No Remedy

by Christine d'Abo

  Mace’s skin tingled as he methodically rubbed her pulse point with his thumb. She knew she should move away. She was finding it increasingly hard to resist his pull.

  Alec looked back to Mace as Dail shouted out an order to one of the waitresses. Lifting an eyebrow, he increased the pressure of the contact but slowed the pace. He was waiting for her to respond, withdraw her hand, make a snarky comment, or one of the other million things she normally did to keep him at bay.

  “You’ve never agreed before.”

  “You weren’t serious before.”

  Seemingly oblivious to the silent dance before him, Dail turned back and squeaked again. “Hard to find good help out here on the fringe. I assume you’ll want the same thing you always eat. Shalaya will bring your order soon enough.”

  “Thanks, Dail.” Alec finally released Mace and leaned back in the chair. “Just make sure it isn’t drugged this time. I’d hate to have to slip a diarrheic into your water supply again.”

  “You bastard! That was you?”

  “They’ll never be able to trace it back to me. It was due to a sudden bout of spoiled food resulting from improper storage. My tests will confirm this, naturally.” Alec tapped his finger against his lips.

  Mace giggled at the look of horror on the Cybrax’s face. “Know thy enemy, Dail.”

  “Shalaya! Hold that order.” Dail scurried away, shouting orders in his native language.

  Alec’s grin told Mace how much he’d enjoyed his little rebellion. She relished these brief moments where she saw the flashes of the man he must have been before coming to Naveeo. She didn’t think Alec was necessarily in exile, but people didn’t choose to live in a dung hole like this voluntarily. Something must have happened to have brought him here.

  Tucking her hair behind her ear once again, Mace leaned closer. “Did you really put something in the water?”

  “Would you think any less of me if I had?”

  “Not at all.” Licking her lips, she dipped her head closer. “In fact, I might have to give you a proper thank-you.”

  “Then I most certainly did. Twice the dose of what Dail reported, in fact.” Alec reached forward to brush her forearm where it rested on the table. “So, about that thank-you.”

  Biting her lower lip, she slid her arm so it pressed against his. Lust flared low in her gut, making her pussy clench and her breath hitch. It had been so long since she’d been with a man, even longer since she’d been with someone who could satisfy her particular needs. She pulled away enough to break the contact, reduce the temptation. Mace could speculate all she liked about what Alec would be like in bed, but she couldn’t risk finding out.

  She kept her voice low. “Alec, while I’ve known you for a few months now, I can’t say I know much about you.”

  “Not much to say.” Alec traced a pattern on the skin of her arm. “Just trying to help people where I can.”

  “Without taking anything in return?” She cocked an eyebrow. “I know this will sound jaded, but people don’t do the types of things you do without wanting something back.”

  “I’m a selfless kind of guy.”

  “While I’m not arguing your point, I also know there’s more to it than that.”

  Alec lifted his hand but didn’t quite pull away. She could tell from his expression that he was fighting some sort of internal battle. “I don’t think you would like me very much if you heard the full story.”

  “Everyone has secrets.”

  “Even you?”

  Mace wasn’t sure how to respond. She somehow knew the words she chose would shape their relationship going forward. “Yes, even me. I’ve always said it’s not the secret itself so much as how we choose to live with its consequences.”

  Before Alec could respond, the front door was pushed open and light flooded the bar. Silence spread across the room as everyone took in the newcomers—three men, dressed head to toe in brown drax leather. The hairs on the back of Mace’s neck stood up.

  Bounty hunters. Shit.

  Turning to face Alec, she tried coming up with an excuse to leave. She was shocked to see a flash of panic on his face, followed by bleak determination. Why the hell would he care that bounty hunters had just walked into the bar? Many of the colony’s inhabitants weren’t high-class citizens, and any of them could have bounties on their heads. Unless Alec’s secret went deeper than she could imagine, there wasn’t any reason for him to panic.

  Me, on the other hand . . .

  Alec grabbed her hand and squeezed hard. “Mind if we get out of here?”

  Her pirate instincts roared back to her in a heartbeat, despite having lived the life of a meek researcher these past few months. She was particularly good at avoiding bounty hunters. Reaching out to snag two mugs of ale from the passing waitress, she thrust one into Alec’s grip.

  “Follow my lead,” she whispered, then slugged back half the mug.

  “Mace, what the hell?”

  Standing up quickly, she made sure to throw in an exaggerated wobble as she laughed. Strategically keeping her back to the trio, she slammed the mug down on the table and started to sing.

  “Oh, carna, the things you do to meeeeee.” She pulled Alec’s arm, urging him to his feet. “Oh, carna, you can never leave me beeeeeee.”

  “Mace,” he hissed.

  Get up, she mouthed, stumbling backward to bump into the table behind her. The action allowed her to turn her head and get a glimpse of the hunters. Her little drunken act seemed to be of no interest to them, just as she had hoped. For an intelligent man, Alec’s lack of understanding was frustrating as hell.

  She grabbed his hand and twirled in a drunken circle in an abysmal attempt at a dance spin. “Take me home, carna. Take meeeee home.”

  Not wanting to push her luck, she tugged Alec with her, leading him toward the toilets and the back door. She tripped over her feet, sending Alec’s body crashing into hers as they stumbled into the dark hallway. Ignoring the feel of his thighs against her ass and the warmth of his chest seeping through her thin shirt, Mace bit back a groan and forced herself to continue on.

  The second they were far enough down the hall to be hidden in shadow, she stopped moving. She pressed her hand to Alec’s mouth when he tried to speak, pushing him backward until he was against the wall. From this vantage point, she could look out into the bar without being noticed.

  A minute passed, and she thought their luck would hold out. Of course, Dail’s high-pitched squeak echoed above the normal bar noise and disabused her of that notion. Shit. Of course the slimy little Cybrax would turn her over in a heartbeat if he knew how large a bounty she currently wore around her neck.

  Mace ignored how hot Alec looked with her hand gagging him. “We need to get out of here.”

  He nodded, cautiously reaching up to pull her hand from his mouth. “I’m pretty sure Dail keeps this door locked.”

  “Not a problem.” She grinned as she patted Alec’s cheek. “I have a bit of experience in that area.”

  “Why do I get the feeling you haven’t told me everything about your work history?”

  “It wasn’t relevant at the time, but let’s say my credentials are a bit more robust than I let on. Come on.”

  She dropped to her knees in front of the door panel, quickly prying it open with the knife she kept tucked into her boot. She could feel Alec watching every flick of her hands as she rewired the controls. A few taps on the keys and the door slid silently open.

  “I’d appreciate an updated résumé when we get back to your place.”

  Looking up at him in surprise, she stood, not bothering to cover her handiwork. “Why my place?” Gods, it’ll be the first place they check.

  Alec wrapped his fingers around her biceps and pulled her out the door. “Trust me when I say they are after me. I’ll get you safely to your apartment, and then I’ll disappear.”

  Why the hell are bounty hunters after Alec? “Even if that were true, if you think I’m going to let you scurry o
ff into the sunset without an explanation, you’re insane.”

  “Later. Just move.”

  She gritted her teeth against her annoyance as he yanked her out the door. She hated playing the hapless Loyalist woman with no skills to defend herself. She hadn’t been raised to believe the government was there to protect and keep her safe. She knew firsthand how little the corrupt men in power would do to help those in their care.

  Alec wasn’t a man like that, but she still . . .

  The colony was on the fringe of society, full of colonists who were trying to evade the law for one reason or another; the sudden appearance of bounty hunters seemed to have scared off the crowd in the square outside the bar. Mace felt too exposed in the empty, open space, and Alec seemed of the same mind. Keeping their heads down, they skirted the perimeter until they reached one of the cross alleys.

  Alec released her arm and laced his hand with hers as they increased their pace. Mace’s living quarters were in one of the newer buildings near the outskirts of the colony. She had specifically chosen it in the event she needed to make a quick escape. At the rate her day was going, that would be sooner rather than later.

  She wasn’t sure if it was her paranoia kicking in, but as they rounded the corner, her building’s front door in sight, a prickle of awareness raised every tiny hair on her skin. Someone was watching. She jerked her hand free from Alec, sidestepping his attempt to hold her back as she jogged ahead. The security scanner was cool under her palm, the flash of light bright in the rapidly approaching evening.

  “I shouldn’t come in.” Alec’s voice sounded tight. “I’ll put you in more danger.”

  “The only danger you’re in right now is of me killing you if you think about leaving without giving me some answers first.”

  The door clicked open, giving Mace room to yank Alec in behind her. Neither of them spoke until they were safely on the other side of her apartment door.

  Alec went immediately to the window, looking out the one-way glass. “I don’t think anyone followed us.”

  “It won’t take those hunters long to figure out where we went.”

  “I’m sorry you got mixed up in this.” Scrubbing a hand down his face, he turned to lean against the wall. “I didn’t think they’d find me.”

  “What the hell is going on?” She marched to the safe where she kept her weapon hidden. “Why would bounty hunters come after a scientist?”

  The low whine of a blaster being activated filled the momentary pause. Shit, she’d made a rookie mistake: not checking the room for intruders the moment she got in. Not wanting to distract herself by looking at Alec, she turned her head toward the origin of the noise.

  Standing in the doorway to her bedchamber was a tall man dressed head to toe in black. His eyes were hidden behind a fitted pair of radiation goggles. He’d shaved his head down to stubble. His attention was fixed completely on Alec, who stared back as if he were seeing a ghost.

  “The lady has asked an excellent question.” The stranger had a gravelly voice, as if he were suffering the aftereffects of shouting for hours. He lifted the blaster an inch higher, his aim fixed somewhere near the middle of Alec’s chest. “One I’d like an answer to myself.”

  It was obvious the bounty hunter didn’t consider her a threat. She might have enough time before he realized his mistake to get her own blaster free of the safe. She was about to make her move when Alec stepped forward away from the wall. She couldn’t tear her eyes from him.

  “Answer the question, Alec.” The man thumbed the energy setting up a notch. “Why the hell did a bounty order come in to the guild to bring you in dead?”

  “My gods.” Alec staggered two steps closer to the stranger, a look of pained remorse fixed firmly on his face. “Byron?”

  The man nodded and smirked. “Miss me?”

  It was as if the last ten years of Alec’s life had suddenly evaporated. Byron couldn’t be here, not after Alec had been so careful to cover his trail. Gods, he’d managed to stay five steps ahead of his ex-lover for so long, he had started to believe this day would never come.

  Wrong again, Roiten.

  He’d gotten complacent since Mace’s arrival. And now, if Byron was here, it meant the Loyalist brutes wouldn’t be far behind. Gods help him if he’d spent the past seven years on his own, only to fail before finding an antidote for the last of his mistakes. It would be worse if Mace or Byron got killed in the crossfire. Byron knew he was taking that risk, though; if he died, Alec would find a way to resurrect him, just for the chance to kill him again. Stupid bounty hunter.

  But Mace was an innocent in this mess. He needed to get her out of here, especially now that he was an even bigger target.

  Byron’s aim didn’t waver, though he flexed his fingers around the grip of his blaster. “You ran from the Loyalists. Why? And why do they want you out of the way now? What have you done?”

  Alec clenched his teeth together. He wasn’t going to give in, not when he was so close to his goal. “Get out of here, hunter.”

  “Hunter? Hunter? Now isn’t that charming?” Byron narrowed his gaze as a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Not happening. Not without you in tow at least.”

  “Alec.” Alec jerked at the sound of Mace’s voice, turning toward her as she spoke to him. “You didn’t tell me company was coming. Kind of rude, you know.”

  She was still crouched low in front of her safe, but her gaze was locked on Byron. Shit, stupid ass. He’d put her in danger without even trying. Knowing Byron, if Mace so much as flinched in the wrong direction, he’d shoot her in her leg to make a point.

  “You don’t worry about a thing, sweetie.” Byron’s easy drawl sent a shudder through Alec. Gods, he’d missed the sound of that low timbre. “I’m just an old friend catching up with our boy. I’ll take the good doctor here, and we’ll get out of your hair. You stay there and keep looking pretty.”

  The damn asshole hadn’t changed from the last time Alec had seen him. Blue eyes so light they looked silver peeked from behind Byron’s goggles. The familiar steel was in his stance, even as he shot a glance full of unspoken questions Alec’s way. Questions Alec had no intention of answering. Not here at least. How the hell had Byron found him? The high-pitched whine of another blaster powering up made Alec twist to follow the sound.

  Mace was on her feet, a short-barreled weapon pointed half a foot from Byron’s head. “Well, pardon me if I can’t agree to that.”

  Gods, he hadn’t seen her move, she’d been so fast.

  “Mace, what are you doing?” He swallowed hard, inching closer to her.

  Byron turned, finally paying proper attention to her. His aim stayed fixed on Alec, meaning he would catch the brunt of Byron’s attack when it came. That’s good at least.

  “She appears to be trying to save your sorry ass, Alec. And holding a piece of equipment she shouldn’t have access to. That’s guild issue.”

  “Oh, you’d be surprised what I have access to.” Mace cocked an eyebrow. “Now there are several ways this can play out. Few of them work out in your favor . . . Byron, is it?”

  “Yes, sweetie.” Byron cocked his head, letting his gaze travel down Mace’s body. “Proper attack stance. Well-developed forearms and thighs. I bet you have a nice ass too. Seems you’re not a typical lab strat. Alec, I see you still have a type. Young, pretty, and dangerous.”

  “Fuck off, Byron. Leave Mace out of this.”

  “It doesn’t appear she is interested in being left out of the party.” Byron chuckled. “So either you’re an ex-hunter or know someone who is. Could be a pirate, I guess. Easier to steal what you need rather than earn it.”

  Mace thumbed up the blaster’s power. “You’re going to slowly disengage your weapon.”

  “Not going to answer me?”

  “Then you’ll hold it out from your body by your finger so I can retrieve it. If you try to stop me, I’ll kill you. Understand?”

  Alec ignored the way his chest tightened at the thought
of Byron dying. It hurt as much as the idea that Mace was capable of blasting a hole in his ex-lover’s chest. He’d known there was more to her than she had let on. A green researcher on her first assignment didn’t show the level of skepticism or tacit determination she had from the moment of her arrival. Even Alec had carried a sheen of wide-eyed optimism on his first case, and he was from one of the nastiest planets in the sector. Seeing Mace now, the way she held the weapon and the unwavering resolve on her face, Alec knew there was so much more to her story than he’d suspected.

  Yet another person he’d been fooled by.

  He didn’t like to think he was gullible, but he did have a blind spot for certain people. A plea said in a particular way and Alec knew he could be swayed. It was that element of desperation he hated to see reflected in another person. He needed to help them.

  His gaze bounced between Mace and Byron as he stepped forward. As inappropriate as it was, his heart was beating faster at the whole situation—and not solely because of fear. It might have been the power struggle between the three of them, a dynamic he had come to associate so strongly with sex that he was conditioned to react with arousal. Or it might have been that he’d had so few relationships since he’d left Byron, so little time for sex at all. His cock twitched at the memory of the things they’d done. And Mace? Gods, so many fantasies threatened to pop to life, his body shook from the strain of holding them back.

  He’d wanted her from the moment she’d walked into his life. He’d never stopped wanting Byron. But it was hardly the time to ponder his sex life.

  “Byron, I think you should listen to her.” He inched forward. “You won’t get any answers if you’re dead. I know how much you hate not knowing what’s going on.”

  Byron snorted. “Death does put a kink in my information-gathering technique.” On the word kink his gaze flicked toward Alec.

  Mace cocked an eyebrow and nodded toward Byron. “You know what I need you to do, then.”

  For a moment, Alec didn’t think Byron would listen. The stubborn bastard always liked to do things the hard way and refused to take orders from others. It went against his nature. So when Byron let the weight of the blaster swing down, hooking his finger around the trigger to hold it out from his body, relief swept through him. Apparently, no one was dying today.