Cy frowned. “You think after you were taken from the womb, another gene was added?"
"It was added before I was taken. That much I found out from the files I have from the experiments."
Shaque quirked one brow. “You were thought dead and taken from the womb?"
She shook her head. “My parents were paid a lot of money for me. The healer removed me vaginally from my mother, without displacing Donika. The healer, unfortunately, worked for Shari of the Inkas. I was one of the experiments, as you know. She took me back to Inka, and I was reared amongst the mutants along with Sonja."
Nothing shocked him anymore, but the thought that any mother could voluntarily have a child removed from her womb and taken to some strangers, and accept payment for it, was distasteful.
Cy grunted. “You were returned to us at a young age, considered a failure. By then your parents had died—helped along by Shari's underlings, I have no doubt—and I helped rear you, though your Aunt did a lot of it until you were old enough to raise hell with Sonja."
Somehow Shaque couldn't picture Elyse raising hell. She struck him more as a very solemn child with a dangerous edge. “You were returned with Sonja?"
"Sonja was rejected about a year later. She also came to Aunt Lattie, who raised both of us as well as Donika."
"And you both resumed the friendship you'd had on Inka.” Cy shrugged. “Sonja was a hellion, and you were her back-up."
Elyse smiled a little.
"So why is it so important to find the donor of this unknown gene?” Cy sat down on the crate, ignoring the creak it gave beneath his weight. “Why now if you've known it for a while?"
"There was nothing I could follow on the donor. Shaque's sister is my first break."
"You think just because she's in the image photo with you, she might know something?"
"No one else is alive who might know."
Cy's eyes narrowed. “What if you don't find this benefactor?"
"Then I have a problem, don't I?"
"What kind of problem?” His gaze sharpened. “Does it have to do with this mutant shit you pulled in the tavern?” Shrewdness entered his eyes.
Not once did Elyse's gaze waver. Not once did she give her thoughts away, but Shaque knew instinctively she was wary. Not in a scared kind of way, but a knowing way.
"This mutant side you have could come in handy, girl.” Cy leaned forward, the shrewdness of his expression lighting with a touch of eagerness. “We could go a long way together."
"Really?” she drawled.
"I saw you fight in that tavern, girl. You were almost unstoppable. The only way to get you down would have been to kill or severely injure you. Yeah.” He stroked his chin with one meaty hand. “Unstoppable."
The pirate was now looking at Elyse speculatively. Shaque watched the byplay with no surprise. Cy was merciless when he wanted to be, and would use anyone and anything for his own purposes, including the girl he claimed as kin.
"You forget one thing, Uncle Cy” Elyse said tonelessly.
"What's that?"
"I don't choose to use the mutant side unless it suits me.” Her smile was cold. “But I do choose to dig for information."
"Elyse—"
"And no one—no one—can force me to become mutant. For anything."
Disappointed, Cy sat back.
Reaching into her pocket, she withdrew the other photo image. “This has been aged, and is what Nerissa would look like now. Someone may have seen her, or you may recognize her yourself. Should have thought of that before.” She handed it over to Cy.
"Nerissa?"
"Shaque's sister."
"Her name was Nerissa?” He frowned. “I knew her as Celia."
Shaque's heart dropped.
"Celia?” Elyse glanced at Shaque before returning her gaze to Cy. “Shaque's sister's name was Nerissa."
"If these girls are one and the same, she was known as Celia.” Looking down at the aged image photo, Cy nodded. “Yep, that's Celia. She lived in an old shack, took in strays. Orphans."
"Celia is dead."
"Heard that.” Cy handed the photo image back, looked at Shaque. “Sorry, hunter."
"Are you sure that's Nerissa?” Shaque shook his head. “Celia?"
"No doubt. I gave her some money now and again, when I saw that she and the strays were hungry. Hard life for a single woman out here, unless she has someone who will take care of her."
"She didn't have a husband? A man?"
"She managed to take care of herself. Some of the settlers looked out for her, the ones with a softer heart. The Man left her alone as long as she managed to scrape up enough dinnos to pay for her shack."
"How did she get the dinnos?” Shaque's jaw tightened even as he asked. Stupid question...
"Men paid for her favours,” Cy replied bluntly.
It would have to be so, there was no point trying to deny it. A lot of women not strong enough to stand against those stronger, with no protection, sold themselves to live.
Sadness hit Shaque, faint, dulled by years of thinking her dead already, but there nonetheless. If Nerissa was dead ... if Celia was Nerissa...
"We'll check it out.” Folding the image photo, Elyse tucked it into her pocket again.
A sudden thought struck Shaque. “Do you know if she had any children?"
"Hard to say. She had strays of different ages in her care at different times. Some seemed to have been with her since they were babes. It's possible a couple were hers."
Maybe he had a niece or nephew. “Any idea what would happen to the strays she collected?"
Cy nodded. “The Man would have rounded them up and sold them to the slavers."
Shit.
"We'll look into it,” Elyse said again.
Silence fell on the occupants of the ship. Elyse gazed at Cy, he eyed her back closely, and Shaque tried to sort out his feelings without giving his thoughts away.
Finally Cy got to his feet. “Well, I'm going back to my own ship. Elyse, the offer is there at any time to join me. We can go far.” When she simply inclined her head, he grunted. “Take care while running around with this bounty hunter, girl. He'll be the death of you."
Only Shaque saw the faint smile on her face when Cy left the cargo hold.
No sooner had he left than Elyse stood and touched the controls to lift the ramp. Once it shut securely, she turned and looked at him, her hands in her pockets.
Shaque studied her. “You didn't tell him everything."
"No need.” Elyse shrugged and rocked back and forth on her heels. “I'm sorry about Nerissa. Celia."
"Yeah.” He wasn't going to say anything more, but then the words were suddenly out. “I should be upset, but all I feel is a dull ache."
Her head angled to the side a little. “It's been a long time, Shaque. A very long time."
"I should feel more."
"Why? You were a child when she was taken.” Elyse stepped closer. “All these years you probably thought she was dead. Right?"
Bleakly, he looked at her. “Yeah. There was always a faint hope, but then I saw her image photo with you, and you were alive, so..."
"So there was a chance Nerissa might be, too.” She nodded understandingly. “And she was, until recently."
"Yeah."
"She may have left a child."
"Who might be with the slavers."
They looked at each other.
"I'm going back to the shack, see if anything was left of Nerissa. Celia.” He frowned. “Nerissa."
"Anything of value will have been sold."
"I don't care.” Shaque let a deep breath and stood. “She was my sister."
As was so typically Elyse, she merely nodded in acceptance.
"And then I'm paying The Man a visit,” Shaque added, cold anger seeping through his veins. “Find out about the children."
She nodded again.
Shaque looked at the timer on the wall. “I'll go after midnight."
"You think m
y ship will withstand attacks from outlaws until then?” Elyse quirked one brow. “Have no doubt, there will be a lot of plans being discussed right now for your capture.” A slow smile curving her full lips. “You're a wanted man, Shaque."
Good point. And one he'd been careless to forget.
"But luckily for you, I have a plan.” Elyse made for the stairwell.
He followed her. “And that is...?"
"We leave the planet, hide and come back after midnight."
"You think they'll just let us leave?"
Elyse looked back over her shoulder at him, quirked one brow. “Trust me."
Following her into the control cabin was a welcome relief. It stopped him thinking about his sister selling herself just to eat and shelter a bunch of stray children. And it stopped him thinking that until recently, she had been alive.
Sitting beside Elyse at the console, he blocked the thoughts from his mind and concentrated instead on what Elyse was doing.
Quicker than he'd ever seen her move, her fingers flew over the viscomm screen, touching in commands.
"You're in charge of the lasers,” Elyse said. “We're going to have company when we take off."
Shaque had no doubt about that. Reaching down, he touched the panel in the side of his chair, and the iron arm slid up and held the control board with the buttons and toggle sticks on it before him.
"Don't forget,” Elyse said, “You control the left and right laser guns. Left button and toggle left side, right button and toggle right side.” Her own control board slid in front of her. “I do top and bottom lasers."
Nodding, he placed his hand on the toggle sticks. “Let's do it."
He watched the planet through the space shield, saw it move as the ship lifted. Saw another ship move, and another. Narrowing his eyes, he looked out at the sky. Another three ships hovered.
"Sweet,” murmured Elyse. “A waiting party."
She tapped the viscomm screen, and the ship shot into the sky. Immediately there was the flare of laser guns as the spaceships swooped in on them.
Shaque was ready, and he moved his laser guns expertly, getting the feel of the toggle sticks and buttons quickly. Within seconds he'd blown one ship out of the sky, while Elyse disabled another.
But more waited. The laser fire seared past the space shield, and the ship rocked as a blast hit.
"Hold on,” Elyse murmured.
The ship shot into space, flying perilously close to three outlaw ships as they started forward. But Elyse's ship was too fast, the thrusters kicking in, moving them at a speed faster than the other ships.
The sky went from blue to black, the sunshine replaced with the sparkle of stars. Discarding the laser controls, Elyse leaned forward and started keying in coordinates.
The ship wheeled, shot upwards, dove forward and careened around a planet. Wonder at the manoeuvres filled Shaque as the planet zoomed closer. He'd never been in anything so fast.
They'd effectively outrun the outlaw and space pirates ships fast enough to allow them to go for cover. Except for one thing—"They'll pick us up on radar."
Elyse merely smiled.
The ship swooped down, skimming the surface, and then the ground opened up, a huge hole gaping where the ground had been. Before he could shout a warning, the spaceship dove into it, accelerating with dizzying speed through a dark tunnel. On the viscomm he saw the ground slide back over.
The ship followed the tunnel down further and further, moving towards the centre of the planet. Slowing speed, it came out into a huge cavern. A lone planet cruiser, small and compact, sat in the cavern.
The ship hovered, and then came to a stop, landing delicately on the ground.
Elyse looked at him. “They won't find us here. They won't be able to scan this far underground."
"Where are we? And who else is here?"
"This is a little hideaway, and no one but you and I are here. That little cruiser out there is mine."
"Cy—"
"No one knows about this, except Sonja and me.” Standing up, she stretched. “And a few others you don't need to know about."
No doubt the Saucy Roses crew.
"Impressive.” Shaque's board slid back behind the panel in the chair. “But how do we prevent them from finding us when we go back to the planet we just left?"
Elyse looked at him.
He looked back at her. He was fast starting to learn that Elyse had her ways.
"We have plenty of time before we head back. About six or more hours.” She started from the cabin. “Take the opportunity to see to your wounds and rest up."
Shaque followed her. “What about your wounds?"
"A few scratches, nothing serious.” She was practically bouncing on her feet. “The medikit is in the dining cabin. Come on."
Elyse never bounced. She walked, strode, and was calm. The energy in her was practically crackling. She'd hidden it from Cy, but Shaque saw the restlessness and twitching of her hands while in the pirate's presence. She made no attempt to hide anything from Shaque.
Interesting.
Once in the dining cabin, Elyse retrieved a well-stocked medikit and placed it on the table. Getting a bowl of water, she sat it beside the medikit, along with some clean rags.
Sitting down, Shaque picked up a small mirror, dampened a cloth, and peering into the mirror, he tried to blot away the blood on the side of his head. It seemed to be a small gash, but it didn't take a genius to know that he'd need a bit of help, because he couldn't see the wound clearly enough.
Glancing at Elyse, he saw her unbuckling the various sheaths she had strapped under her shirt sleeves and under her shirt at the back. Dropping the sheaths and belts onto the table, she looked up and caught him watching her.
Her gaze went from his face to the mirror in his hand. Without saying a word, she crossed over to him, took the rag from his hand and started cleaning the wound with efficient movements.
"Well?” he finally queried.
"Shallow. Head wounds bleed a lot.” Taking a bottle from the medikit, she tipped a bit onto clean gauze and dabbed the wound with it. When he sucked in a breath at the sting, she added, “Antiseptic, it'll clean and seal the wound."
Placing the bottle down, she slid her fingers beneath his chin and tuned his head to face her.
Startled, Shaque looked up at her.
"You took a bit of a beating.” Picking up a clean rag, Elyse moistened it and started dabbing at the little cuts and grazes on his face.
"Could have been worse.” He had to admit, it felt nice to have her cool fingers on his skin, her intent gaze on his face.
"True. I could've been trying to plug a hole the size of a fist in you. Or fix a broken neck."
Her fingertips were calloused from using weapons, and there was strength in them as she tipped his head back. Every movement was practiced and sure. No doubt her expertise was gained from running with space pirates.
As she tended to his wounds, she leaned across him several times to get the right angle, the warmth of her body plainly felt by his suddenly over-sensitized body. For the first time he noticed that her breasts were soft and rounded. He'd always known she had breasts, hell, she was a female, but he'd never noticed her breasts before. Never noticed Elyse's breasts.
Leaning forward to pick up the antiseptic bottle, one of her breasts brushed against his arm, and Shaque could swear he felt the touch clear through his shirt sleeve.
The warmth of her breast went through him, and by the time it registered in his groin, it was hotter. A lot hotter. Aw, shit, am I getting a hard-on?
"Done.” Stepping back, Elyse looked at him assessingly. “Are you hurt anywhere else? Stand up and let me see—"
Yeah, standing up with a hard-on. Not bloody likely. “I'm fine. Mainly just bruising.” Not to mention a lot of aches that were starting to make themselves known.
"Broken ribs?"
"No.” Somehow he had to get away while her back was turned. There was no way in this universe
that he was going to let her see that he had a hard-on brought on by simply her nearness.
Talk about delayed reactions. He'd been turned on during the violence by her predatory side, but there was no bloody need for it now.
He really should have got laid back when he had the chance.
Turning around, Elyse shrugged out of her jacket. Shaque took the opportunity to get up, but before he could swing away, he saw the red staining the side of her shirt. A big, red stain.
"Shit, Elyse!” He barked out, forgetting his own discomfort and striding up to her. “Why didn't you say you'd been hurt this badly?"
"It's just a scratch."
Without a thought, Shaque yanked her shirt out from her waistband and pulled it up. His breath hissed out between clenched teeth as he saw the laser burn across the lower part of her, another burn mark on her side near her waist. “The dead skin needs to be cut away."
Hunching herself up a little to get a good look at the marks, Elyse nodded.
"Take your shirt off, sit down and lean against the table.” Grabbing the bowl of bloodied water, Shaque tossed it down the sink and refilled it from the urn. Bringing it back to the table, he set it on the smooth surface.
Without a word, Elyse had slid the shirt off and now sat upright at the table.
Gathering the few instruments he needed, he searched through the medikit, laid out the instruments he needed, and squatted beside her chair. Dabbing the blood away with a clean, damp rag, he studied the wounds. One skimmed the lower part of her rib cage, while the other was near the gentle curve of her waist.
Picking up the bottle of anaesthetic liquid, he dabbed the liquid onto the wounds before picking up the scissors. “This shouldn't hurt now."
"Just do it."
Looking up at the sudden weariness in her tone, Shaque was taken aback to see that all the energy that she'd had just minutes earlier was gone, and she looked ... tired.
Damn, he'd never seen her look tired. She was always so unbeatable.
Sitting at the table in just a slip of a support garment, pants and boots, she should have still looked as invincible as ever, but somehow the sudden shadows in her eyes made her appear vulnerable.
"Are you all right?” Shaque looked up at her searchingly. “Do you need to lie down?"
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