Nightchaser

by Amanda Bouchet

  Susan waved a hand in the air. “No one even knows that book exists.”

  She did. I did. That was already a start.

  And the final war only ended because my father decided that total destruction was a viable path. The darkest days were still alive in most memories. For some, they weren’t even in the past.

  Hope for the galaxy was in the Fold, but it wasn’t because of some fairy-tale, human-like species that the equally fairy-tale Sky Mother had magically sprung forth. It was because regular people were sacrificing their lives.

  “What if those goons had searched back here?” I asked, trying not to sound as frantic as I felt. “Have they ever tried to see what’s in the back?”

  Susan frowned, looking worried now. “Yes, once. But they hardly even glanced at the books.”

  I held my breath. “Did they look at this one?”

  She shook her head, and I released the air stagnating in my lungs. They still felt tight.

  I stuffed the book into my bag, hiding it mostly from myself. I was probably going to have to destroy it, but I would read it first.

  Apprehension simmered along my nerves, making me sweat. The walk back with that anonymous manuscript in my bag was going to be even more nerve-racking than the walk over here with an entire load of stolen and unsanctioned books.

  “How well do you know that book?” I asked.

  “I read it a few years ago. It’s just a story, Quin—”

  “Tess,” I said.

  “It’s just a story, Tess.”

  I couldn’t tell if she sounded convinced.

  There were tons of religious texts out there about the greatness of supposedly magnificent beings—the Powers this, the Sky Mother that. Now I could add the Fabulous and Incorruptible Mornavail to the list.

  I didn’t buy into it, but I also didn’t begrudge anyone else their beliefs. One thing was certain, though. The Fold wasn’t something you just talked about, something you wrote down in a freaking book and then let loose into the universe.

  “I’m glad you showed it to me.” So I could get rid of it, but I wouldn’t tell Susan that.

  My fingers fluttered over the outside of my bag. I pressed on the hard lump the book made, making sure it was still there, even though I could feel the weight of it on my shoulder, and I’d just put it inside.

  She smiled a little uncertainly. I’d probably freaked her out.

  “I’m Susan, by the way. You never asked.”

  I nodded. “I know. I heard the goons talking to you that first day.”

  “Oh. Right.” She glanced at my bag. Maybe we both felt as if the book might burn a hole in the cheap material and fall right out.

  I hiked up the strap. An awkward silence fell.

  Susan finally spoke. “I don’t know if you’ve already got someone working on your ship repairs, but I know a man who I think will give you a fair deal, especially if you tell him that Susan sent you.”

  My pulse picked up again, though not from fear this time. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who she was going to suggest, especially since he’d pointed me toward Susan in the first place.

  “Oh, yeah?” I still asked.

  She nodded. “Shade Ganavan. He works out of the docks. Ganavan’s Products and Parts.”

  Bingo. “He’s already on the job,” I said, warmth spreading through me. “And getting me a door for half price.”

  She smiled, seeming to relax again. “Oh, good. He’s excellent. Very competent. And very nice.”

  Very nice wasn’t quite how I would have described him—I liked a man with a bit of an edge—but my heart still did a little flip in my chest.

  And when it came right down to it, he did seem nice. Cheap doors and vitamin D didn’t lie. Right?

  “How do you know Shade?” I asked.

  “I knew his parents first. When I opened this shop, his father bought a lot of books. So did Shade’s mother. Shade did, too, even as a youngster. In fact”—she laughed softly—“they might have kept me in business for the first several years.”

  It sounded as though Shade had family money. Did that mean he could sell or not sell the things in his shop and take on any odd job he wanted, because he was already all set?

  Susan’s expression gained a hint of nostalgia. “His parents were the studious sort, but Shade… He went for the novels every time.”

  The warmth inside me grew, gathering around my heart. “What kind of novels?” I asked.

  “Every kind,” Susan said, smiling again. “But he liked the adventure ones the best.”

  I smiled back. So did I. “And what does he like now?”

  She arched her brows. “If he’s smart, tall brunettes.”

  A flush hit me like a solar flare, blasting heat off my face.

  “Shower time?” Susan asked, bypassing my obvious reaction as though I hadn’t just turned bright red and held my breath.

  “I can’t wait,” I admitted a little hoarsely, wondering what percentage being clean and fresh for Shade Ganavan factored into my enthusiasm—and even into my original request.

  Chapter 14

  Shade peeled himself off the dark wall and fell into step a good distance behind Tess, wondering what the hell had taken her so long. Three hours with Susan. What had they been doing? Drinking tea? Having dinner? Patting cats?

  He’d followed her from the Squirrel Tree, watching her slip seamlessly through the city with her hover crate. She’d moved in a way that hadn’t been suspicious at all, somehow looking natural while still keeping to the shadows and melting into the coming night. She’d gone to Susan’s back door to unload her books and then hadn’t come out again until now. Finally.

  “About time,” he muttered under his breath. He’d actually started to worry that she’d slipped out, and he’d missed her. He rarely dropped the ball like that, but Tess was discreet.

  She’d left her container behind, but that wasn’t unusual. There was a sort of rolling galactic loan system where hover crates were concerned. You dropped one off, you picked one up. And they were cheap. Just tin cans made useful by a bit of tech.

  Shade kept her in sight this time, not wanting to lose her in the dark if she took an unexpected turn. Earlier, he’d known where she was going, which had meant he could give her more space. This time, he couldn’t be sure of her destination or of the path she’d take. Nothing dictated that Tess would go straight back to her ship, or that she’d use the same streets as before, even if they were the most direct.

  On the surface at least, she didn’t look any more nervous about moving through the city at night than she had at dusk. Everything about her screamed confidence, which made the flashes of confusion and embarrassment he’d seen in her all the more intriguing.

  Considering he might ruin her life, the fact that he enjoyed bringing out that nuclear blush probably made him a real bastard. But Tess made him think all sorts of delicious and dirty thoughts. And the way she sometimes looked at him, like she was ready and willing to do wild things, sent his blood rushing straight to his cock when he really needed it in his head.

  Tess drew the eyes of more men than Shade liked as she walked, but she let the attention roll right off her like she didn’t give two fucks. Women looked at her, too, probably wishing they could be that tall and striking. Tess was perfectly there, and perfectly unapproachable. She was hiding in plain sight.

  More quickly than he would have thought possible—must’ve been those mile-long legs—Tess left the crowded and residential Windrow district behind her and headed straight for the seedier, significantly darker docks. The streets were mostly empty here, so Shade made sure not to get too close. Some people who were constantly hunted developed a sixth sense about being watched, and he wouldn’t have been surprised if Tess was one of them. She was clearly a professional. But a professional at what?

  At t
heft, to start with. Those books must have been stolen, but he wasn’t going to worry about that. Not his job. Although he had spent a lot of time wondering about what was in that big attachment she had vacuum sealed right onto the back of her ship. It might have been extra cargo space and nothing worth thinking about. It could also have been something Nathaniel Bridgebane wanted enough to put up the biggest bounty Shade had ever seen in his life.

  Tess seemed adept at getting things done and getting out. The problem was, there was no getting out this time. Letting Captain T. Bailey slip out of Sector 2 and disappear into the Dark would be the other worst move of his whole fucking life. He’d already colossally messed up once and didn’t plan on repeating the experience. He needed to stay on track. He had a payment to make on his future, one transaction to rid himself of Scarabin White.

  He’d let that bastard rob him of his birthright when he’d been grieving and in shock over losing his parents in the shuttle crash—and facing debts he hadn’t even known about. He hadn’t been thinking straight. Now he was, and he wanted his docks back, even if getting them meant working for people he hated. Even if it meant ruining lives.

  Unfortunately, Tess wasn’t a random target anymore. He knew her. He liked her. But did he like her enough to let her go?

  Shade stalked his quarry past the first of the docking towers—the lower, cheaper ones that were bordering on dangerous and that would have seen a total overhaul by now if he’d been in charge. He trailed her by about half a block, always on the lookout. The Dark Watch was around, and other hunters might have been scoping out the area. He didn’t know if he’d managed to throw off Solan and Raquel with his story. Lately, they’d taken to tracking him instead of tracking the target. The cheating fucks.

  Shade sped up when Tess rounded a corner. He should nab her now, before someone else did. If anyone was going to bring her in, it should be him. She’d fallen right into his lap. It was like a gift from the universe. Wasn’t it?

  He got her in his sights again. Tess turned halfway, glancing back. She started moving faster.

  Shit. Had she seen him?

  Making a split-second decision, Shade veered off, hoping that would calm her suspicions. He jogged down a side street and then took a parallel avenue to Tess’s path, moving fast enough to get ahead of her. He turned down the next cross street and sprinted back toward the main artery.

  Reaching the corner, he put himself in a position to pop out at her from the side when she came to the intersection. He leaned forward just enough to take stock of where she was—not far away and closing fast. She was coming on steadily, but he had time to settle his breathing.

  Shade quickly scanned the nearest platforms on the docks. No movement. No flash of weapons. No inky spots that might have been Solan and Raquel about to jump out at him or Tess with a freakish amount of stealth. The area was quiet, settled, although there would be the inevitable Dark Watch patrols.

  He knew the area so well it was like a 3-D grid in his head. Right now, they were closer to his place than to the Squirrel Tree, and for a second, Shade wondered if he should just go home. He’d see Tess tomorrow. He had her stuff. He could fix her door.

  A dread-like feeling twisted through his gut. What was he doing? He’d never hesitated to bring in a target before, and he sure as hell shouldn’t have started with this one, a woman worth more than what he still needed to move the fuck on with his life.

  Why hadn’t he turned her over to Bridgebane yet? Why hadn’t he gotten his money and finished it?

  Tess had almost reached his hiding place, and Shade felt himself start to sweat. He needed to close the deal on this one. Make a damn choice.

  But nothing about this sat right with him. When he looked at Tess Bailey, he saw what he wanted the galaxy to be like, not how it actually was. He used to dream about joining a crew a lot like Tess’s, about putting up a fight. He’d have done it a long time ago if he hadn’t had the responsibility of an urban empire to run.

  That thought drove into him like a rusted nail. He wasn’t running it, was he? Scarabin White was doing that.

  The sudden, low vibration of an engine made Shade stiffen. He flattened himself against the wall, darting a look back. A Dark Watch patrol had just turned the corner and was zooming up from behind him, doing a sweep of the streets in an open hovercraft.

  At the speed they were going, they’d reach the intersection not long after Tess. He’d already heard her steps.

  Adrenaline dumped into his system. If she spooked and ran, they’d chase. If she kept her cool, it might be okay.

  Shade’s pulse pounded as his decision time narrowed to mere seconds. He despised having his hand forced. Only an idiot made important choices without reflection—he’d learned that the hard way—and he hadn’t yet determined what to do with Tess himself. But if the Dark Watch brought her in now, he’d lose his chance.

  He slipped around the corner just as Tess was bolting away from the engine noise. Her hair nearly whipped his face as she took off in the other direction at a dead run. He lunged and grabbed her wrist. In a blink, she broke his hold, spun, and came at him with a closed fist.

  Shade ducked and used his shoulder and weight to plow her toward the wall. She grunted when her back hit, and he caught her head in his hand just before it thumped the building. She struggled against him, her whole body tensing to fight.

  “It’s me, Tess,” he whispered next to her ear.

  “Shade?” she breathed out.

  “Good reaction time,” he said. “Sloppy attempt at a hit.”

  She huffed in surprise, and then, damn him, she completely relaxed. Her whole body softened, and she lifted her head. Their cheeks brushed. Her exhale warmed his jaw, and those fingers that had been trying to shove him away only seconds earlier suddenly curled into his shirt and held on.

  “Dark Watch patrol.” He settled one hand on her hip and slid the other into her hair. “Gotta make this look real.”

  Somehow, Tess understood exactly what he meant. Her nod was so slight that he might not have noticed it if their heads hadn’t been touching. But then, before he could line up their mouths, she slid her parted lips all the way across his cheek in a sexy-as-fuck move that sent hot blood rushing through his veins.

  “Kiss me, Shade,” she murmured, pulling slightly back before their lips could touch.

  Her eyes flicked up, meeting his. His heart slammed so hard inside his chest that she could probably feel it thundering against her palms. He didn’t think he’d ever had a woman in his arms who was this honest. Oh, she’d lied about a ton of shit, but there was almost more honesty than he could take in the way she looked at him right now, and how her breath hitched.

  Knowing he’d started this and needed to follow through, Shade tightened his hold on Tess’s head and hip, drawing her in to him. Their bodies lined up perfectly, and he ate up her little gasp when it feathered across his mouth.

  Tension crackled between them like an electrical charge, almost drowning out the sound of the hovercraft turning the corner next to them. Angling his head, Shade both fought and desperately wanted what he was about to do. He had a sense of honor, and right now, he was deliberately kicking it to the curb. He’d also been dying to taste this woman since the moment they’d met.

  Shade molded his lips to hers, desire sparking even more powerfully at the contact. She kissed him back without hesitation, and his mind blanked to tactics, to the Dark Watch, and even to his docks. Everything seemed to condense into a tight little ball of him, Tess, and so much heat and pressure that a supernova had nothing on the explosion they could generate.

  * * *

  Shade kissed me just as the Dark Watch rounded the corner. If I’d had a bomb, I might have tossed it into their loud, showy hovercraft and blown them all to bits just so that Shade Ganavan could keep devouring me in a way that was so hot I turned molten in his arms.

&nb
sp; His hold on me tightened, and his breathing changed. I gripped his shoulders and pressed into him, kissing him back with a sweep of my tongue that tangled every part of our mouths. I wanted him, and I couldn’t help myself. I knew this was supposed to be a ruse, to hide my face and allay suspicions, but it felt pretty damn real to me.

  So did Shade’s growing hard-on. If the goons hadn’t started barking at us with their megaphones right then, I would have rolled my pelvis against it and gotten a really good feel for his length and size. I was seriously tempted as it was, even with the military right behind us, yammering about rules and regulations and the unseemliness of public displays of affection.

  Things like “Bring that inside, you two!” and “No vulgarity in the streets!” rang in my ears, but I hardly even noticed. I was too caught up in Shade, especially since the Dark Watch seemed to have bought our deception.

  Shade broke the kiss and turned his head, nodding to acknowledge the goon patrol’s orders. He kept his hand firmly in my hair, pulling my face into the crook of his neck.

  The protective tug sent heat spiraling through me. Excitement, danger, and desire all crashed inside me like some fucked-up storm that made me crazy with want. I opened my mouth and licked his neck, tasting the entire length of that tendon I’d seen dripping with sweat. He was clean now, but my imagination supplied the tang of hard work and salt. I sucked, and Shade exhaled in a burst.

  He didn’t move until the Dark Watch had gone farther down the avenue and away from us. Then he met my eyes and half carried, half swept me around the corner and out of sight.

  With a low groan, he pressed me back up against the wall. “You’re killing me, starshine.”

  “Don’t stop.” I grabbed his short hair and pulled his mouth back to mine.

  He met my lips with enough dominance to send a kick of exhilaration through me. This was what I’d been missing for so long, and I kissed him like he was the key to all the thrilling, fun things no one was supposed to do anymore. Kissing Shade felt like belting out a song from a rooftop, or splashing fully clothed into a rare public fountain. It felt like freedom, like he wouldn’t judge, like I could do what I wanted.