by E J Frost
wants. And either the attraction to bald
men’s genetic, or she’s just giving me the big
‘I’m going to eat you after I fuck you’ eyes to piss off her sister. “What large . . . flaps you
have . . . Sandringham Snow.”
I shrug, giving her the same blank face
that I gave Chiara. I don’t do it to scare her. I
doubt there’s much that scares Erin-the-
Assassin. I do it for Kez’s benefit. Whatever
my dick’s reaction, I’m not going to show
any interest in this woman. Kez didn’t like
me holding the beautiful girl; any interest I
show in her sister will ratchet her temper
into the fissionable range.
“I’m not gettin’ paid by the hour, so if
that’s your shit, let’s go.” I nod at several
black duffel bags tucked under the bench she
was sitting on. She even uses the same kind
of luggage as Kez.
Erin steps back smoothly and inclines her
head at the bags. When I bend over to collect
them, she brushes by me, ostensibly to pick
up her helmet and gloves, but a lot more of
our relative anatomies come into contact than
is strictly necessary. She murmurs, “nice rear
flaps,” loudly enough for both me and Kez to
hear, as she settles her helmet over her pile
of silky blonde hair.
I ignore her, sling two bags over my
shoulders and hand a third to Kez. Kez has
put her helmet back on already. Under the
visor, her expression is frozen. Whatever
she’s feeling, she’s working hard on keeping
it off her face. I can take a couple of guesses
at what’s going on in that fuzzy head. None of
it’s nice. There’s not much I can do about it
until we’re alone. In the meanwhile, I let
myself envision a few more creative ways to
kill Tyng. He may have wanted his best
killer on this job, but that’s not the only
reason he called Erin out of hiding. Even if
Erin never told him about her family, Tyng
would have seen the resemblance
immediately, just like I did. He sent Erin on
this run to fuck with Kez’s head, and from
her expression, it’s working. Cutting his
throat’s too quick. I’ll have to think of
something else.
Contemplating possibilities, I lead the
way back to the Marie. I expect Kez to hang
back and talk to her sister. She doesn’t.
Within a few steps, she’s caught up to me
and when I offer her my gloved hand, she
takes it and walks beside me.
“You up for another flying lesson? Two
hours to Golden Sands.”
Kez glances up at me. Grins.
“Absolutely.”
I fake a yawn. “Wake me up when we get
there.”
Kez bumps my arm with her shoulder. “I
need you awake to tell me what I’m doing
wrong.”
“Ooooookay.”
“Sorry it’s such a hardship.” She snorts.
“Sitting there like a lump while I do all the
work.”
I chuckle. “That’s just the way I like it.”
Kez shakes her helmeted head, but I can
see the curve of her cheek. She’s smiling
again. Now I just have to keep her mind off
her sister for the next two hours.
Erin doesn’t make it easy. She insists on
a guided tour of the ship before takeoff.
Takes my arm and slides hers through it, so
her breast presses against my biceps. Little
too firm to be real. Good quality, though.
She’s taken off her suit, so I get a clear view
down the front of her low-cut jacket. Her
cleavage looks nice and natural. Guess it
only fails the touch-test.
I disentangle myself on the pretext of
taking off my own suit, and stick Kez
between us. Seems safer. Or it is until Erin
decides to start reminiscing.
“Remember Jenker?” she asks Kez as we
inspect the engineering compartment. She
peers through the heavy plaz barrier
separating the heavy water reactor from the
rest of the compartment. “He had a ship like
this.”
“I remember he liked to hit Ma,” Kez
responds.
“Why do you only remember the bad
things? He used to take us flying.”
“He took you flying. I got left home with
Ape.”
Erin rolls her eyes. “You must have come
once or twice.”
“No, I didn’t. You never did pay me one
fucking bit of attention, did you?”
“Oh, for Helas sake, Kezzy, I was ten
years old.”
“You were twelve when Ma was with
Jenker. I was seven. He was her last
boyfriend before we went to live with
Granna. He put her in medcen with a cracked
skull. We’d been alone for three days when
Granna found us. You were trying to get me
and Ape to eat a rat you’d found.” Kez’s
voice thins dangerously. “That’s what I
remember.”
I interpose myself between them. “Girls,
play nice.”
Erin laughs that false-hollow laugh. She
slides her arm through mine and presses
herself up against my side. “Oh, this is nice.
We haven’t even gotten to the part where I
went to the Academy on a full scholarship
while my dyslexic sister had to repeat a year
in v-school. Remember that, Kezzy?”
I grab Kez by the shoulders before she
can complete her lunge at her sister. “Tour’s
over. You, stay put.” I push Kez up against
the plaz shield. Interpose my body between
her and her sister. “You, back to the
passenger lounge. Get yourself strapped in,”
I tell Erin over my shoulder.
Erin backs away from me towards the
door, rolling her hips as she walks. The little
monster notices. “I might need some help
with that.”
“Smart girl like you? I’m sure you can
figure it out.”
Her sexy pout turns feral. Bad move.
Rejection just whets her appetite. “See you
in a few minutes, then.”
Kez begins to push herself off the plaz
wall. “I’ll see you in a few minutes—”
I pin her with my forearm. “You, stay
put.”
She bucks against my hold but since I
outweigh her by fifty kilos, she’s not going
anywhere. I hold her still while her sister
makes an irritatingly slow exit. Once the
door snicks shut behind Erin, I shift so I’m
pressing Kez against the barrier with my
chest and hips.
“I’m not dyslexic,” Kez says resentfully.
“I never thought you were.” Not that I
give a shit if she is or not. I nuzzle the nape
of her neck. “You’re talkin’ to someone who
was educated in solitary confinement.”
Kez bows her head until her forehead
rests against the plaz. “I hate her.”
&nb
sp; “Yeah, I got that.” No wonder she never
mentioned her big sister before. “Tyng
tapped her to fuck with your head.”
Kez scoffs. “I bet she volunteered. She
doesn’t give a shit about me or Ape. She
never has. You know what she told me, when
she went off to her la-la Academy? She told
me not to bother visiting her, because she
was going to forget she ever had a sister.
Family just holds you back. That’s what she
said.” Kez slams her fist against the plaz.
“I’ll tear her goddamn eyes out.”
“Not on my ship. Too hard on the
upholstery. Besides.” I slide my hand down
the front of her pants. She’s gone commando,
naughty kitten. “You got other things to worry
about.”
She tilts her head to the side. “What are
you doing?” Her voice drops, goes husky.
When I tickle her labia with the tips of my
fingers, she shivers. On the second tickle, I
feel wetness. Her responses are so perfect.
“Are you trying to distract me?”
“Yeah. But it’s also been four whole
hours since the last time.” Between that vivid
fantasy of doggy-ing her sister and the nicely
submissive position I’ve got her trapped in,
the little monster’s stirring again. Besides, a
quick fuck will get both of our minds off
Erin. “You too sore?”
She wriggles her ass against me. “No,
I’m not too sore.”
Neither of us is, as it turns out. It’s not the
slow, sweet fucking of the night, but a hot,
rough fuck against the wall, with the added
stimulation of the tip of my finger in Kez’s
tight little ass, is nearly as satisfying. By the
time we’re finished, sweaty and panting,
neither of us is thinking about Erin. I hold
Kez for a few minutes afterward. She kisses
my neck the way she likes to during the
afterglow. When I finally let her go, not even
fifteen minutes have passed. But those fifteen
minutes have made a world of difference.
Kez is smiling again. The little monster is
completely satisfied. Even if Erin’s waiting
for me in the passenger lounge naked and
spread-eagled, I doubt it could manage much
more than a twitch.
I help Kez straighten her clothes – she
doesn’t need the help, but I like dressing her
almost as much as I like undressing her –
both involve a lot of groping. Then I direct
her towards the cockpit with a smack on the
ass. “Get the ship warmed up,” I tell her.
“No detouring to assault your sister.”
Kez grins. “Fine, but I need to practice
my inversions.”
Hope Erin’s got a strong stomach. “She
hurls all over the lounge an’ I’m takin’ the
cleanin’ bill outta your cut.”
Kez laughs and leaves me pulling up my
pants.
Erin’s not naked, or spread-eagled. But
she has shed another layer of clothes, so
she’s down to a skin-tight bustier and a
criminally short skirt. I was wrong about the
little monster. At the sight of that wealth of
honey-brown skin, the little monster gives a
low roar. Fortunately, that’s all he’s got in
him. Not even enough for a full cock-stand.
As I enter the lounge, Erin takes off a pair
of amber spectacles and slips an earpiece
out of her ear. She tucks them into one of the
bags at her feet and pats the cradle beside
her.
I lean back against the door and cross my
arms over my chest. “Takin’ instructions?”
“Recording an update for my superiors,”
she rejoins. “Sandringham, can I call you
Sandringham?” She doesn’t wait for me to
answer. Pats the cradle again. “Sandringham,
why don’t you come over here and sit beside
me?”
‘Cause I don’t have any intention of
becoming her afternoon snack. “I’m fine right
here. Say whatever you got to say.”
Her smile turns coy. “What if I don’t
have anything to say?” She runs her fingers
over the cradle’s padding suggestively.
“Then stop wastin’ my time. You’re not
my type. An’ I’m not yours.” She’s not
looking for a sexual partner; she’s looking
for prey.
Those ice-blue eyes flare white-hot. I
guess any rejection is a turn on, whether truth
or falsehood. “You’re wrong about that,” she
says throatily. “Should I show you how
wrong you are?” She runs her hand down the
front of her bustier, dragging it down so even
more cleavage is exposed. I’ll be able to tell
what color her nipples are in a second.
I roll my eyes. “Ain’t nothing I haven’t
seen before.” Which is the truth, since she
looks just like Kez. Whose nipples are baby
pink; same color as her tongue and outer
labia. I’m betting Erin’s nipples aren’t that
innocent a color. “You know I’m with Kez.”
Her hollow laugh. “Can I tell you
something?” When I shrug she continues,
“I’ve worked for Kison for a long time. I
know him as well as anyone can know him.
There’s one thing he never forgets, and never
lets go, and it’s a slight against his family.
Chiara is his daughter. It doesn’t matter that
she rebelled and ran away. It doesn’t matter
that she’s cut ties with her family and told
her father to go to hell. What matters is that,
in Kison’s mind, Apemanthuz has ruined her.
Someone is going to pay for that. Kez is
protecting him, so it’s going to be Kez who
pays. One way or the other, she’s Tyng’s.”
Apemanthuz? How much fucking Hex
was their mother on? No wonder he goes by
Ape. I almost feel sorry for the kid.
“She’s living on borrowed time,” Erin
continues. “And so are you if you’re with
her.”
I chuckle. I’ve been living on borrowed
time since the day I was born. “You tryin’ to
scare me, sister?”
She shrugs and a nipple peeks above the
edge of the bustier. Not the color of Kez’s;
it’s reddened, closer to the violent shade of
Erin’s mouth. Maybe she uses the same rouge
on her titties. “I just want you to understand
your options.”
“Here’s an option: stop fuckin’ with me
and tell me something useful. Like why you
need to be in the Cloudlands by midnight.”
Erin lifts her chin. “Why should I tell you
anything?”
“She’s your sister. And she’s takin’ the
fall for your brother.”
Those icefield eyes narrow at me. “So?
I’ll make a deal with you. I’ll tell you why I
need to be in the Cloudlands by midnight if
you’ll come sit next to me.”
“How ‘bout you
tell me why you need to
be in the Cloudlands by midnight or get the
fuck off my ship?”
“You don’t want to do that. It would
upset Kezzy. Do you know she’s never
ditched a run, or dropped a package? She’s
known for it.”
So I’ve heard. “This ain’t just her run.
And I’m not known for it. So stop stallin’.”
Erin tilts her head, simpering. It would
work on her, if I hadn’t seen that preying-
mantis smile. “Would you really kick me off
your ship? It’s such a long walk to the
Cloudlands.”
“Sure is, an’ you’re not gettin’ there any
faster.”
She pouts. “You wouldn’t make me late,
would you?”
“Your timetable don’t mean shit to me.”
She wets her lower lip. Her tongue is
long and pointed. Good for sucking cock, but
definitely not a kitten-tongue. “If I tell you,
you’ll get me there on time, won’t you,
Sandringham?”
I shrug.
“And it can be our secret. You won’t tell
Kez?”
Kez is probably listening to this, since
she’s watched me work the ship’s com
several times. I would in her place. “You’re
wastin’ time.”
“Okay.” She lifts her shoulder so more
cleavage slides out of her bustier. “It hasn’t
been easy for me, you know. Kez isn’t the
only one paying for Ape’s mistake. I’ve had
to prove myself all over again. This job’s
part of the test.”
“What job?”
“I need to kill someone by midnight.”
“Out on the Cloudlands.” It’s not a
question, but she nods. “Kimpler,” I say,
putting two and two together and getting five.
Her eyes widen and I see her true expression
for a moment. That predatory intensity. She’s
not playing now. I’ve said something that
interests her.
“How do you know that name?” she asks.
No flirtation. Pure focus.
“I know lotsa names. Bet you do, too.
Tyng tell you any others?”
She shakes her head, and I see
puzzlement in her eyes. Tyng hasn’t told her
my real name. Guess he doesn’t trust Erin-
the-Assassin all that much, either.
“Just so you know, it was Kez that
figured it out.” Erin’s eyes narrow; I knew
she wouldn’t like that. “Smart girl, your
sister. Beautiful. Loyal.” I bare my teeth in a
smile almost as feral as hers. “She’s one in a
billion. There’s no one I wouldn’t kill to
keep her. If takin’ out Kimpler gets you back