by Cara Bristol
“Hold it!” Dale ordered.
The two workers froze.
He glowered at the one whose six eyes blinked at different intervals. “Whatever you stole, Jesse, give it back.”
Jesse glanced at his companion then sighed and slipped a webbed hand into his pocket and extracted an expensive-looking universal tool.
“What the hell?” Carter snatched the gadget.
Dale crossed his arms. “All of it.”
His expression sheepish, the Arcanian produced a titanium Terran United presidential medallion, which had been awarded to Carter’s now-deceased father. On the secret interplanetary market, the metal alone would net a pretty sum.
“Get back to work,” Dale snapped.
Jesse and his co-worker made themselves scarce.
“Sorry about that,” he said.
“Son of a bitch.” Carter pocketed the items. “That’s it? He robbed me, and all you say to him is ‘get back to work’?
Dale shrugged. “Thievery is almost a genetic compulsion with Arcanians. I think their brains are hardwired that way. They’re good employees, but I do regular pat downs and searches of their quarters to recover lost objects.”
“They sound like they’re more trouble than they’re worth,” Sonny growled.
“Most people think so, which is why almost no one will hire them.”
“Why is that one named Jesse? That’s not an Arcanian name.”
“No. Another employee who’s a history buff nicknamed him. Jesse James was a notorious bank robber centuries ago.”
“I’ve never heard of him,” Carter commented, “but it sounds appropriate.”
“Come on, I’ll introduce you to Illumina before I head out.” He’d held off delivering Baby until Carter and Sonny could arrive.
“How much does she know?” the director asked.
“She understands I’m a cyborg, that I used to work with other cyborgs, and that I’ve called in some friends, but I didn’t tell her about the organization.”
“Good.”
“Any progress on the objective?” he asked, although he guessed the answer. If the target had been neutralized, Carter would have said so by now.
The director compressed his lips. “Not yet, but we’ll get him. He’s a bit wilier than we expected. We get a lead, but he vanishes before we get there. The assumption is that since he’s a moderate-level sensate, he’s planted tracking cookies that tip him off, so we flooded the cybernet with false trails to confuse him.
“We restored most of the deleted files about the attack and forwarded them to the AOP. The Alliance has initiated an investigation. There’s an interplanetary warrant out for his arrest.”
Dale hoped Cy-Ops got to Alonio before the AOP. Either way, justice would prevail, but he preferred it to be the swift and decisive cyborg kind and not dragged out for years by bureaucratic red tape.
Ping! A hail from Charlie’s PerComm shot into his brain.
Hey, boss! I’m ready to return to work if you’ll a send a ship.
Thank goodness! Only two days had passed since his assistant’s departure, but he didn’t think he could endure another hour of Serena’s assistance and had concerns about how she would handle matters in his and Charlie’s absence. Twice she’d deleted important transmissions, and he had to call in tech support to retrieve them. With Charlie to lend a hand to Carter and Sonny, Dale had one less worry on his mind. You contacted me in time. I think I can catch the regular shuttle on its return sweep. It’s picking up Giorgio anyway.
So soon? Why? What happened?
He didn’t say. Just that his R&R plans had fallen through.
Hope he’s not in trouble this time.
Me, too, Dale said. Work hard, play hard. Sometimes Giorgio played too hard. If the pilot had fucked up again, he’d be on his own. He had more important things to worry about than a space jockey who loved to raise hell as much as he loved to fly. Can you get to the drop-off planet?
I’m already there.
He tagged a pickup ticket priority and shot it to the employee shuttle coordinator and asked Charlie, What’s the news on your grandmother?
Meemaw surprised us all. She rallied and pulled out of it. She’s tough.
Good to hear. I have to leave to deliver Baby to Xenia, but I already alerted the shuttle coordinator.
Thanks, boss.
March will be in charge while I’m gone, and a couple of buddies of mine, Carter Aymes and Sonny Masters, are visiting Moonbeam. Take care of them, will you?
You bet.
They disconnected the transmission.
“Problems?” Carter asked.
“What makes you say that?”
“I’ve been around cyborgs enough to recognize the look.”
“Actually, it’s good. My assistant Charlie has been on leave. He’ll arrive tomorrow. If either of you need anything, he’s your go-to person. He practically runs this place.” He beckoned with a wave. “Let’s go to my office. I’ll have March and Illumina meet us there,” he said, and messaged the other cyborg.
Be there in a few, March replied.
Upstairs, the two men admired the bird’s-eye view through the window. “You get a chance to fly most of those craft?” Sonny asked.
He thought of his joy flight with Illumina. “A few.” To rib Carter, he said to Sonny, “If you get tired of making nice-nice with terrorists and criminals in the galaxy, I’d be happy to put you to work as a test pilot.”
“Yeah?” Sonny said.
“Fuck off, Homme.” Carter glowered.
Dale and Sonny laughed. All three men watched as March and Illumina strode across the shop floor. Actually, all eyes were on her. His included.
She was beautiful. And tiny compared to the cyborg. Was that how they looked together? A giant and a fragile sprite. She glanced up at the window and stared right at Dale as if she could see through the glass, although the two-way mirror prevented it.
March said something to her, she laughed, and Dale’s stomach tightened. It doesn’t mean anything. What do you expect, she can only laugh with you? Awareness of the irrational nature of his jealousy didn’t eliminate it.
“She’s pretty,” Carter commented, making it worse.
Just pretty? A bizarre tangle of emotion shot through him—another surge of jealousy that the director thought she was attractive—and a contrary annoyance that he didn’t notice that she wasn’t pretty, she was beautiful. “Yeah, she is,” he bit out.
Moments later, March and Illumina entered.
“Hey!” March and Carter greeted each other with back-slapping hugs. Handshakes ensued between March and Sonny.
“A pleasure to meet you.” Sonny’s grin transformed his face from thug-like to charming.
Carter shook her hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“I recognized you from your stillvid,” she replied.
Eyebrows arched, Carter glanced at Dale.
“Team shot,” he said, unable to message the director that Cy-Ops’s secrets were secure. Carter had founded the covert paramilitary organization, but he wasn’t a cyborg.
Dale wished he didn’t have to leave, but Illumina would be well-protected, and the sooner he left, the sooner he could return.
“How long will you be gone?” March asked.
“Two to four days.”
“That long?” Illumina’s face crinkled with dismay, but she straightened her shoulders. “Never mind. You need to do what you need to do. I’ll be fine.”
Now he really wished he didn’t have to go. “You’ll be safe. I have total confidence in these guys.”
She flicked her gaze to the other men before glancing at Dale. “It’s not that. I’ll miss you, that’s all.”
How many more reasons could there be for not going? He hoped the Xenian emperor wasn’t given to a lot of pomp and ritual. Dammit. “I’ll miss you, too,” he said huskily.
She lit up with a silver glow, and his body responded, his groin tightening with an ac
he. The flight to Xenia would be long and hellacious. But, as soon as he landed back on Deceptio, he’d get Illumina naked. Maybe they’d revisit the observatory—
The three men peered intently out the window at the shop. Damn the lack of privacy. Dale shot Illumina a rueful smile then cleared his throat.
“Here’s the plan. Carter will use my office as a command post to continue the cyber search for Alonio. March will continue his supervisory duties in Diagnostics and Repair, which will enable him to keep watch during work hours. At night, Sonny, you’re on. I’ve put you in the barracks nearest Illumina’s room. Deceptio is as secure as it can possibly be, so within the facility she’s free to come and go as she pleases.” He paused and sought her gaze, “You need to keep March, Sonny, or Carter apprised of your whereabouts.”
She nodded.
“Are we expecting any arrivals or departures of craft or personnel?” March asked.
“Just the returning employee shuttle. Charlie and Giorgio will be on it.”
“Why didn’t you put a moratorium on shuttle flights while you were gone?” Carter asked.
“My assistant had a family emergency. Some of the others had had their R&R booked for months. I couldn’t approve his leave and cancel the others without a mutiny.” He was just glad Illumina had stayed on Deceptio. Not that she’d had a choice. He would have locked her up.
“Don’t you have to lower the shield?”
“Lowering the cloaking device does create a moment of vulnerability, but we’ve never had a breach during five years of operation.”
“How many entries and exits have you had during that time?” Sonny asked.
He queried his database. “Eight hundred sixty-eight.”
“That sounds like a lot,” Carter said.
“Well, each entry also means there’s an exit and vice versa. We’ve purchased or traded for ninety-two vehicles which we refurbished or tore down for parts to produce sixty-one craft delivered to the buyers. Add to that 152 test flights, sixty employee shuttles, forty special charters, and twenty-nine unplanned arrivals.”
Carter frowned. “Like what? What kind of unscheduled visits?”
“Such as Kai Andros who arrived on the run from Lamis-Odg. All people I know and trust.”
“If you factor exits and entries, the length of time the cloaking device is shut down and allow for spacecraft traffic in the area, the chance of infiltration or penetration is less than one-tenth of one percent.” The statistical odds were on his side, and he felt confident Deceptio was impregnable, otherwise he would never have considered leaving Illumina. Life rarely offered certainties, but, with March and Sonny both watching over her, her safety was as close to guaranteed as he could get.
Still, Alonio needed to be neutralized ASAP. He couldn’t keep her under moon arrest forever, and if the meeting with the emperor resulted in a contract for a fleet of ZX7Ms, flights to and from Deceptio would increase significantly. New staff would have to be hired. The cloaking device would be down more often. The more successful and profitable Moonbeam became, the harder it would be to maintain security.
“I expect business as usual while I’m gone. I left a message for Charlie that March is in charge. Feel free to call on my assistant for anything. He’s here to help.” He rubbed his hands together. “That’s it. Any more questions?”
“No.” The men shook their heads.
“No,” Illumina said. She’d been quiet during the debriefing.
He hoped she wasn’t afraid. “Everything will be fine. These guys will take good care of you,” he said again.
The men nodded.
“I know,” she said.
“Walk me out?” A kiss wouldn’t be enough to sustain him, but it would have to do.
She nodded solemnly.
“I’ll go down with you, too,” March said.
Dammit. So much for being alone.
“Sonny and I will remain here and set up shop,” Carter said.
Thank goodness for small favors, anyway. “Sounds good. Serena will be up later to show you to your quarters.” Charlie’s fill-in could handle that much. Maybe.
Illumina giggled.
Carter and Sonny exchanged a frown. “That’s funny because?” Carter asked.
“She’s”—he struggled to find a tactful word—“new.”
“I’ll see that they get to the right place,” March offered.
“Thanks,” he said. Many people approached cyborgs warily, not quite sure how to pigeonhole them. Were they human? Android? He tended to forget what it was like to be only human. So Serena’s exceptional incompetence might be due to nervousness—and he had to admit he hadn’t been as patient as he could have been. But, if recent work performance was close to her norm, her employment needed to be reconsidered.
A hell of a realization now that he had to leave. “Keep an eye on her, too, would you?” Dale said.
Carter arched an eyebrow. “Problem?”
It was that the one-tenth of one percent probability again. No, no problem. Most likely. “Don’t give her anything taxing or classified. By tomorrow, Charlie will be back.”
“Great. Well, I’d better get a move on. Thanks again for coming.” He slapped Carter on the back and shook Sonny’s hand then he, March, and Illumina left the office.
In the stairwell he gestured to March. “You go on ahead.”
“All right. Have a safe trip. Sell lots of ships and don’t worry about anything here. We’ve got it covered.”
March disappeared, and Illumina flew into his arms. “I thought he’d never leave.”
He chuckled and kissed her, inhaling her scent, savoring her taste. What began as a slow good-bye turned frantic, lips and teeth colliding, tongues lashing as if the separation of a few days meant forever. He disliked leaving her at this juncture, but she would be fine. He’d be gone four days tops. Security couldn’t get any tighter. All bases had been covered. So where was the desperation coming from? She felt it, too, clinging to him and winding her arms around his neck in a near chokehold.
If he acted concerned, she would become needlessly worried. “Think about me while I’m gone,” he said.
“I’ll think about nothing else.”
“Good.” Gently, he tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I’ll be thinking about you.”
“Even when you’re negotiating with the emperor?”
“Especially then.”
“Right. I believe that.”
“Honest. ‘Hurry up, Your Emperorness, and make a decision.’ That’s what I plan to tell him.”
Her tinkling laugh filled the stairwell. “I believe the proper address is Your Majesty.”
“Whatever.” Dale laid another lip-lock on her. “I won’t be gone long. I have a girl waiting for me.”
She drew back, silver eyes serious. “I’m your girl?”
Yeah, she was. For no other reason would he have put so much effort into ensuring her safety. He hadn’t needed to deal with the situation himself. As soon as he’d learned of the danger, he could have passed her off to Cy-Ops. Eliminating threats and protecting the vulnerable was what they did all the time. Hell, it was their mission. In their protective custody, she would have been safe and secure.
But she would not have been with him, so he’d used the potential danger as an excuse to keep her near. Hell, he’d coerced her compliance by threatening to lock her up in the brig.
Not very honorable.
She still stared. An indication he’d probably misread the depth of her feelings. He didn’t doubt she was attracted to him, but sex didn’t have to mean anything. Maybe she’d been making the best of a bad situation. Separation might provide some clarity. She could discover how she felt, and he, well, he already knew how he felt. He could get a grip.
“We’ll talk when I get back. You’ll have time to mull it over.” He turned to descend the stairs.
She barred his path and planted her hands on his chest. “You surprised me, that’s all. So you’d b
e like my a…a…boyfriend? Is that the right Terran word?”
A silly term from long ago for which no better word had ever been coined. “Yes.”
“I’ve never had a boyfriend before.” She smiled. “I would like that.”
“Well, good.” His face could crack he was grinning so hard. He hadn’t felt this giddy when he was sixteen. “You’ve never had a boyfriend?”
She shook her head. “We don’t date since Farian marriages are arranged.”
Somebody had set her up with that monster. Don’t think about that. Not now. There’s nothing you can do, and it will make you crazy. They had so much to talk about, and he had to leave. He planted another hard kiss on her mouth. “When I get back, we’ll talk.” After they humped like bunnies.
He took her hand, and they descended the stairs.
Chapter Twelve
Buzz.
Illumina jackknifed out of a dead sleep. Muscles between her shoulder blades spasmed. Fear clawed at her throat, cutting off air. Run! Get out!
She leaped out of bed. Her legs tangled in the thermal blanket, and she fell, hitting the floor with a light thud. Her heart pounded, and her breath came in gasps. It’s okay. It’s okay. She strove for calm and to free herself from the blanket. The danger signals sizzling through her brain weren’t real.
Buzz. When the saber had sliced through the air and cut off her wings, there’d been no sound, not even a whisper.
Buzz!
What was that? Buzz! She jerked her head at the harsh sound, and her gaze landed on the wall scanner. BUZZ. The volume increased, and the screen flashed, lighting up the room like a strobe.
The scanner. No danger. Just the scanner. She pressed a hand to her thudding heart, dragged in a lungful of air, and stumbled across the room. She palmed the screen and swiped the comm link. “Y-yes?”
“Did I wake you?”
Thoughts fuzzy, she recognized the pleasant male voice, but couldn’t place it. “Um…yeah. Kind of.” Simulated morning lights weren’t on yet. She squinted at the screen. Two a.m.
“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic laugh. “I thought you’d want to know Dale is arriving.”
Sleepiness vanished. “When?”
