by Imogene Nix
“Well, there are problems from what I understand, vast economic issues relating to Reunion. I need you to follow those through. Investigate whether they might have some bearing on the hit that has been ordered against Madam Kumi.”
Her breath fled. Could that be it? Could it really be that simple? She waited as she slipped her hands under her legs. She tossed the ideas over in her head. It’s like a puzzle, a pastime I’ve always been found intriguing. Dealing with the economy is like completing a puzzle. Can this be the same?
She rose from her seat, hating the squeak that gave her away. For the first time, she cursed the ancient furniture she’d received from her family, but the conversation didn’t slow or halt. Her stealthy footsteps took her closer to the wall and doorway.
“I need this cleared up quickly, Major.” His words reminded her that he was there for a short while, only to capture the person or persons who wished her dead. “I will not waste my life hunting down some petty criminal while Reunion rots away beneath my feet.”
Her guts clenched. Hard. He doesn’t want to be here? On Reunion? Why not? Her brain whirled madly. It wasn’t as if this planet was some dark end of the universe. He could still run his ship and... She forced her mind to consider, objectively, the situation. He never promised anything, and dear gods, the one time I nearly got him where I wanted him, he backed off at a million miles an hour!
Kumi stepped back away from the wall. She didn’t want or need to hear any more. There was a sensation in her chest that she’d never felt before. Cold and heavy with jagged edges, or maybe it was her heart, splintering. Either way, it stole her breath. Ungainly footsteps took her to the desk and she gripped it hard, glad for the stable surface as her knees wobbled. Her glance out the window took in nothing of the shining, sunny day. Instead, she fought to control the pain.
He doesn’t love you. He never will. The truths battered her while she gasped into the silent room. She raised a hand to her mouth, hoping to muffle the sounds she made. After all, it’s not like I... In that instant, knowledge of her own feelings flared. I love him. Kumi bowed her head under the onslaught of the intense emotions. I love him. He doesn’t love me.
“Then I guess I will just be wedded to Reunion.” She pulled her hand away, gulping heavily before muttering the words, trying them out for size.
It wasn’t enough. It would probably never be enough. She would prepare herself for a long, lonely life, fussing over Renjiro and Selina’s children. And any Tomi had too. She could be the fabulous spinster aunt instead, who entertained the children and then gave them back. It was an empty future which stretched out before her.
One breath. Another. She had to rein herself and her emotions in before he came out and found her. It wouldn’t be long. She needed control.
The burn on her cheeks had settled to a deathly cool, but she accepted it. “I won’t embarrass myself.” Then she made her way to her seat, reengaging her computer. No, she’d work her way through the pain.
Chapter 3
Carmichael glanced in Kumi’s direction. She’d been silent and almost withdrawn since he’d seen his tactical officer out of the apartment. It wasn’t any one thing he could put his finger on. She answered him when he questioned her, but the answers came in short bursts. Instead of her intense glances, she barely even turned in his direction and focused almost entirely on the screen in front of her.
He stalked the length of the room. Stopped. Ran his fingers through his short hair then turned. Paced back to the other end of the room. “Tell me about the financial crisis.”
He watched the way she stilled. “What particularly do you wish to know?”
Her gaze slid over his shoulder and he controlled the urge to turn and see the report she’d been reading. “How did this occur?”
Her head tilted, and for an instant he was reminded of a bird he’d once seen—the way it had watched him, as if weighing what his action would be. “Do you think this has bearing on the rest of your mission?”
“I don’t know. But what I do know is we need to catch whoever is behind the hit. And soon.” He turned and strode to the end of the room, dropping down into a chair with a sigh. His body was healing, but slower than in the past. The medic had explained his age was a factor. Getting older was a bitch.
“I honestly don’t know where to start.” She lounged back into her chair. “When my predecessor finally left, we started to discover that everything was really a house of cards. With one puff, everything will fall down.”
“So, how does that affect the Federation?” He closed his eyes, ready to let her soothing, melodic voice wash over him while he continued sorting through the facts in his head.
“Reunion is the jewel in the Federation crown. It was one of the first signatories, but you already know that. Each of the first planets had a role, and ours was to be the food bowl for the Federation. Being a mainly agrarian planet, our people knew how to work with the land and had the oceans to harvest the best yields. Other planets were mining or centers of learning.”
“So, when you discovered the truth about the financial situation? What about how the people would react?” He watched as she shivered a little at his words.
“It would be a serious blow to the Federation. We have so little credit left. I’m trying to find a way to replace our aging fleet of freighters. We really can’t afford it, but we need the income. If it were common knowledge...” She broke off, swiping an unsteady hand over her forehead.
Financial terrorism. It wasn’t anything new. In fact, it reminded him of the plot that had nearly seen Selina die the previous year. The Indies had plotted to blow up the Moon Base. What if it was tied to that? His mind began examining the information for linkages.
“Do you have any Indies on your payroll? Anyone with connections?”
The high whine of a laser split the air, the sound shrill, and his instincts took over. He rolled to the floor with an oomph.
“Get down!” He started crawling along the floor in her direction. Shards of high performance glass littered the floor, making his movements slow as he avoided further injury.
He reached the chair, his hands latching around her ankles. “Kumi? Gods damn it, Kumi, answer me.” There was no answer, and for a moment his mind splintered. What if she was...
Anger and fear threatened to steal his thoughts. He tugged her chair and pulled her supine form down to him. She was still, yet breathing, he noted as she lay in his arms, her eyes closed. He couldn’t see any blood and gave thanks for the small mercy.
Carmichael ran his unsteady hands over her body, checking for an injury. It was only when he ran his fingers through her silky, soft hair that he found the knot and the oozing blood. He needed to get her out of there. Watch for concussion. The sound of his blood coursing in his veins flooded his senses while in his chest, his heart beat rapidly.
He reached for his communicator as the door burst open. Three of his security team, wearing their black tactical uniforms and clutching their P-37 laser rifles, hurried in his direction. It was like slow motion. Each step brought them nearer to where he was huddled on the floor with Kumi. “You’re fine, sir?”
“Yeah. But Madam Kumi is hurt. Get me a gods damned shuttle. I want her out of here right now.” His rough words set one of the men moving into action while the other two conferred.
“They’re gone. The men on the roof have advised they pursued, but the assailant eluded them. They did, however, find something. They are retrieving and heading in our direction.”
He nodded, feeling helpless. He’d failed again. And Kumi was injured.
She moved and groaned in his embrace. “What... What happened?” Her eyes opened, and for the moment he lost the ability to speak. She was the most glorious creature he’d ever seen. Her soft weight and glowing eyes reaffirming his reason for living.
“You got hurt. There was an attack. Kumi, we have to get out of here.”
She raised a hand to her head, but he intercepted it, held it ge
ntly. “My head aches. How did I get hurt?”
He shook his head. “Not now. Once we’re out of here and you’ve been checked by a medic then we’ll discuss what happened.”
She opened her mouth and he knew she was about to refuse. Unable to help himself, he laid his finger against her mouth. The explosion of nerves stealing what was left of his common sense. He needed to kiss her. So he did, leaning in and laying his lips against hers. It wasn’t explosive or wild. It was more like a promise and a vow. It was more powerful than any other caress he’d ever shared.
When he pulled back, he studied her face. She was shocked. Her face white and pinched. Kumi closed her eyes and he felt the distance between them. “No. Not ever again.” She pushed against his chest. “I won’t do this again. I won’t fall for you so you can break my heart.”
He wasn’t sure if he should be elated or alarmed. Instead, he focused on getting her out of danger.
* * * *
“I’m such a fool.” Now that the medic had left, Kumi could lever herself up. Her head spun, but she needed a shower to wash away the grime and fear that coated her skin.
Slow and unsure, she worked at the buttons on her tunic top. It was a pity really, she liked this top, but it was shredded and stained. She wadded up the material and thrust it into the waste receptacle, pleased that the young ensign had already delivered a uniform for her to wear. It wasn’t perfect and it wasn’t hers, but it was clean, and that was good enough.
She tugged at her bra, thankful she was small enough for a front closing garment. It fell to the floor and she sighed as the cool air swept over her newly naked skin. Dipping her fingers down the waistband of her pants, she pushed, catching her panties as they moved over her hips with a shimmy.
The walk to the ablution room was only a matter of steps and she slid the door open before she closed it after herself.
“Water. Warm. Full spray.” Stepping into the shower stall left her moaning as the beat of water hit her head and shoulders. There was pain, but her muscles relaxed. Kumi pushed her hands against the wall and dropped her head, welcoming the sensations. How long she stood there she wasn’t sure, but when she finally gave the instructions for the water to cease, the throb in her head had subsided slightly.
The towel she’d spied on the hanging rail was within reach and she extended her arm, closing her hand around the thick material. It was a luxury in space to bathe with water, so she must be in one of the VIP units. She snorted. It didn’t really matter if it was. She was there to be kept safe. Not because Carmichael wanted her close by. That much had been made brutally clear as he’d disappeared within minutes of depositing her on the bed.
The medic had come by, done his thing, and applied a healing spray to her head, telling her to rest.
Carmichael hadn’t returned. She hoped he hadn’t heard her words back on Reunion though. The ones where she all but told him she loved him. That would have been the ultimate in embarrassing gaffes.
“It isn’t like you aren’t already good enough at embarrassing yourself and everyone else. First you nearly strip him naked and jump on him in the bedroom, and then you eavesdrop and realize he doesn’t want you. And just in case you missed it, he doesn’t want any association to Reunion.”
Kumi stopped toweling herself dry to look in the mirror. Staring back was a woman in her late twenties. Her short hair hung in wet strings that plastered to her face like thick, dark, wet noodles. Her skin was bronzed and she checked her lean features. Her eyes were almond-shaped and dark, shadowed. The beginning of lines had taken up residence on her face. They’re new. She raised a shaking hand to push against them. “Welcome to the world of growing older, Kumi.”
With a heavy sigh, she turned back to the door and pushed it open, only to stop short at the sight that met her eyes.
There was Carmichael, waiting for her. He’d collected up the pile of clothing she’d carelessly left on the floor. Her mouth dried as his eyes ran up and down her almost nude body. Things down below tingled and she clamped her legs together firmly. It didn’t do her any good though, a spike of desire wound through her veins.
His face was turning ruddy as if him being caught there was somehow her fault. Bravado was the only way out of this, she told her sluggish mind. “What are you... What do you want, Captain?” She tugged the towel closer as her nipples budded; sensations pulsed deep within her body.
“What do I want?” He parroted the words back to her, and a lump took up residence in her throat.
“Yes. Why are you here in this cabin?” She would swear her voice sounded breathless, but he didn’t seem to notice. She licked her lips.
“Damn it, Kumi. I’m here because...” His voice died away and he held out a hand.
Heaven only knew, she wanted him to touch her, but if he did, surely she would go up in flames. The heat and longing rose, just like it always did whenever he was around. Only this time she didn’t have her armor in place. The only thing she wore was the damned towel.
“Kumi, I... I came to see if you were okay.” His voice was strangled, and for a moment she was sure there was a glimpse of something more in his eyes.
“I’m fine, as you can see.” She stood still while her body cried out for him. Each passing second eroded another small bit of the barrier she’d reinforced around her heart.
“I’m glad.” He took a step forward.
Her stomach wobbled and she nearly stepped back, away. His gaze ran over her naked shoulders, stopped for an instant at the swell of her breasts then flicked away to the wall. Her body flamed hotter.
“I’m so damned glad.” He stepped again, until he was against her. Tall and muscular, this blond-haired, blue-eyed man. “You have no idea just how glad.” Then he kissed her.
* * * *
“What have you learned?” The major stood at the tactical desk while Carmichael took a seat.
“Sir, we have retrieved the item. It looks like an electronic address book. There is no identifying information though. I have the boys going through the encryption now. The only other thing is that we think one of our guys winged the assassin. We found blood on the ground under the point where we believe the air bike was stationed. The men have taken scrapings. The downside is that it’s a public access-way. So we’ll have to decontaminate the DNA before we can begin to match the genetic sequence. Senator Ito has cleared access to the global DNA banks so we can type and match as quickly as possible.”
Carmichael listened in silence, knowing that the whole time he was talking to Major Bortheays the medic was closeted with Kumi. She was in the best possible hands, but it didn’t make him feel any better. He wanted to be with her, but he’d drawn the line in the sand. Said never again. He’d never before regretted an outburst like that one. It felt like his chest had been cleaved into two pieces. He was sure he’d left part of himself with Kumi.
“What about the other line of inquiry we discussed earlier?” Carmichael stood and turned to face the wall, stopping himself from checking his wrist unit. It had to have been fifteen, maybe twenty minutes since the medic had arrived.
“Sir, I’ve got men looking into the department itself, the leaks and even checking through the communications system. I’m about to send some more out to work on gathering the communications records of everyone in the building.”
When he turned back to the major, he frowned at the concern on the man’s face. “What?”
“We’ll find them, sir. They will regret harming her. You have our word.”
They knew. They all knew. How could they? “What do you mean?”
“Sir, we know you. We have served together for many years. You don’t react like this unless it’s important to you. Unless this person, Madam Kumi, is important to you. It won’t go past my teams. But we wanted you to know. We’ll get them.”
His fingers clenched and his leather gloves squeaked. He gave a jerky nod. “Fine. Thank you, Major.”
He turned on his heel and made to the door. He stopped,
nearly turned, and told him they were wrong. That he didn’t love Kumi. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t deny the emotions that battled so deep within. So he left the office without another word.
What to do? He could go to his office—there were always plenty of reports to finalize—but he was walking back to her cabin. In the hallway, he caught up with the medic.
“How is she?”
“Captain. I’m so glad to catch you. She’ll be fine. I’ve treated her and she has received the anti-concussive hyper-spray. She’ll be sore for several days and probably have a headache for a day or two, but will make a full recovery. You should let me check you over.”
“No. I’m fine.” He verbally flicked away the medic’s concern.
“Captain...”
“I’m fine. Is she up for visitors?”
The medic nodded.
Carmichael smiled. “I’ll check in on her then. Thank you.”
The stiff inclination of the medic’s head told him he wasn’t happy with Carmichael’s decision. Carmichael waited until the medic was out of sight.
The door opened on Carmichael’s command. The room was empty, but his eyes landed on the pile of clothing littering the floor. As the door closed behind him, he bent over, scooping the discarded garments up. They were still warm from lying against her skin and carried her scent. He inhaled deeply, letting her essence fill his senses.
As he released them, he noted the door opening to the ablution room. Then she was there, her damp hair framing her fine features. Her almond-shaped eyes were dark, and his stomach cramped. He’d come so close to losing her. His face flamed as he realized all she wore was the towel. It was the only thing hiding her beautiful body from his hungry gaze.
“What are you... What do you want, Captain?” She stumbled over the words, obviously as surprised as he was. He watched as she tugged on the towel, but it highlighted the curves of her body, and his own heated with desire.
“What do I want?” He wanted to scream at the inanity of his own comments, but held onto the tiny shred of control that hadn’t yet fled.