Sunscapes Trilogy Book 1: Last Chance

by Michelle O'Leary

  There was a short pause. When he spoke again, her brother sounded less miffed, but still on edge. “Not a total loss, then. You know I can't haul you all the way back to HQ."

  "I know,” she replied in a soft, soothing voice. “Heading for Jack's place, then?"

  "Yeah. We'll be there soon."

  Sin flashed Del a quick look before she dropped her eyes, and his stomach clenched at the hint of dismay in her expression. “Is the way still clear?"

  "For now, until somebody catches all the chatter. Cutting communication—we'll talk later."

  Kai severed the connection abruptly, and Sin gave a small shake of her head. “He'll get over it,” she sighed without meeting Del's gaze.

  "Sure he will."

  "He's not the type to hold onto anger. He'll be making jokes about it by dinner time."

  Del was less concerned with Kai's attitude than he was with Sin's down-turned eyes. She reclined against him again, but her body held a tension that alarmed him. “What's wrong?” he whispered against her hair, trying to keep his hold from tightening in dismay.

  He felt her shake her head, but she didn't reply. Clenching his jaw and feeling like a coward, he didn't press her for an answer. The possibilities made his heart thump with dread.

  The rest of the trip passed in heavy silence. When Kai announced their approach to the way station, Del felt his stomach drop. Sin sighed, but was otherwise silent and motionless, as Kai dropped the grapples and let Del limp into the docking bay on his own.

  As he landed and powered down his Shadow, he tried to catch Sin's eye, but she sat up with her face turned away and opened the hatch without a word. With a bitter taste in the back of his throat, Del helped her out and then climbed out of the slicer himself.

  Kai had already landed and was striding towards them with a grim twist of his mouth. “Well, I hope you two enjoyed yourselves—"

  "Kai, would you give us a minute?” Sin interrupted her brother softly.

  Standing behind her, Del couldn't see her expression, but the way Kai paused and studied his sister made Del clench his jaw. Her brother's cool green eyes flicked up to meet Del's for a brief second, before he nodded to her, his handsome face softening a bit. He retraced his steps to lean on his Shadow, arms folding across his chest and eyes watching them with sharp interest.

  Sin turned to look up at Del, and the cool, guarded expression in her eyes sent a spurt of anger to join the dread tightening his chest.

  "I suppose you're gonna give me that crap about being my employer again,” he rasped, propping his hands on hips and looking down at her with what he hoped was impatience and not dismay.

  She confirmed his fears in a gentle voice, no trace of regret on her face. “It's not crap, Del. I am your employer, and as such, I have a responsibility to you. What happened between us was—"

  "I've been responsible for myself for a few years now,” he interrupted with a snap of sarcasm. He couldn't stand to hear her call what they'd done a mistake. “I don't need a damned employer to run my life. I can make my own decisions."

  She dropped her eyes, staring at his chest. “I know that, but we can't continue as we are. It's impossible."

  "Nothing's impossible, Sin,” he protested in a lower voice, desperately wanting to pull her back into his arms.

  She shook her head, still staring at his chest. “This is. I can't have a relationship with you and be your employer at the same time.” Her arms came up in slow motion until she clasped her elbows, shoulders hunching slightly as if she felt a chill. “I was wrong to do what I did,” she continued in a tight voice, “but it can't be undone, and I can make sure it doesn't happen again."

  Hurt stopped his breath for a long moment, spreading a burn through his chest like fingers of acid. So she did regret their time together. Or was it that she'd gotten what she wanted, and now was through with him?

  "And how are you going to make sure of that?” he gritted through clenched teeth.

  She was silent and still for a moment, eyes downcast and lovely face as expressionless as glass. Then she took a deep breath and said, “You could quit."

  He didn't hear the hesitant, hopeful strain in her voice. All he heard was another rejection. “I'm not quitting,” he snarled, folding his arms over his chest to contain the agony lodged there. “And you have no grounds to fire me. We have a contract, remember?"

  You can't get rid of me so easily, Lady Shadow, he thought with a flare of bitter fury, trying to ignore the panic and desperation that twisted his insides at the thought of never seeing her again. Anger was easier to accept than the idea that he was pathetically incapable of walking away from her.

  There was another moment's silence as she stood like a statue in front of him, not even appearing to breathe. Then she gave a short nod and spun on her heel, striding away from him.

  Kai watched with mounting concern as his sister approached. She was pale as ice, her eyes haunted, and he could see her slim form trembling when she halted in front of him. She didn't meet his gaze, but her brittle voice spoke volumes as she said, “I need to take your Shadow."

  "Sissa—” he began, raising a hand to touch her, but she flinched back, eyes flying to capture his.

  "I have to go, Kai!” she breathed, her soft cry stabbing like a thousand needles in his skin. “Please."

  He nodded in mute acceptance, unable to stand the devastation that darkened her eyes. He watched her climb into his Shadow with jerky motions, her usual grace not in attendance. The slicer powered up with a growl, and Kai stepped back as the ship rose off the pad and roared out of the bay.

  Contemplating the space where his sister had been, he thought with a kind of detached interest, I'll kill him. He had no doubt that Del was the source of his sister's anguish. As he turned towards the other man, he also had no doubt what he was going to do about it. He'd never been good at handling his sister's pain; it always left him feeling helpless and fractured, like a vase hazed with cracks, on the verge of shattering at the slightest pressure.

  Violence seemed to relieve that pressure, and Kai was feeling ever so violent as he stalked towards the pilot. But he slowed with a snarled curse at the look on Del's face. He was staring after Sin like a man dying, face drawn in lines of torment. Then he seemed to become aware of Kai's approach and faced him, expression hardening and hands clenching into fists.

  With bitter, thwarted anger, Kai considered following through with his plans for mayhem anyway. The big man looked like he was willing to accommodate him. But after what he'd witnessed, Kai was sure Sinsi would retaliate in kind if he so much as put a single bruise on Del.

  "Got somethin’ on your mind?” Del taunted, muscles tightening in menace, but his dark eyes held a desperate kind of emptiness. “Get on with it, Shay."

  Kai cocked his head to one side, studying the pilot thoughtfully. He was annoyed to discover that his urge to beat the man into a satisfying pulp was receding. Heaving a deep sigh of regret, he shook his head and turned away. “Come on, Giv,” he muttered irritably. “Let's go get a drink, and you can tell me what happened."

  When he became aware that the man wasn't following, he paused to glance over his shoulder. “Well?” he snapped.

  Del was glowering at him. “I'd rather hit you,” he growled.

  For some reason, that restored Kai's humor nicely. He chuckled. “I know the feeling. Settle for drinking me under the table?” he challenged with a smirk.

  Del didn't move for a moment, still glaring at him. Then he dropped his eyes and ran a hand over his face. With a sigh of his own, he joined Kai and matched his stride towards the exit, muttering in a sour tone, “What's with you and booze, anyway?"

  "Everybody needs a hobby,” Kai responded lightly.

  Del snorted, but said nothing further until they were seated at the Sun's Way cafe, drinks in hand. Jake had served them, his greeting jovial until he caught their mood. Then he left them alone.

  Kai watched Del stare at his drink and studied the weary
slump of his shoulders and the lines on his face. Then he sighed and said, “So, tell me what I missed."

  Del told him. It took a while, and Kai gleaned as much from the other man's body language as he did from his words. He was disconcerted to realize that he was coming to admire the pilot, and the conclusions he drew about his sister and Del were alarming to say the least. He could have disregarded a fling between them. What he saw in Del's face as he talked about Sin was a lot more than casual attraction.

  Shit, he thought as he listened to the other man relate their adventures. This is going to complicate things. But he couldn't disregard his sister's feelings. Her happiness meant more to him than anything, even Griffin's downfall.

  Del had reached the part where he'd flown the battered Shadow into hiding after dropping the distress for Kai. Then he paused, his eyes sliding closed, one hand clasping his drink in a white-knuckled grip and the other coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose as if something behind his eyes pained him. “Then we waited for you,” he rasped in a low voice.

  Kai grimaced, taking a long swallow of his drink in retaliation to a surge of sympathy. The man had known right from the beginning that any relationship with Sin was doomed to failure. He should have known to keep his bloody hands to himself ... But Kai's conscience wouldn't allow him to put full blame on Del.

  Knowing his sister's sense of duty, he had a good idea what she'd discussed with the pilot before her swift departure. He could also guess what it was costing the two lovers. As far as he was concerned, no man was good enough for his sister, but he didn't suppose he had a choice in the matter. He swore under his breath, watching the aerial dance of a holographic seabird with morose distraction.

  "Now what?” Del interrupted his inner debate.

  Unwilling to meet the other man's eyes, Kai lifted his drink, studying the changes in color and light as he rotated the glass in his hand. “Now we sit tight. I called for a hauler to retrieve us. They'll be here in a few hours. Sin's got the info, so she'll put things in motion the minute she gets back."

  "What kind of things?” Del asked with an edge of suspicion.

  Kai met his gaze with a raised eyebrow. “Don't tell me my sister kept you in the dark about what we wanted from the factory. Or are you just being a suspicious bastard again?"

  Del scowled, apparently not in the mood for insults. “You Shays are full of secrets."

  Kai acknowledged this with a tilt of his head and a wry smile, setting his drink down and folding his arms across his chest. “Things, meaning she'll contact the FPA and give them the info you snagged."

  "And then?” Del asked, his tone still hard.

  "And then,” Kai repeated with a shrug, “we watch what happens."

  Del held his gaze with shrewd eyes and a bitter twist to his mouth. “You already know what's going to happen, don't you?"

  "I appreciate the confidence in my abilities, Giv, but I'm not that good at clairvoyance. Left my crystal ball at home."

  Del snorted and shook his head. “Like pulling teeth to get anything out of you two,” he grumbled.

  "Well, you could wait until I'm flat drunk,” Kai suggested with a grin.

  A strange expression crossed Del's face, before it settled into weary humor. “How about bribery? I hear you've got a thing for nut clusters."

  "Shouldn't listen to evil rumors,” Kai responded promptly with a solemn and innocent shake of his head.

  "And women,” Del added with a smirk, his dark eyes losing some of their dull sheen.

  "Ah,” Kai sighed. “Well, that addiction I'll admit to."

  "Sorry to hear you're not allowed any on the station,” Del said with contrived nonchalance, his smirk widening with malicious humor.

  Kai narrowed his eyes on the big man with a mock-scowl. “Sure, be a rude bastard and rub it in."

  Del chuckled, the lines of his face easing a bit as he lowered his eyes and downed a swallow of his drink.

  Kai took the opportunity to signal for another round, reluctantly admitting to himself that he did like the pilot, in spite of his past and his irritating tendency to stick his nose where it didn't belong. Kai could accept that Sin had made her choice. What aggravated him more was that he was starting to approve. Well, hell, he thought with a rueful twist of his mouth, there goes the family tree.

  Chapter 25

  The wait for the haulers and the trip back to Shay headquarters passed in a haze for Del, a weary emptiness leeching all the interest and color from the world. Avoiding the crew, he'd stretched out on one of the hauler's bunks, but couldn't rest. His body needed sleep badly, and he yearned for the blissful oblivion of it, but his traitor mind kept cycling over the past couple of days in an endless, tormenting loop.

  When he felt the hauler dock, he dragged himself from the bunk, heading towards the cargo bay and his wounded slicer. Kai intercepted him.

  "Quan is handling your Shadow. Follow me,” he said in a clipped tone.

  Del would have dearly loved to have told him to shove it up his ass, but that required more energy than he had at the moment. So he followed.

  They left the hauler and marched across the maintenance bay, riding the lift to the offices. The large main office was empty, though Del was interested to see that the beach scene behind the desk was replaced by many different screens. Some looked like direct viewers to different locations, several were news feeds, and many were filled with data, graphs, and scrolling text.

  "Wait here,” Kai ordered, and walked through the clear partition.

  Del considered the screens, but couldn't work up enough enthusiasm to investigate. Moving across the room, he slumped into one of the armchairs by the fireplace, rubbing at the stubble on his face with slow, meditative fingers. He didn't give a thought to why Kai wanted him here, where the dark twin had gone, or who he might bring back with him.

  When Kai reentered the office with Sin, Cassie trailing behind them, Del's entire body tensed as if from a blow, the emptiness inside him filling with a burning agony he could have done without. Sin didn't meet his gaze, eyes downcast as she walked to the desk. Her face was pale, and there were circles under her eyes.

  Bitter anger warred with aching need as he slowly rose from his seat and moved closer. Not too close, though. He didn't trust himself to get within arm's length of her, to come close enough to breathe her scent.

  "Hey, Del,” Cassie greeted him with a quiet smile as the twins studied the screens. “Nice work with the factory."

  He wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he asked, “What's going on?"

  "Sin alerted the FPA the second she got back. They're on the tail end of a raid on the factory, and have detained several Core personnel, including the main guy in charge of production. You missed all the excitement,” she added with a wry quirk of her lips.

  "I think I had enough excitement,” he muttered. “What else?"

  "They've turned up a couple more Blue factories, either because the detainees squealed or because they found more data. We don't expect they'll find them all, but since they've got the Core people in charge of running things, Blue production has been effectively crippled. Instead of one massive operation, now Blue runners have to deal with a bunch of small producers. Most will fall apart without the funds or the protection of the Core.” Cassie had a look of smug satisfaction on her face as she relayed these developments.

  Del frowned at her, not sharing her delight. “But have they brought down the Core?"

  With a grimace of regret, she shook her head, pulling her plaited hair over her shoulder and toying with the strands at the end. “Griffin is denying all knowledge, denouncing his own people for besmirching Quasicore's good name by committing such atrocities,” she simpered. Then she rolled her eyes and muttered, “Good name, my ass."

  "So they don't have a case on him?"

  "They're trying to make one, but it doesn't look good. He's too slick—they can't get a good grip on him. He just slithers away like a slimy snake,” she said with a curl
of her lip.

  He stared at her, exhausted beyond comprehension. Was she telling him that they'd done all this for nothing? “Then what's the point?” he asked flatly. “Won't he just start Blue back up again when the commotion settles?"

  "Ah,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes, lifting a finger. “That's where phase two comes in.” She lifted her eyebrows, tilting her head and the finger across the desk.

  Reluctantly, Del lifted his gaze to the twins standing in front of the screens. They were studying the different views, occasionally pointing out something to the other with an abbreviated murmur.

  "Look,” Sin said, tapping a screen.

  "Expected,” her brother responded with a careless shrug, before pointing beyond her at another view. “But that's new."

  She made a noise of agreement, and they watched that viewer together for a moment. Something on it must have disagreed with them, though, because they both snorted, Kai shaking his head as they scanned the other screens.

  Del was completely lost. With weary resignation, he looked back down at Cassie, to find her wearing a teasing grin. He almost lost his patience, but managed to contain it by grinding his teeth. Through stiff lips, he muttered, “All right, what's phase two?"

  Her grin faded and her expression softened to something like compassion, but she didn't make him wait for an answer. “We never really expected to bring down the Core with just this attack on Blue production. It would have been nice, but we didn't count on it. But we hope to flush out some of the FPA's bad seeds, the ones who've been bought by Griffin."

  She glanced away from him, eyes running over the screens with a grim press of her lips. “Like you said, we can chop at his operation as much as we want—which is what the Shays have been doing for years—but the damned thing just grows back, like a weed. Or cancer. These days, it's because Griffin has bought himself protection from the law."

  Del sighed when she paused to look at him expectantly, as if it should all make sense now. Rubbing his eyes, he supposed he ought to try following her reasoning, to figure it out. But he was just too damned tired. “Cut to it, Cass,” he growled without lowering his hand.