Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance

by Michelle O'Leary

  "Weren't we going to contact Griffin this morning?” she asked him in a detached tone as she leaned over the desk and called up their schedule on the viewer.

  He hesitated a moment before saying, “Yes, we were. Do you feel up to it?"

  Straightening slowly, she crossed her arms over her chest, locked her eyes on his, and said nothing. In the face of her bitter silence, he grimaced and ran a distracted hand through his dark hair.

  "Okay, sorry,” he muttered and touched the controls. Rounding the desk, he came to stand at her side with a wary light in his green eyes. “I hate it when we fight,” he mumbled as the viewer flickered.

  She couldn't afford to relent. “Then perhaps you shouldn't instigate them."

  "That's what your man said,” he responded in a low, rueful voice as Griffin appeared before them.

  Thrown by both his implication that Del had defended her and by his oblique approval of the pilot—your man—Sin remained quiet and allowed Kai to greet their nemesis.

  "Griff, good to see you again."

  "Manakai, Sinsudee, what a delightful surprise,” their enemy said with a warmth in his rich voice and smile that didn't reach the gray of his eyes. “To what do I owe this pleasure?"

  That was her cue. With a smile that matched his for sincerity, she lowered her arms and sat on the edge of the desk. “I didn't get a chance to thank you for the gift, Web.” They hadn't had to rehearse this part, but she still felt Kai's tension behind her. If she'd left this to him, he wouldn't have been able to refrain from retaliating. His reaction was as much a protective anger for her as it was rage over Griffin's cruel arrogance. “Business took us away for a few days and I was unable to contact you."

  "I understand. Was it to your liking, then?” His gray eyes gleamed with malicious delight, but she was determined not to give him any satisfaction.

  "It was absolutely lovely, a true creative masterpiece. Too beautiful to waste—I've had it placed on display in our Reception Hall, so that everyone may enjoy it.” So that everyone may see how you've insulted and maligned us, she thought, but didn't have to say. She could see the comprehension in the tightening of the skin around his eyes.

  "It could never match your beauty, Sinsudee, but I am delighted that you are so well pleased with it.” His smile was small, but genuine this time—gloating.

  The bastard. Sin dropped her eyes from his with a flirtatious curve of her lips. “It was a shame that I had to leave so abruptly and not give the gift its proper due, but I've been assured that it has been received very well."

  The opening. And he took it.

  "You work too hard, my dear. Was your business at least concluded to your satisfaction?"

  Sin looked up and let real humor touch her face as she met his eyes. “Very well, thank you for asking. All of our runs should be so profitable."

  He inclined his head, an answering amusement on his features. Let him think that their anger over the gift had been blunted by the Abantium deal, that they were appeased by his generous cooperation. That their display of the beleaguered Enua was the limit of their retaliation.

  And now comes the misdirection, Sin thought as she felt Kai move up to the edge of the desk, attracting Griffin's gaze. They needed to keep Griffin's attention away from the factory, to give them time to do what needed to be done. But they had to be careful, so careful—if he grew suspicious that they were leading him, he might backtrack to figure out what it was they were leading him from.

  "Your courtship of my sister aside,” Kai began in a wry tone, and Sin winced inwardly. Damn it, too strong, she thought, but Griffin chuckled in response, watching her twin with real masculine amusement as Kai continued, “We did have another reason for contacting you. As you probably know, we've been working on a merger with the Yakamoro Collective. They have some fine, creative minds in the area of cybernetics. We got ‘em down to a final deal, but now they're balking. We suspect that a competitive offer has been made to them. Wouldn't be you, would it, Griff?” He used just the right tone of amused irony, as if the answer was a foregone conclusion. Flattery to imply that Griffin was the only competitor worth considering. Griffin was exquisitely susceptible to flattery.

  "Perhaps,” their nemesis temporized with an enigmatic smile, watching them both with his cold, hunter's eyes. As it happened, the Collective had all but thrown themselves at the Shays. Sin and Kai were the ones holding up the cementing of their relationship. But Griffin didn't know this and would want to hear more before he committed himself.

  Kai's expression hardened, the lines of his body radiating ruthless aggression. “That's what I thought,” he said in a steely tone, as if Griffin had confirmed his suspicions. “So what'll it take for you to back off?"

  As rehearsed, Sin made a small, abortive gesture as if to call her brother's words back and snapped in a low voice, “Kai!” Then, as if to cover her own dismay, she smiled at Griffin and said, “I apologize for my brother's tactlessness. He's probably still weary from our trip."

  "There's nothing to apologize for,” Griffin said smoothly, but she could see by the razor edge to his gaze that they'd caught his interest. He would be asking himself what was so important about the Collective that the Shays would be so desperate to keep it for themselves. The trick was not to overdo it.

  "What he was trying to say,” she continued with a cool look towards her brother, “was that we would be willing to negotiate if you happen to be the competitive offer."

  Kai rubbed the back of his neck and shot her a sullen glare. Gently, she thought at him, giving him her profile while she smiled at their enemy. But his instincts were always true when it came to Griffin—the man saw her twin as a nuisance, an obstacle to his courtship of her, but not as a real threat. He was playing to that belief now, producing just the right amount of petulance as he let her take over the conversation.

  "That's an interesting proposition. You will give me time to consider it, I hope?"

  "Of course,” Sin murmured, but let her smile falter just a bit and watched with grim satisfaction as he absorbed her subtle dismay.

  "Very good,” Griffin responded. “Was there anything else that I could do for you today?"

  Sin extended the conversation with some social small talk, flirting a bit more than usual with him as they spoke of inconsequentials. Kai had withdrawn away from the desk out of Griffin's view, a grim smile on his face as he watched her play with their enemy. When she ended the call, he grunted in satisfaction.

  "That ought to keep him occupied."

  "But for how long?” she asked without looking at him. If Griffin tired of digging into the Collective, he might turn his attention back to the Shays and what else they might be up to.

  "Long enough,” he said in a clipped tone and she knew he wasn't going to change his mind about waiting to go after the factory.

  Stubborn idiot, she thought to herself, but only pressed her lips together and turned away from him. “I'm going down to check on the crew, but I'll be back up in my office for the rest of the day taking calls."

  "Fine,” he answered, “I'll be doing the same."

  She walked out without checking to see if the forlorn undertone in his reply was reflected in his expression.

  The bustle of activity in the maintenance bay was decidedly less enthusiastic than it should have been after the success of such a dangerous run. The crew watched her warily as she approached, and she felt a pang of guilt. Her fight with Kai would have disturbed them, especially since most didn't understand the reason for it.

  Sin started at Bib's station, engaging her in easy chatter that relaxed the girl until she stopped giving her boss those wide-eyed, worried looks. Then Sin proceeded down the rows, treating the rest of the crew the same way and taking pains to mention the hazard pay and bonus they'd received for the hard run. She avoided Del until she could speak with Cassie.

  With a speculative look in her brown eyes, Cass watched her until Sin finally stopped at her station. Sin hoped like hell tha
t she wouldn't be foolish enough to mention the previous night.

  "Hey, Cass,” she said in as casual a tone as she could manage. “How are things?"

  "As well as can be expected,” her friend answered noncommittally. “Are you and Kai okay?"

  Leave it to Cass to ask the hard questions. No one else had been brave enough to mention the fight. Sin gave her a faint smile and looked away. “We will be. How are the repairs coming on Del's ship?"

  True to form, Cassie paused for a moment before saying in a careful voice, “As far as I know, they're good. But why don't you ask him yourself?"

  With calculated hesitation, Sin gave her a reluctant nod and turned away, feeling another pang of guilt as she did so. Manipulating her friend into providing the excuse she needed to speak with Del did not feel good. But Kai might ask the crew about her actions. Her speaking with Del needed to look natural, so that her brother wouldn't suspect what she was up to before they left.

  He was waiting for her. She wasn't prepared for it, for the impact of his dark eyes or the restrained power in his muscled form as he leaned against his Shadow. She also wasn't prepared for the wary, haggard expression on his face or the grim set to his mouth. It reminded her simultaneously of the possession in his kiss and the look in his eyes when she'd said, “Why else would I?"

  Heart thumping out a painful rhythm in her chest, she came to a stop before him. It took all her will not to fling herself at him and beg him to love her, pride and duty be damned. Training her eyes on the pulse beating steadily in his throat, she asked through dry lips, “Is your Shadow space ready?"

  "Repairs are done. Just a series of diagnostics and test flights left,” he answered in a low voice.

  "Good. We won't be leaving until later anyway. Could you make sure our Shadows are transferred to the storage bay? I don't want to attract attention when we leave."

  "When?"

  She named a time late that evening and saw him nod.

  "I'll make sure everybody's gone before I move ‘em."

  "Good. Thank you.” She hesitated, and then continued, “We'll go over the plan when we leave. Kai might get suspicious if I spend too much time talking with you."

  He made a rumbling noise that could have been agreement, but she couldn't be sure without reading his expression. Keeping her eyes lowered, she nodded, turned on her heel, and walked away. Every step felt like a tearing deep inside her.

  Chapter 21

  For the rest of the day, Sin stayed in her private office, burying herself in the messages, calls, and issues that built up every time they left for a while. She ignored the careful approaches of her staff and the not-so-subtle passes that Kai made by her office. The time dragged by, and she thought the monotony would surely drive her insane. By late afternoon, she'd had enough and left, heading up to her suite with hopes of a quick bite to eat and a nap. She managed both with great difficulty.

  When the time came, Sin made sure that the way was clear of witnesses and headed down to the bay with brittle determination. The maintenance bay was deserted, and she noted that two slicer stations were empty as she passed between the rows. It would be noticed, but not for a while. By then, they'd be long gone.

  Entering the storage bay, she could see two slicers reclining in the shadows between the Tank and Rock. Leaning casually on his Shadow, Del watched her approach with folded arms. He had clothed himself in unrelenting black, his golden skin gleaming in sensual contrast, but wariness still tightened the lines of his face and sharpened the darkness in his eyes, digging needles of regret into her heart. Pressing her lips together and avoiding his gaze, she tossed him a bulging carrysack on her way to her Shadow.

  "What's this?"

  Opening her Shadow, she unshouldered her own carrysack and tossed it behind the seat as she answered, “Provisions and equipment for the trip. Some of it we probably won't need, but better safe than sorry.” She paused and glanced over her shoulder at him. “Ready?"

  He nodded absently as if the answer was a foregone conclusion and tossed the carrysack into his slicer. “I suppose you have a plan for leaving here without being noticed."

  "That's not possible,” Sin said, meeting his gaze for a moment before smiling faintly and sliding into her slicer. “But courier traffic is minimal at this time, and the station's record of our departure won't be noticed until it's too late."

  "Your brother?"

  "He'll follow,” was all she said to that, and sealed her slicer.

  Kai would not appreciate being forced to trail after her, but it couldn't be helped. He might be right about her, but he was wrong to wait. Greed might have blinded the pirates into accepting her terms, but when they'd spent their credit, they were likely to start thinking logically again. If anything happened to the factory, it might end up on their heads. The best course of action for them would be to warn the factory that someone knew of their location—anonymously, of course. An honest confession would be suicidal.

  Sin brought her Shadow to life and joined with it, taking a deep breath as power and certainty suffused her form. For the first time in a long while, she felt ready for what they were about to do, and it felt good. With a grim smile, she lifted off the pad and headed towards space, flashing out of the bay and over the gas giant like a streak of black lightening. Del was a solid presence at her side, not faltering for a moment, as if he'd read her mind and anticipated her movements. It filled her with such pride and longing for him that she clenched her teeth and shivered.

  When he asked, “What about the star-way?” it took her a moment to unlock her jaw and speak in a normal tone.

  "We're taking the long way around, coming at it from the other side. We need to use the ring to get where we're going as fast as possible, but we don't want anyone to track us."

  "And how are we supposed to manage that? Even if they didn't register every ring use, these slicers are too small to survive the wormhole, and any ship we dock with will have to record our passage."

  With a hard grin, she told him exactly how, waiting with anticipation for his reaction. It wasn't long in coming.

  "Are you nuts? What kind of a half-assed, Sun-baked plan is that?"

  She chuckled. “Having second thoughts, Del?"

  "Hell, yes,” he muttered. “I ought to drag your ass back to HQ and have ‘em give you a full psych eval."

  "That's sweet,” she said with a sardonic edge, “but unnecessary. I'm not having a mental aberration. We've done it before."

  "Like shooting the rim? Don't tell me you did this at twelve, too."

  She sobered, her tone settling into a quiet seriousness. “No, this kind of thing came much later, after we understood what was at stake."

  He was silent for a long moment, and Sin waited for him. If he turned back, she would continue on alone, but it wouldn't be easy. She both wanted and needed him at her side. Then he sighed, and she sagged into her seat in relief.

  "All right, Lady Shadow, tell me what to do,” he said in a calm, deep voice that sent keen delight dancing across her skin.

  It didn't take long, and the specs she sent him were fairly simple. It wasn't difficult to understand, but it wasn't going to be easy to do. Until she'd met Del, the only other person she knew who had the skill to pull it off was her brother.

  "Well, this ought to be interesting,” he muttered wryly when she was finished.

  She grinned and pushed her Shadow to maximum speed, her smile widening in satisfaction when he matched her effortlessly. At that velocity, it took them very little time to reach the ring.

  When they entered the solar system, Sin cautioned Del to silence—Ring Control would be monitoring all communications. Approaching the sun from the Anchor Ring side, they waited until the rings were activated to slip around the sun to the Launch Ring, trusting the interference of an active wormhole to hide their approach. It was a rough ride, the solar winds and gravity wells of both the sun and wormhole wrenching at their Shadows, but the ships were designed for endurance as well a
s speed.

  Sin was pleased to see that Del remained at her side as they fought the elemental pull of the wormhole to reach the outer, stable loop of the Launch Ring. In contrast to its spinning center, this immobile loop provided the necessary resistance to inertia that kept the ring from wobbling out of control and falling into the sun. The two Shadows slipped around to settle against its surface as the inner ring slowed and the vortex dissipated.

  As they had with the haulers, the Shadow skins provided camouflage, blending with the surface of the rings and hiding the ships from detection by Ring Control. Now all they had to do was wait for a ship that was going their way.

  Sin took advantage of the moment of respite to stretch and roll the tension out of her neck and shoulders. Reaching the rings undetected had actually been the easy part. What came next was a bit more difficult, and she needed to be at her best for it.

  The ring had barely stopped spinning before it started up again, but Sin checked the launch schedule and the next way to be opened was nowhere near the place she and Del wanted to go. She continued stretching as her Shadow shivered with the ring's vibrations, wincing when the vortex opened in a flash of brilliance and sensory disruption. Watching the debarking ships instead of the disturbing and oddly compelling entrance to the wormhole, she waited as five ships disappeared through the ring. They would have to endure this sequence one more time before they hit on their destination.

  Sighing, she wondered how Del was holding up. She'd done this before, so she knew it was possible, but Del was new to the maneuver. The slightest slip and either one of them could be just a memory of molecules shattered by the wormhole.

  The wait seemed interminable, but when the time came, it rushed towards them with relentless speed. Sin pressed her lips together and readied her Shadow as the wormhole opened on their destination and the line of ships began moving forward. The last one, she'd told Del. Wait for the last ship and wait for the last possible minute so they'll be blind to us. The ship's sensors would be blinded by wormhole distortion—or at least, that was the hope.