by Susan Hayes
“Can I think about it? There’d have to be rules. Boundaries. If my father hears about anything he doesn’t approve of I’ll be pulled from this assignment and lose my best chance of proving I’m ready.”
It bothered him that Tianna was still fighting to prove herself. He’d been lucky – his mother might not approve of his choices, but his father had shown him there were other paths he could take. Owen had done the same thing, breaking away from his family and living life his way. Maybe they could help her find a different path, one that allowed her to be herself, instead of what her father wanted her to be.
“We can do boundaries. If that’s what it takes to get you to say yes, then we’ll make it work,” Owen said.
Royan wasn’t good with boundaries. They all knew it, too. Still, if it kept Tianna in their orbit longer, he’d try. “I won’t do anything that would get you sent home. Astek station needs someone with brains and heart to take over and do what’s right. That’s you.”
She flashed him a grateful smile. “Thank you. It’s nice to know someone thinks I can manage this assignment.”
“If you give yourself a chance to learn about the place and the people living there, I think you’ll be outstanding,” Owen said.
Her cheeks flushed and she dropped her gaze to her hands. “Thank you both. I know Astek is your home. I’m going to keep that in mind when it’s time to start making decisions.”
“That’s all we can ask for,” he said.
Owen took her hand in his. “I just have one request to make. If we’re going to do this, we have to trust each other. That’s the only way this is going to work. That means no more secrets.”
“I’m an open book,” Royan said with a shrug. He’d learned years ago that it was easier to be honest about everything, with everyone.
Tianna didn’t say anything for a long time. “I can’t tell you all my secrets. Because of who I am, there are some things I can’t share with anyone. But I will promise that if there’s anything you need to know to help keep me safe, you’ll be the first to know.”
It wasn’t what he wanted to hear, and he could see that Owen felt the same way, but for now, it would have to be enough.
He looked at his lover and remembered how long it had taken Owen to finally trust him with his heart. Here’s hoping it doesn’t take Tianna as long. Something tells me we don’t have that much time.
Chapter Twelve
The closer they got to the Drift, the less Tianna slept. Normally, that wasn’t a problem. She could spend the time reading, watching vids, or working late without anyone noticing. It was the reason she kept to herself so much. If no one got close, then no one would notice her endurance, fitness, and strength were far greater than they should be. She couldn’t do that, not this time.
Not only was she sharing a bed with two men who actually paid attention to her every want and need, but they both carried the same nanotech she did. They didn’t need sleep either, which made it difficult for her to slip away. The medi-bots did have advantages, though. Royan and Owen had breathtaking stamina and were more than happy to use it to try and keep her too sexually satisfied to be overly stressed about their pending arrival.
If she’d been a normal human, it would have worked. As it was, she was still worried, and she had to make sure she didn’t give herself away to two of the few people in existence who had personal experience with medi-bots and cyborgs. Getting involved with them was a risk, but one she wouldn’t let herself regret. They hadn’t just saved her life, they’d given her a chance to be herself. It was a gift she’d never forget.
What little she owned was packed into a small bag Owen had given her. It sat on the end of their bed, a sharp reminder that her hiatus was almost over. She was wearing the dress and wrap they’d bought for her at the colony, the fabric softer and lighter than the borrowed clothes she’d been wearing most of her time aboard. She’d braided her hair tightly, pulling it back in a severe style that made her look stern and aloof. The only part of her appearance she couldn’t do anything about was her feet. She had limited choices. Wear the ill-fitting work boots, slip on a pair of socks, or go barefoot. She couldn’t move fast in the boots or socks, so she’d opted to go shoeless and pretend that it was a new fashion trend.
She’d done a lot of reading on the trip, talking over what she learned with her lovers and trying to make connections between what she’d been told before leaving, and what she’d discovered as she worked through the reports filed by Astek’s Corporate Security and the Interstellar Armed Forces. She assumed that most of the information was in the files she’d lost when her ship was destroyed, but there was still a great deal no one had thought to mention. Those gaps concerned her. What else hadn’t she been told, and why?
“Tink, status report, please.”
“My new coding is functioning as expected. I will not put your life in danger again.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Tianna Astor, this is your captain speaking. Your presence is requested in the lounge.” Royan’s voice came over the ship’s intercom.
She tapped her bracelet, activating her comms. “Be right there.”
They were both there, waiting for her. Owen was doing a one-shouldered lean against the wall and doing his best to look relaxed, while Royan was pacing again.
“You called?” She set her bag down by the door and wandered further into the room.
“We wanted to say a proper goodbye.” Royan stopped pacing and smiled at her. Veth, his smile was as wicked and dangerous as the man himself.
“We’re not even docked yet. Besides, I agreed to your insane plan. You’re going to be my security detail for the next while, so it’s not like we’re never going to see each other.” She still had reservations about it all. There were so many ways this could go wrong, but she couldn’t come up with a reason they’d accept. She’d tried everything short of telling them she was a cyborg. She was far more difficult to kill than either of them, even with their medi-bots.
“By the time we’re docked, we’re all going to be too busy thinking about what comes next to do this right,” Owen explained as he straightened up and crooked a finger in her direction. “Come here.”
Her feet moved before she had time to think about it. There was something about Owen that pulled her in and made her want to relinquish all control. Once they docked, that would have to change, too.
He caught her hand and pulled her in close, feathering a gentle kiss across her lips. “I’m going to miss these moments.”
She took a deep breath, rising on her toes to kiss him back. “Me, too.”
Royan stepped in behind her, his long fingers pushing her braid aside to plant a kiss on the back of her neck. “Me, three. Thank you for letting us get to know the real you, sweetheart.”
“And for trusting us to keep it a secret.”
“I do, you know. Trust you both.” It was a first for her, trusting someone who wasn’t family. Over the days and nights onboard the Sun Sprite, she’d developed feelings for them both. They were her friends, the only people in the galaxy who not only knew most of her secrets and accepted her anyway. The one thing she regretted about these stolen moments was that she couldn’t tell them everything. It was too much of a risk. If the truth came out, not even her father’s money and power could protect him or Astek from the fallout. She owed him, and Astek, too much to ever let that happen.
“And I know that wasn’t easy for you,” Royan nuzzled her neck, his words a soft buzz against her skin.
“Because of my past,” Owen added.
“Not just that. I think you and I learned similar lessons growing up, Owen. Don’t trust anyone outside the family. Never rely on anyone but yourself.”
“Never show weakness,” Owen said, smiling as he stroked his thumb over her cheek.
“See? And neither of you saw the similarities at first. Next time, give me some credit, please.” Royan reached around her, his hand gripping Owen’s hip.
&
nbsp; She leaned back, revelling in one last moment of connection. “Next time, I’ll listen to you.”
“You better. We’re going to take our cues from you for the next while, but if we ever tell you to do something, you need to do it, no argument,” Owen said.
“Is it a good idea to give Royan that kind of power?” she asked.
“Hell, no.” both Royan and Owen answered at nearly the same time.
“How about a codeword? You say it and I’ll know it’s an emergency.”
“Pineapple.” Royan declared.
Owen rolled his eyes. “A codeword, you lunatic, not your safe word.”
They have safe words? She was intrigued.
“Why can’t it work for both? If I use my safe word, its definitely an emergency.”
“Quit being such a joker. This is serious.”
Joker. She considered and rejected it as a code word, but her brain kept making connections. Cards… queens…jacks... “What about aces?”
“Short. Not used a lot but still easy to slip into a sentence. Works for me,” Owen said.
“I still like pineapple,” Royan said, and then sighed. “But I can work with aces. Let’s hope we never have to use it.”
All three of them fell silent. Part of her was still in denial about the ongoing threat to her safety. The one thing she’d always taken for granted was that she was safe and protected, so long as she followed her father’s rules.
Owen kissed her forehead. “We’re going to keep you safe.”
“You’d better. Otherwise I’m going to haunt your asses from here to the edge of the universe.”
“Speaking of safety, what does Tink think of its upgrades?” Owen asked.
“Everything is working like it should, which is a relief. I just wish we knew who had hacked the program.”
The two men looked at each other, and she knew what they were thinking. She’d written down the name of everyone who knew about Tink and had the means to gain access to its system. It was a very short list, and she trusted every being on it. Each time Royan or Owen tried to convince her one of them might be responsible, it made her head hurt. Someone else had to be responsible.
“Nice to know no one will be using Tink against you again,” Owen said.
“I’m glad your friend could help,” she agreed. The new code had arrived in an encrypted data pack two days after Royan had sent a message to Zura updating her on everything. As he’d predicted, Zura had offered to help in anyway she could, including getting a talented friend to create a program that would protect Tink from future attempts to alter her programming. She’d been reluctant to use the code at first, but both Royan and Owen had vouched for the woman who’d created it, pointing out that Phaedra Kari had done work for Nova Force before and could be trusted.
“Phaedra is the best programmer I know. I’m glad my sister thought to ask her.”
“From what you’ve told me, she’s a lot more than just a programmer.”
Owen snorted. “More like a cyber-jockey badass hacker.”
“She’s reformed, now,” Royan pointed out.
“And a newly minted member of the Vardarian royal family,” she added. Owen and Royan had filled her in on that story, too. There was so much more going on out here than she’d realized. It had to be why her father felt Astek station was so important. She’d thought it was because of the steady flow of goods that travelled through the area, but that wasn’t the whole picture. The Drift had become an important nexus point for not just trade, but ideas. “You two know some very interesting beings.”
Royan laughed as he let her go. “Sweetheart, you don’t know the half of it.”
The second they transitioned to normal space, two massive cruisers appeared, one Corp-Sec, the other an IAF fleet vessel. A quick hail informed them they would be provided with an escort for this last, brief leg of the journey. Dramatic, but at least I know I’ll live to see the inside of the station.
It felt like no time at all before Royan gestured to the main monitor, zooming in on a myriad of lights that blinked and strobed out in the darkness of space. “We’re here.”
She drank in her first views of the station that bore her family name. By all reports, the station was well-maintained. The reports lied.
Everywhere she looked, she could see signs of deferred maintenance and outright neglect. There were still temporary patches bolted to the hull of the docking ring, a testament to the damage done during the explosion that had killed several corporate reps.
“Why hasn’t that been fixed?” She pointed to the damage.
Royan glanced over his shoulder and gave her a wry smile. “Welcome to the Drift. Out here, the corporations rule, and they’re not generally keen to spend their profits on something as minor as maintenance.”
“We’re not the enemy, you know. None of this would even be here if it weren’t for the corporations.” She sounded like her fraxxing father.
“You might not represent the enemy, but no one out here considers the corporations to be allies, either.” Owen was reminding her that they knew the difference between the role she played and who she really was.
She took a long look at the station, a headache starting to form as she stared at the evidence that things were not as they should be. “I can see why.”
Owen slipped an arm around her waist. “We’re hoping you can do something about that.”
“Keep me alive, and I’ll see what I can do.”
“That’s the plan, sweetheart.”
“I promise nothing is going to happen to you.” Owen whispered solemnly.
Owen didn’t give his word lightly, but when he did, he kept it. He’d do whatever he could to protect Tianna, not just from the bastards trying to kill her, but from anything and everything he could, for as long as she’d allow it. He knew Royan felt the same way. They’d talked about it in the brief moments they’d been away from her. Tianna was special, and neither of them was ready to let her walk out of their lives. Not yet.
He left Royan and Tianna in the cockpit during the final docking stage, taking her bag with him. His and Royan’s were already piled by the door. For the next while, they’d be staying with Tianna.
“Behave yourself while we’re gone, Sprite.”
“Of course.” Sprite paused a split second before adding. “I hope you and Royan are successful in your mission to protect Tia and her assistant.”
It wasn’t possible, but it sounded to him like the two AI’s had formed some kind of bond while their systems were linked. He’d have to ask Royan about that. Better yet, he’d ask Phaedra.
They docked with barely a bump and his companions joined him at the door shortly thereafter. Royan gathered up the bags, then burst out laughing as he straightened up.
“What?” Owen asked.
“We forgot to buy our queen some shoes to go with her new dress.”
Owen let his gaze slide down her long legs to Tianna’s bare toes. How was it that even the sight of her feet turned him on? “You can’t walk around the station like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because the floors out there are disgusting and crawling with microbes and bacteria from every part of the known galaxy. One nick in your pretty skin and you’ll be the first person to come down with every plague in existence at the same time,” Royan said.
“What he said.” Owen wasn’t in a debating mood, so he stepped over, bent down, and scooped her into his arms without warning.
“This isn’t happening. Put me down.”
“No. You can walk into the office on your own, but you’re not setting foot on the floor until we get to the transport. You’ll thank me for this later.”
Tianna wriggled in his arms. “It can’t be as bad as all that. It’s not like I’ve never been in a public place before.”
A sharp double-rap on the door ended the discussion. Their escort was here. Royan unlocked the door with a swipe of his hand. It opened, revealing two familiar faces. “If it isn’t my
two favorite members of law enforcement. Mack, Dash. Good to see you.”
“Glad you made it here without incident.” Mack greeted Royan with a nod, then looked through the door. “Owen. And … huh.”
“Huh? What am I missing?” Dash’s blond head appeared in the doorway. He took one look at Owen standing there with Tianna in his arms and grinned. “Uh huh. Not everything made it into the official report. Gotcha.”
Tianna tensed. “This is why I wanted you to put me down,” she hissed through her teeth.
Both Mack and Owen looked sheepish. “Sorry, ma’am. That wasn’t appropriate. Let’s start with introductions, shall we? I’m Corp-Sec Officer Mack Darian and this is my partner, Officer Dash Scudo. Owen and Royan are friends and we let that fact affect our behavior. It won’t happen again.”
“I’m Tianna Astor, and you’re fine,” she told Mack and Dash, then flicked an irritated glance up at him. “Owen’s the one in trouble.”
“Oh, I like her, already.” Dash stepped back, allowing them off the ship. “On behalf of Corp-Sec, I’d like to welcome you to Astek Station.”
Despite the casual way they were behaving, Owen knew both officers were paying close attention to their surroundings. They were docked as close to the main station as possible, which meant it was less than a two-minute walk to the transport.
Royan tapped a code into the keypad, locking the ship, and turned to join them. “Lead the way.”
Logically, Owen knew there was almost no chance of being attacked, but that didn’t stop him from keeping his head on a swivel and his senses on high alert. His mother and sister couldn’t have gotten here first, but that didn’t mean whoever was after Tianna hadn’t hired someone else to do the job.
They didn’t see another being until they left the docking ring and entered the main station. More Corp-Sec officers were positioned along the route, and there were even a few IAF uniforms in the crowd. Apparently, Tianna’s safety was a high priority for everyone. While he was grateful for the added security, it was also a sharp reminder that they were from very different worlds. She was corporate royalty. They were a couple of reformed criminals.