Zander had spent years chasing him from one end of the galaxy to the other when he’d been IPC brass and Qae had featured highly on the government’s most-wanted list. That was until Zander had gone on the run from the Reidar and come to him for help. These days they were actually almost buddies. Frenemies, at least.
“All right, you two,” Mae cut in with an eye roll. “Can we get on with business please?”
Business being Zander and Mae tracking through the outer systems in the Swift Brion for the past six months, clearing small, inconsequential IPC outposts of Reidar, then recruiting the lower ranked IPC officers to their cause. Slowly, but quietly and surely building their own army. It’d been Mae’s idea, and it had admittedly been kind of brilliant. Chase had done some completely golden alterations to the Swift Brion’s shielding, which meant the huge flagship could fly almost invisible and undetected to the less sophisticated surveillance equipment and drones used in the outer systems, which had caused an interesting wave of rumors from the far reaches of universe.
The IPC didn’t actually know what had happened to their ship. It had disappeared off the grid, and they’d presumed it destroyed in some kind of accident and lost to the depths of space. But the weird acuity-filter thing Chase had added apparently made the ship look kind of blurry and see-through, like an apparition. So there were stories starting to crop up in all kinds of places of the ghost ship seen drifting through the outer systems. Zander was loving the hell out of it.
“You said you might have a lead on the Imojenna,” Rian prompted from where he was reclining in the captain’s chair with his boots up on the edge of the control console. Lianna sat next to him in the co-pilot’s chair, only half paying attention to conversation as she kept an eye on the systems.
“The last outpost we cleared was Sigma-seven-niner waystation. They’re the closest IPC outpost to the Black Docks.”
Qae gave a low whistle. “Now there’s somewhere I haven’t visited for a long time.”
When he’d first gotten the Ebony Winter years ago and ventured outside the law, he’d gone to the Black Docks looking for jobs. The Black Docks were like the shadows on the underbelly in the ass of the universe. To say the people who frequented the cobbled-together space station were unscrupulous was a vast understatement.
His might have chosen a life of crime, but he still liked a few morals thrown in with his marauding. Basic values. Like knowing whoever he partnered up with wasn’t going to stab him in the face and double cross him for his share of the booty.
Zander’s expression tightened. “Why am I not surprised, Forster, that even somewhere as corrupt as the Black Docks weren’t off-limits for you?”
“Unbunch your lacies, Graydon. I went there maybe three times when I first resigned my commission.” He tossed back the last of his coffee and stepped up behind Rian’s chair. “I might be willing to flaunt the law, but I do have standards. I crap you not, that place is like the ass-crack of humanity jammed into a shitebag of a space station. I’d rather avoid going there, if it’s all the same to everyone else.”
Rian glanced up over his shoulder. “I know that tone of voice, Qae. Is it that you don’t want to go, or you can’t without being shot on sight?”
“Can’t. Won’t.” He shrugged. “Semantics. What’s the difference?”
Rian’s expression took on an annoyed edge. “Will we even be able to dock the Ebony Winter there without getting blasted?”
He huffed a sigh in return. “It’s not like I got blackballed from docking at the station— Not the Black Docks, anyway. Andoith station in the Nauren system, however, we definitely won’t ever be able to dock there if we don’t want to get shot to itty bitty pieces.”
“I find it hard to believe you’ve only been blackballed from one station in the entire universe, Forster,” Graydon put in.
So helpful. He sent the guy a mock look of amusement.
“So what was the deal with the Black Docks?” Rian asked, returning his attention to Zander.
“Rumors some kind of underground IPC resistance force was based out of the station,” Zander answered. “Nothing serious, just a bunch of uprooted soldiers who’ve been acquiring ships here and there, cheap, but the kind they might be able to retro-fit into an armed fleet. In one of their last attempted transactions, they were bidding for an old Nirali Classer still in original condition apart from a very illegal delta shield.”
“The Imojenna.” Rian didn’t sound excited or satisfied, he just stated it as a fact.
Talk about underwhelming. If Qae had lost his ship for a year and then finally gotten a solid lead on getting it back, he’d be dancing around and whooping up a storm.
“We got that lead,” Rian continued. “But when we arrived at the warehouse, it was empty. We must have arrived after the sale had already happened.”
“Possibly.” Zander’s voice was cautious, as though he didn’t want to get Rian’s hopes up. “There’s very few Nirali Classers around anymore, and I doubt any of them have illegally installed delta shielding. However, the group on the Black Docks lost the bid, and though I can’t confirm it, word is, the Nirali Classer was bought by Alvar Galton.”
“Oh jezus frecking holy crap balls,” Qae uttered into the heavy silence that fell in wake of Zander’s announcement.
Alvar Galton was a pirate lord, kind of like Rene Blackstone, except completely, utterly, no-holds-barred psychopathic. And not the fun, kinda-reasonable psychopath like Rian or Blackstone. No, Galton was the gouge-your-eyeballs-out-and-eat-them-for-breakfast kind of psychopath.
Galton and Blackstone had a fierce rivalry. A small number of the jobs Qae had taken for Blackstone over the past year had put him up against Galton’s people, who were usually b-grade muscle with very questionable hygiene habits.
“That can’t be a coincidence, right?” he finally put in when no one said anything. “Galton would have to know you’ve been buddy-buddy with Blackstone for the past year and now he’s got your ship?”
Rian dropped his boots from the console to the deck with a thump and sat forward in his chair, expression flinty. “Galton has just picked a fight he can’t win.”
Concern flitted across Zander’s expression as he shared a glance with Mae. “Rian, you can’t go up against Galton with eight people and Qae’s small ship.” There was a definite note of warning in his voice. “You need backup. Let me bring the Swift Brion—”
“No.” The single word from Rian effectively cut the captain admiral into silence. “The Swift Brion is an asset we can’t afford to risk blowing for some piece of shite like Galton. And you need to keep on with Mae’s plan. It’s been even more effective than we could have hoped, and you know it.”
“Then contact Rene Blackstone. If you’re going up against his number one enemy, he’s going to want a say in that.”
Rian glanced back at Qae, and the weight of his regard hit him as effectively as a fist. Because with Cami Blackstone onboard, it made things go from complicated to holy-crap-on-a-cupcake.
“We’ll consider it,” Rian said, which for his cousin was a huge concession.
“Good luck.” Zander sent Rian a tight nod, no doubt wishing he were here to help. “Keep me in the loop. And if things go to shite, then for the love of god, comm me so I can bring the Swift Brion down on that unhinged bastard.”
“Will do.” Rian returned Zander’s nod and then leaned forward to tab the console and cut the sub-space communications. He glanced over at Lianna. “How far out from the Black Docks are we?”
Lianna brought navs up on screen and quickly plotted a route. “Day and a half in void-space.”
“Set a course.” Rian pushed up from his seat and strode over to him. Qae could already see the argument coming before the guy opened his mouth.
“No.” He crossed his arms and settled a stubborn glare on his cousin.
“Camille Blackstone can’t come with us if we’re going up against Galton. You know it. If anything goes wrong, Blackstone wouldn’
t just have your balls. He’d completely bury you and anyone you’ve ever cared about.”
“And the untraceable cred I’m meant to be acquiring for him?”
Rian shrugged. “We’ll see what we can turn over at the Black Docks. Otherwise, we could consider stealing them from Galton. Two birds, one stone.”
“Because stealing your ship from the psychotic dickbag won’t be hard enough,” Qae muttered. “Let me tell Cami. Before you contact Blackstone.”
“We’ll hit the Black Docks, see if we can confirm Zander’s intel. But then we’re contacting Blackstone and sending Cami home.” Rian sent him a stern look, like maybe he thought Qae was going to cause him more trouble, then headed over to make himself a coffee.
Qae sighed and stabbed a hand through his hair as he headed back down to his cabin. Cami was going to be pissed about this. They’d made a deal and he was about to break it—something he never did.
But Rian was right. Galton was dangerous enough on the best of days. If the bastard found out they had Cami Blackstone with them, he’d do everything in his power to kill or capture her.
Not only did he know it was a risk Blackstone would never allow Cami to take, but in the few days he’d known Cami, Qae had come to really like her. Sexual attraction aside, she was one hell of a woman. There definitely weren’t any others like her in the universe. Sure, she could handle herself, but there was no way he’d stand by and let her walk into the figurative lion’s den.
Chapter Ten
Cami hadn’t even unpacked half of her stuff when Qae returned to the cabin, a lot faster than she’d expected.
“Finished already?”
He didn’t answer, his expression troubled as he crossed over to throw himself on the padded bench that ran along the bulkhead beneath the high, elongated viewport.
“Problem?” She abandoned her belongings and moved to sit on the edge of the bed across from him.
“Rian’s got a solid lead on getting the Imojenna back.”
“That’s good news, isn’t it?” She might not know much about Rian Sherron beyond the many, many stories, but she had heard he’d been trying to get his ship back.
“You would think so, but it’s not that straight forward.” Qae crossed his arms, and she got the impression he was hedging, putting off telling her something.
“And?”
He sighed and dragged a hand over his face. “And we’ve just set a course to head for the Black Docks to confirm the intel, to make sure we’re not running off on another dead-end wild-goose chase.”
“The Black Docks?” She’d been there twice, both times with her father. There were very few places in the universe where she wouldn’t venture by herself, and the Black Docks was one of them. She’d seen and done a lot, but the Black Docks were too much, even for her.
A station that’d been cobbled together from stolen and salvaged ships and stations, only the desperate and hopeless went there by choice.
“You’ve been?” Qae quirked an eyebrow at her like maybe he wasn’t surprised by this fact.
“Yep. You?”
“A few times.” He stared off into space as if remembering something. “Not somewhere I planned on returning. Ever.”
“Trouble?” She probably shouldn’t have bothered asking. Trouble and Captain Qaelan Forster seemed to go hand in hand.
He sent her an exasperated look. “Why does everyone assume it’s my fault?”
She didn’t answer but had to work hard not to grin at him.
“Anyway.” He drew out the word and then pushed to his feet, beginning to pace. “That’s not all. The intel we got? Apparently, the person who now has possession of Rian’s ship is none other than Alvar Galton.”
The words landed on her like a physical blow, making her dizzy and sending the room spinning around her. She couldn’t breathe for a long moment as instant and absolute panic consumed her.
No one had said that name to her since—
Her gasping a breath gained Qae’s attention. He rushed over and knelt down in front of her, catching her shoulders.
“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
She couldn’t answer, but did manage to nod, which only made him look more worried. Her heart was pounding too hard, body aching and tight like she was about to explode.
“Cami, breathe! You’re not breathing.” Qae’s voice was firm, but she could hear the note of alarm behind the words.
He was right. She was holding her breath. She forced herself to exhale then gasped in another sharp inhale.
“Jezus, you’re having some kind of panic attack. I’m going to get Kira—”
He started to get up but she clamped her hands on his biceps, the dread of anyone else seeing her in this state grounding her.
“No,” she managed to get out. “I just need a minute.”
He looked far from convinced, but relented, moving closer to her on his knees. “I’m giving you exactly one minute, and if you’re not any better, then I’m getting Kira.”
She nodded, trying to get her breathing under control and willing her racing heart to settle.
“Come on, you can do it. Breathe with me. In and out. Steady and slow.” He took in a long, slow breath, and she forced herself to match his pace.
After a few moments, her chest loosened and her pulse finally stopped thrumming. She let out a relieved sigh and slumped forward against Qae’s chest. He caught her in his arms and held her tightly against him.
“What the hell was that?” he asked against her hair, voice rough.
“I don’t know,” she whispered. “It’s never happened before, not that bad.”
Oh, she’d had moments of consuming dread whenever something forced her to think about Alvar Galton, but never anything that so completely and instantly dragged her over the edge.
It had to be because she’d never expected that monster’s name to come out of Qae’s mouth, let alone that he might be going to face the bastard who featured in all her worst nightmares. The same bastard who was responsible for killing her mother and stealing her own innocence when she’d been twelve years old. The horror of which she could never fully escape, because the reminder was marked all up and down her arms in smart-ink slave tattoos that could never be removed.
No one except her father knew about the tattoos. It was why she’d almost freaked out when Qae had teased her about sharing the shower. Why she’d insisted he not look when she’d taken her own turn.
Because they weren’t just simple slave tattoos. They were pleasure slave tattoos, marking her as damaged goods. She could only imagine how people would treat her if they saw them.
Luckily her father had rescued her before the auction had started. But by then she’d already been thoroughly inspected and tattooed. Enough damage had been done.
Qae finally pulled back to look at her. “Are you okay now?”
“I think so.”
“Was it something to do with going to the Black Docks? Because we don’t have to go. I can take you back to Tripoli right now. Or you can stay on the ship—”
She knew he meant well, but on the heels of the panic, anger was bubbling up, and Qae’s words only fanned it hotter. She pushed out of his light hold and got to her feet.
“I’m fine. I’m not going home to Tripoli. We have a job to do.”
“Um, about that.” Qae raked a hand through his hair as he stood. “If this intel checks out, Rian is planning on fronting Alvar Galton. Which means you can’t come.”
“What?” She advanced on him, the antagonism only building higher. “We had a deal.”
“Yeah, but that was before Rian decided to take on the biggest crazy asshole in the universe, who also happens to be your father’s number one enemy. I’m sorry, but you just became a liability. If we went to Galton’s home world and he found out we had you along, he’d go scorched earth to get to you. Not to mention I’m pretty sure your father would chew off his own arm before letting you go anywhere near Galton.”
Qae
had no idea. Her father would reach supernova levels of furious if he found out they were even having this conversation. He’d been trying to take out Galton ever since he’d rescued her from the slavers, but the bastard had proven surprisingly hard to kill, and then he’d managed to get his hands on something that had stayed any more action from her father. She had no idea what Galton might be holding over him, all she knew was that over the years, her father had unsuccessfully sent many men to their death trying to retrieve it.
And the truth was, she didn’t actually want to see Alvar Galton ever again.
Except, the anger kept winding tighter and tighter inside her. Ever present. Never really going away. And she was getting sick and tired of being afraid of a single man. In the last year or two, she’d started toying with the idea of getting revenge on the bastard herself.
There was almost no one in the universe with a more fearsome reputation than Galton. But there was definitely one. And he was currently standing on the bridge of this ship. If she was going to see Galton get his due—even if it wasn’t directly for what he’d done to her—then what better way to see it through than standing beside Rian Sherron and Qaelan Forster?
She just had two problems. One—convincing her father to let her go, even though she didn’t know how she’d hide how terrified even the thought of it made her. And two—not letting Rian and especially Qae find out the reasons for it. She didn’t want them to look at her differently. To pity her.
“I’ll speak to my father. A deal is a deal. This doesn’t change anything.”
Face darkening with frustration, Qae stepped closer to her. “You’re not hearing me. Rian isn’t going to let you come and complicate the freck out of an already difficult situation. Besides, even if by some miracle your father agreed, I’m sure as hell not going to let you walk into that kind of situation.”
“You’re not going to let me?” She crossed her arms to stop herself from slapping him.
He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t play that card. It’s got nothing to do with it. If you were a man, I’d be telling you the same thing. Because you’re Rene Blackstone’s kid. Galton won’t just kill you. He’ll toy with you. He’ll do things to you so horrific, a sane person couldn’t even imagine them. All to hurt your father. I am not going to live with the guilt of having a hand in that kind of fate for you because I’m the captain of this ship and I made the dumb-ass decision to let you come along.”
Entropy Page 10
