On the Run (Verity Chronicles Book 3): A Cadicle Space Opera Adventure

by T. S. Valmond

  “What’s going on with you and her, anyway?” Braedon asked.

  “There’s nothing between us. She’s my assistant—not that it’s any of your business.”

  “Nothing more because you don’t want there to be anything more, or nothing more because there can’t be anything more?” Braedon asked. He raised his eyebrows and gave him a knowing look.

  Iza shifted her weight and narrowed her eyes back at Karter. “Here you’ve got me locked into this contract with you, doing your hardest to try to keep me here, and you’ve got someone who’s head over heels in love with you. And from what I just saw, you are madly in love with her, too,” Iza said spinning on her heel and brushing past Braedon to the flight deck.

  Trix was standing to the right of Iza’s chair when she arrived.

  Karter rushed to catch up to her. “My feelings on the matter are irrelevant. I can’t marry my assistant,” he said between his teeth.

  “Well, then can I have her, because stars, she’s supernova hot!” Braedon wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and slid into his chair at the helm.

  “Careful,” Karter warned, his tone turning frigid.

  Trix was next to chime in. “The contract between yourself and Iza clearly states that your romantic interest in another party constitutes grounds for resolution.”

  Iza had to hide a smile behind her hand as Karter fought for control of the deteriorating situation.

  “Becks— Becca is my assistant. There can be nothing between us,” Karter reiterated, slipping his hands into his pockets. She wondered if he noticed that when he was in denial he tended to rock back and forth on his heels. “I rely on her to handle the business while I’m away. I depend on her for a lot of different things that doesn’t mean there’s something between us.”

  “Save the garbage sandwich for someone who’ll eat it. You like her, like really like her. She’s gorgeous, refined, and she’s already in the family business. You’d be a fool to walk away from her,” Iza said.

  “You and I have an arrangement. I can’t go back on my word,” Karter said. “As I said to you earlier in confidence, my business interests would not look kindly on a sudden switch in my affections, but they might forgive it if you had another offer. Otherwise, you’ll be forced to marry me. We can’t be engaged forever.”

  Iza stood up and crossed to him in three easy steps until she could look him in the eye. Then she spoke through her teeth in a low hiss. “I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man in the galaxy. So, if you think you can out-wait me on this contract, you’re sorely mistaken. We need to find you a wife, and soon. Becca is already in love with you, and if you don’t see it, we’ll arrange an eye surgery on the nearest civilized planet. But, either way, you and me in this contract are going to be done.”

  Karter let out a sigh as if all the air had been knocked out of him.

  Why is he fighting me on this? He was so obviously in love with Becca. Neither one of them wanted to be together, so why was it so hard to separate? Her heart belonged to someone else, and he knew it. Holding on to her was delaying the inevitable. The reasons he had entered into the engagement in the first place no longer made sense. As far as she knew, his mother hadn’t let up on her interest in taking over his legacy. He’d have to do more than marry to save his business. That left one reason he hadn’t made his move on his assistant.

  Karter, through with being the target of their teasing, left the flight deck with his head down and his shoulders slumped. Iza wanted to follow him but didn’t want to make it obvious.

  “I need to get something from my cabin,” she said. Atano jumped up to follow her out the door.

  Karter hadn’t gone far. He stood in the galley facing the wall and hadn’t noticed her approach. Iza debated whether to just leave him alone or voice her theory out loud. She took a tentative step in his direction, and he didn’t budge. She walked into the galley and stood next to him with her hips resting on the counter behind them. She had her eyes on the floor as she spoke, not trusting herself to take it seriously if she could see his face.

  “I get it. Putting yourself out there to someone who could actually care about you it’s scary.”

  Karter was silent for a long moment. Without lifting his head, he spoke in a low whisper, “How do you do it? How do you open yourself up to someone who could turn around and hurt you?” He looked at her, the question in his eyes.

  Iza could admit now that before he’d joined her on the Verity, they never really knew each other. Somewhere in his past, he’d been hurt by someone he loved. The betrayal was there in the set of his jaw as he asked the question. She knew that pain; she’d experienced that pain. Not with Joe—he’d been different. He hadn’t been completely honest with her from the start, no. But he’d been under orders. Her own contract with Karter had put her in a similar bind. Iza wasn’t going to let anything else separate them.

  “It’s hard at first. You start small. You let them in a little bit at a time. Then, the next thing you know, you’re wide-open, accepting them for who they are, flaws and all. And believe you me, they always have flaws,” Iza said with a laugh.

  Karter only smiled when he shook his head. “Yes, but I have a lot on the line. If things don’t go my way, I could lose everything forever. My Dynasty could be irrevocably destroyed; I don’t know if I could take that. Even if she’s everything that I imagine she could be, I might’ve already lost everything. What do I have to give her?”

  “If she already loves you, she couldn’t care less about the other things. The most valuable thing you can give each other is your hearts. The rest is just icing. But you’ll never know unless you try. And you have to make a step in the right direction.”

  “What do you suggest?”

  “Well, first, you need to nullify this engagement façade that you’ve been carrying around. Next, I suggest you let her know that not only is she an important asset to your business, let her know that she’s also a contender for your heart. Invite her out to dinner. Have her over for movie night,” she suggested. She couldn’t imagine him anywhere other than his office. She tried to picture him slipping off his shoes and cuddling up to Becca on the couch; it was too ridiculous to consider.

  “I don’t know.” He frowned. “It’s a huge risk, and right now, I’ve got so many things going on. I let someone get close to me once, and they betrayed me. How do I know I can trust her?”

  “You don’t. You won’t know if you can trust her until you try. But don’t forget, she’s trusting you, too. You need to show her that you’re someone worthy of that trust.”

  Karter gave her a wry smile. Iza never would’ve thought a year ago she’d be having this kind of conversation with him. He was becoming tolerable, despite their past. He pulled his own weight on board and had come through when needed. Despite his self-interest when it came to his business, he had held up his end of the bargain. Only now, it was a matter of giving him the kind of advice that only another woman could give.

  A year ago, she wouldn’t have had the advice to give. Joe had changed all that, and now more than anything she wanted to be with him.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Cierra and Braedon were nose-to-nose when Iza reached the galley the next morning. She stopped for a moment to take in the scene, unsure what she was interrupting since both Karter and Skyler were also at the table. They bolted apart at the sight of her. Cierra held a spray bottle that she was using on the plants.

  “Please don’t use my kitchen for making out,” Iza said as she entered.

  “Thank you,” Skyler said over a bowl of cereal.

  “No one asked you,” Braedon said with a sneer. He was more annoyed with Skyler Anderson than he’d ever been with Karter. It was odd.

  Did I miss something? Iza wondered.

  “I would prefer to have my breakfast without the show, as well, if my vote counts for anything,” Karter said.

  “It doesn’t.” Iza said reached for her own bowl. “However, I’m captain, and I
say go to your cabin if you have to be all over each other this early in the morning.”

  Trix entered the galley and stood at the door, scanning them in her way.

  “Stop checking my vitals,” Iza grunted while she filled the dog’s water bowl and placed it on the floor for him.

  Iza took the seat at the head of the table nearest Karter and furthest from Skyler. Cierra finished spraying her plants as Braedon sat down next to her.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” he said as if she’d spoken her concerns aloud. “Joe’s tough, and he’s gotten on and off the Arvonen One before. He might have escaped already.” His tone wasn’t as hopeful as his words.

  Skyler was watching him with her eyebrows drawn together. “Your father has created quite the mess for everyone, Devyn.”

  Braedon fidgeted with his food under her scrutiny. “I’ve gone by Braedon Valtteri since my father disowned me. I can hardly call that man—that monster—my father.”

  Skyler made a face like she’d just sucked something sour before she pushed her bowl away. Iza didn’t like the way she was looking at Braedon.

  Cierra moved to stand behind him, resting one delicate hand on his shoulder, her heart-shaped face resolute as if preparing for the Agent to strike him. She’d swept her curls up on top of her head, though several curls were already escaping the binder.

  “Braedon, any word yet from your father?” Iza asked. She needed to get control of the situation fast.

  Braedon reached up and pulled Cierra’s hand to his lips before he answered, and she seemed to relax.

  “No, not yet. He’s received the message, but he’s not answering. I didn’t mention Joe or that we know he was anywhere near the sphere on Uephus. Though I suspect he’s aware of my hacking skills; I’ve used them against him before. If he wants to stay hidden, he might not answer.” Then he held up a hand. “Before you ask, Viper and I haven’t come up with a solution to blocking the sphere’s energy using an antivirus. It just won’t work since whoever put them there is controlling them from the other side.”

  Iza gave his words a moment of thought. “Keep trying to get through to the Arvonen One.”

  “There is an incoming message from Hubyria marked ‘urgent’,” Trix announced.

  Iza’s mouth fell open. What could Yeaga possibly want with me? The others stared at her as she rose from the table and started for the flight deck.

  “Do you think she knows where Joe is?” Braedon asked, scrambling after her.

  Iza hadn’t even considered Yeaga before. What if she had something to do with Joe’s disappearance? She might have liberated him from Earth for her own ends; she had a horrible crush on him.

  “Anything’s possible, but I doubt it. The TSS believes he’s with Arvonen, because he’s the only one who could have gotten to him so fast and not been caught. Yeaga doesn’t have her own ship, let alone one capable of retrieving him right out from under the nose of the TSS.”

  Braedon jogged passed her and sat down at the helm. “Trix, bring up the message.”

  The front screen went from the stars to black and then bright as Iza’s Aunt Reagan’s terrified face filled the screen. Her dark eyes shifted back and forth as if looking beyond the display. Her once mahogany curls were dull and matted in uncombed clumps. Her clothing bore dirt stains and looked disheveled as if she hadn’t bathed for days. “I don’t have much time. They’ve taken your cousin.”

  “Reagan? What’s going on?” Iza asked.

  “He’s missing. Your cousin, Jaidyn, is missing. I tracked him here to Hubyria, but he’s nowhere to be found. I think they have him.”

  Her cousin was only a recent acquaintance, but what she knew of him was that he looked a lot like her and had the stealth of a trained assassin. If someone caught up to him, he didn’t go down without a fight.

  “Who has him?” Iza questioned.

  Reagan shook her mass of matted curls. “We can’t talk like this.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Come quickly. We don’t have much time. I’ll tell you everything, but you must come.”

  Iza started to protest but the screen went black.

  “It’s only a few hours from here. If we hurry, we can make it just after lunch,” Braedon said. He turned to look at her, his eyes bright.

  “Does she have my brother?” Skyler asked. The glow of her topaz-blue eyes, almost identical to Joe’s, shone from across the flight deck. Even without her uniform’s overcoat or the tinted glasses, she was unmistakably a TSS Agent—and clearly felt entitled to be places she didn’t belong.

  Iza glared at her. “What are you doing on my flight deck?”

  “I thought the call might have something to do with my brother. Can this woman help us find him?”

  Iza saw the hope on her face and had to squash it. She shook her head. “No, this is a family matter.”

  “This might be a good time to remind you that the owner of the Q Maximus shuttle is going to want their ship back,” Karter said from behind her. It seemed they’d all slipped onto the flight deck during the call. He continued, “Their people are on their way this morning to retrieve it.”

  “It’s your aunt. There’s really no choice here,” Braedon said again with a significant look at Skyler. “Family doesn’t abandon family.”

  Iza rolled her head. “Karter, tell the owner of the shuttle there’s been a change of plans. We’re in route to Hubyria and to pick up the shuttle there.”

  He grumbled something about the price, but Iza didn’t have time to hear him as she turned to Skyler.

  “As soon as we get word of your brother, Agent Anderson, I’ll fill you in. For now, you are not cleared to be on the flight deck. That goes for the rest of you, too. Trix plot a course.”

  “I should remind you, Captain, that you are not welcome on Hubyria,” the android said. “Yeaga may still be angry about the auction.”

  “I’m aware, but it’s not going to stop me from helping my aunt and finding my cousin.”

  —

  Upon arriving at Hubyria, Iza had to make some decisions. If she took the Verity in, they’d have to ask for permission to land. If she tried to sneak in on her beat-up shuttle, there was a risk they’d shoot her out of the sky, but only if they were looking. It was a big sky. While debating which route to take, Trix spoke up.

  “We are receiving a communication request from Yeaga,” Trix said. “With some impatience, I should add.” Though her face was pleasant, the tone suggested Trix was not happy with whatever language Yeaga was using on the other end. Iza watched her plans to sneak down to the planet disappear in a puff of smoke.

  “Put her through.”

  “You better have a good reason for coming back here, Scrappy,” Yeaga stated in her raspy voice.

  Iza gritted her teeth at the strange amalgamation of the nickname Douketis and the other haulers had given her years ago. Despite her short stature, Yeaga’s pale face and blue eyes filled the screen. She’d kept her blonde hair pulled up in a high ponytail the long strands of hair reaching below her left shoulder and off-screen.

  “I received an urgent message from my aunt. She’s tracked my cousin here, and it sounds like he might be in danger.”

  Yeaga shook her head. She lifted her eyebrows then and smiled as if they were old friends. “As much as I love when you come to call, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. Consider this a warning. If you set foot on this planet, I’ll blow your transport out of the sky, as I should have done the first time you came here stirring up trouble.”

  “Yeaga, listen, normally I’d go back and forth with you and then let you have some time with Joe—Jovani,” she corrected as Yeaga probably didn’t know him by any other name. “But we believe he’s been abducted by Victor Arvonen. I need to make sure my aunt and cousin are okay, and then we have to get back to the business of finding him. So, call off your weapons.”

  Yeaga stared back at her of over the viewscreen a moment before she shrugged. “Fine
, suit yourself. I’ll give you one hour, and not a minute more. After that, I get to play target practice with your ship, and I’m an excellent shot.”

  The front display returned to the view of the stars, and Iza let out the breath she’d been holding. “Trix prepare the shuttle and lock into the coordinates my aunt sent us. Braedon, you stay with the ship and look after Atano.”

  “No problem, Iz.” To prove it he scooped up the dog into his arms. Atano, thinking it a game, lavished his face with long licks of his tongue.

  Iza headed for the cargo hold, where she found Agent Anderson and Karter waiting. The last thing she wanted was a meeting with her aunt under threat of fire and these two tagging along. “No, no, no!”

  “I want to meet my fiancé’s family,” Karter said. “You really shouldn’t attempt to leave me behind. You might need me again.”

  Iza hadn’t forgotten how Karter and Joe came to her aid the last time she’d been caught by Yeaga. Yes, it had been helpful, but this time was different. She didn’t need him. “I appreciate this newfound concern over my well-being and the desire to make a family, but let me remind you of a couple things. One, this engagement is still fake, and we all know it, so drop the act. Two, you need to be here to facilitate the shuttle pick up; I’d hate for you to be losing more credits on it than planned.”

  Karter bit the inside of his cheek, it seemed he was weighing the options of having his way or losing more money than necessary. He didn’t like his decision, but he seemed resolved to stay behind.

  Iza turned to Skyler, who squared her shoulders and spoke before Iza had a chance to list off her objections.

  “If my brother were here, he’d be going. I’ll go in his place and provide whatever security you might need. Having a TSS Agent with you might be an advantage. This crew and my brother can’t afford for anything to happen to you.”

  Iza could use the assistance of someone who might actually be able help. Though it was still a risk.