whirled on her. “Would you ease up?”
For some reason, Smyrna found herself really liking Katrina, but she could completely understand Emily’s fear. Emily was from a sheltered background of missionaries, and her family wanted her to take their faith to the aliens. Essentially, as far as Smyrna was concerned, she was a sacrificial lamb, but for some reason, Emily seemed good with it. And happy.
And who was Smyrna to judge, when she herself had a set of ulterior motives for going to the edge of the galaxy. Granted, hers weren’t quite those of a do-gooder, but she’d feel damned good when she’d done what she came for.
“Don’t worry, Emily. It will be fine.” Smyrna flashed what she hoped was a smile of assurance, designed to build trust and confidence. “Caayn will take care of everything.” I hope.
“Caayn?” Katrina tilted her head. “Caayn as in the one that you were supposed to be marrying? That Caayn?”
At that moment, Smyrna regretted ever answering the question when she’d first met them. “Yes, he—”
She was saved by a knock on the door. She flew out of the bed and opened it quicker than she would have if the bed had been on fire.
Smyrna flung it open. “Hi.”
Caayn blocked the entrance with those broad shoulders and wide chest.
“Could I have a moment?”
At that second, behind Smyrna, the girls began to babble and barrage questions at her and Caayn.
“Be right back.”
She stepped out of the room.
Caayn locked the door behind her.
In the background, Katrina was yelling. Asking, “Why are we being kept locked up if…” Her voice faded away as Smyrna followed Caayn down the hallway.
“We turned,” she said to him.
“You want to go to Janus, right?”
“Is that where we’re headed?”
He nodded. “We need a cover story, for your two friends in there.” He indicated the room they’d just walked away from with his thumb.
“Not exa
ctly my friends. I didn’t know them before I signed on for this. Not that we couldn’t be friends,” she clarified. “It’s just that they aren’t puppets. I’m not their puppet master and they sure as hell don’t have my back.”
“You’re saying you can’t trust them to agree to any story that is concocted?”
“Exactly.”
They were in the same corridor they’d been in when they’d spoken in private earlier, except this time, he opened the door across from that private dining room.
Smyrna stepped into a room that was clearly someone’s sleeping quarters. “Your room?”
“Ours, for now. While we keep up this pretense.” He took a seat in the only chair in the room.
“And what pretense is that?” She wanted to be sure exactly what their understanding would be.
He waved for her to take a seat. Except the spot he waved her to was the bed.
Not going there. Even if he does seem honorable.
“I was so anxious to see my bride-to-be that I decided to meet her at the space station where they’d be stopping off.”
She scoffed. “Great lie.”
“I thought it sounded good.”
“Well, that’s great, Einstein, but can you explain why you brought the other two women?”
“Einstein?”
“Never mind. Explain.”
“You’ll have to say that you didn’t want to be without your new friends. That you wanted them with you. That you planned to have them as part of the hand-fasting ceremony. Someone to help you dress.”
She shook her head. “Uhm, and when they dispute that?”
“You had better work on your acting skills and convince them differently.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“The alternative is to take them to Marcomal and leave them with the locals.”
“You mean, sell them.”
He half-nodded, half-shrugged.
She frowned. “You wouldn’t.”
His face was stoic.
“Would you?”
Chapter Sixteen
Smyrna had done it. Somehow, she’d convinced the girls that Caayn was so anxious to be with her that he’d met her at the space station. That he’d been so jealous about her being around any other guys that he’d come to meet her at the first stop she’d made. Then she told them she’d had cold feet, that she’d freaked out, hadn’t known how to handle everything…
Katrina had listened with narrowed eyes, not saying a word, doubt etched on her face.
But thankfully, she’d kept all concerns to herself.
Emily, sweet, naïve Emily, had bought it hook, line, and sinker. She’d practically swooned at the romantic story of how he’d come halfway across the star systems to meet his mail order bride.
Smyrna had nearly vomited at the sticky sweetness, but she’d held it together.
The doors had been unlocked and the girls had been able to explore at will, seemingly comfortable with the situation at hand.
Now that they could venture about though, Emily had no interest in it. Her sole focus was on resting so she could meet her new beau, Boron.
Katrina was curious and wanted to explore, so slipped away after Smyrna had spoon-fed them the new story. Of course, it wasn’t like Smyrna was that readily available anyway.
Caayn had given her the access code to his quarters, and she’d spent most of her time there. She’d locked herself in and—shame on her, yes, indeed, for shame—she’d scoured every drawer, every nook and cranny, every cubby in his quarters looking for weapons.
Now, Smyrna had no idea if she’d know how to use them, but she’d figure it out. If only she could find something, anything, that she could use to kill Baldwin Porter.
She may have signed on as a bounty hunter with Jimmy’s Bail Services—JBS—but that had been a cover. A legit way to find Baldwin. Especially after she’d found out that he’d jumped bail. That had been two years ago, give or take.
Baldwin Porter had managed to elude the authorities—and Smyrna—all this time. No surprise, since the man did have numbered accounts in every country that allowed them.
Money wasn’t a problem for Baldwin Porter, but the last time, she’d been close.
By God, she’d been so close.
But had come up dry. She’d kicked in the door to his latest girlfriend’s home, only to find her alone and pissed because Baldwin had “left the planet.”
The bastard had managed to secure passage on one of the unofficial vessels that allowed citizens of Earth to travel outside of the galaxy.
Not every vessel could do it, but there were special corsairs that were not associated with any government in particular who ran the distance between planets—for a hefty sum.
Until Porter had done that, Smyrna lived in her own vacuum of unawareness, with no clue that such a system existed. She knew that the government of Zama had vessels that traveled between Earth and Janus.
The Zamanese government did not allow those vessels to come to their own planet. They’d never said why they didn’t want visitors. But they did provide the transportation between Janus and Earth—for those properly authorized.
A sound at the door had her scrambling from one of the drawers and toward the bed. She’d just managed to lay down and pretend she was resting when Caayn entered.
“Not much longer. You’ll be in Janus. We communicated with traffic control, let them know who we were, and who was on board. There will be a fuss made, high profile, media, that sort of thing. Zama has high hopes for the Operation Outreach.”
“Why?”
“Who knows.” He shrugged. “All governments have their means, methods, and motives. Why do you think your government is participating in this?”
“Really? Money. My government makes no bones about its motives. It’s based on capitalism, no matter which province we live in, each province wants to increase its wealth.”
“Our government is using conscription to force this. Every family of the Cardinal Few that has two sons has to donate one to the cause. Unless both are already hand-fasted, or betrothed.” He strode toward one of the drawers she’d just been rifling through and opened it.
She prayed that he wouldn’t notice anything out of place. “Caayn.”
“Hmmm?” He looked up at her.
Dark circles beneath his eyes made her wonder how long he’d been awake. He certainly hadn’t come in here while she slept. At least, she didn’t think he had. And he definitely didn’t crawl into bed with her to rest. Or anything else.
Not that she’d mind.
Jeez. Mind out of the gutter.
He watched her, waiting, his face expressionless.
“What is it that you do? This ship, it’s fast, clearly. And…” She shrugged, unsure how to proceed.
And yet he didn’t respond, just studied her, again, waiting.
Smyrna cleared her throat. “Are you a corsair?”
“Have I ever shuttled individuals?”
She nodded. That was a start.
“Yes. And I’ve shuttled merchandise. I’ve also made myself available for short term jobs. I’m a freelancer.”
“Is everything you do legal?”
“Is everything you do?”
Smyrna frowned. “Way to avoid answering a question.”
“Same.”
“I’m not avoiding. But I’d think you could answer mine before you start peppering me with questions yourself.”
A flash of light from a porthole caught her attention, in her peripheral vision.
Caayn whirled around to look out into what had been darkness that was now a lit up with a white light.
At the same moment, the speaker overhead crackled. “Caayn. You’re needed.”
Caayn strode to a button on the wall next to the door’s exit panel. He’d just pressed it and leaned in to speak when the vessel pitched forward. Smyrna was thrown into the bunk’s railing. Her head stopped her forward momentum.
She grunted and reached for the r
ail to keep from plunging to the floor. Her stomach flipped, guts felt like they were twisting in on themselves. And her head hurt.
“What the—”
“On my way.” Caayn’s voice was terse. He glanced back at Smyrna, saw that she had catapulted into the railing and was dangling from the bed. In two long steps, he was helping her to her feet.
“What was that?” Tiny white lights dotted her vision.
“You’re bleeding.” He touched her forehead, grabbed the pillow from his bunk, removed the case, and pressed it to her head. “I’m sending someone to take a look at this. Please stay here.”
She nodded.
“I’ve got to go. See what the curses just happened.”
Smyrna sat back in the bunk and looked out the porthole behind him as he spun around and made for the door.
Through the porthole, she could see flames, then a bit further off, a spaceship—vessel, whatever, she thought—as she pressed the pillowcase to her tender skin. And behind the other vessel, she saw two planets in the distance. One was orange and pock-marked with brown areas. The other was a deep green color with wrinkled ridges and what appeared to be depressions and mountains.
The vessel shuddered, and then she was completely enveloped in darkness and silence.
She shook her head. Touched her face. Nope, didn’t pass out. And the flames that were on Caayn’s ship’s hull were still there.
Now what?
Chapter Seventeen
Darkness did not dissuade or slow Caayn. This was his ship. He knew it well, inside and out. And though the back of his mind was preoccupied with Smyrna’s question about corsairs, it shared space with the knowledge that she’d been going through his things.
Why? Was she a thief? A common criminal? What was she looking for? He didn’t leave things of value laying around in his quarters. He didn’t even leave them in any place where a casual observer would search. He secured items of value in a safe.
But as much as he may have wanted to think of Smyrna, her questions and her actions, his mind would not share space with the pressing matter at hand. Those flames and the ship he’d caught sight of out the porthole, those were very concerning. He recognized that something had hit the Javelin, and that their path to Janus had been intercepted.
