by Smith, S. E.
Red hauled the man to his feet as Jake kept a bead on the middle of his forehead.
Liam was slashing the ropes on Tassia’s ankles, having already freed her hands, when suddenly the assassin yelled a gurgling cry of agony and collapsed to the deck, nearly taking Red with him. The man convulsed a few times and lay still.
Squatting next to the body, Red took his pulse. “Dead. Musta had some kind of suicide tab in his mouth. High grade poison from the way it acted.”
“He was RNR,” Tassia said after Liam ripped the gag off her mouth as carefully as he could, there being no easier way to accomplish the task.
Acid roiling his gut for causing her more pain, he said, “Sorry, I know that hurt, sweetheart.”
She clung to him, weeping. “He was going to kill me.” One fist pressed to the center of her chest, she wheezed. “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe.”
“Seal the corridor,” Jake said on the security channel, addressing Maeve and his own forces. “No one in or out. I don’t want word of this hitting the passenger decks. I’m calling the captain now.”
Dr. Shane, who was Jake’s wife and the Zephyr’s chief Medical Officer, bustled in as Liam laid Tassia on the couch in the living room and pulled the edges of her torn blouse together. He yanked an afghan off the arm of the divan and covered her chest and shoulders. “She’s been cut, and she’s having trouble breathing,” he said as he arranged a pillow under her head. He touched the purple bruise on her cheek gently. “Any other injuries?” Anger at what she’d endured rode his nerves like a buzzing electrical charge and frustration at not being able to make her feel better immediately ratcheted up his tension. But Tassia needed care and tenderness right now so he’d do his damnedest to anticipate her every request.
“Not really. One shallow knife cut on my side. He was getting ready to—to torture me.” Tassia had a death grip on his arm. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m right here. No way I’m leaving you, sweetheart. Now let the doc get a good look, okay?”
“I’m giving you something to calm you down,” Dr. Shane said after a brief exam, pulling an inject from her bag. “Your heart rate is sky high, understandably, and the breathing difficulty is extreme anxiety.” The doctor slanted a glance at Liam. “I’d like to get her out of the cabin to somewhere more peaceful.”
“Does she need to go to sickbay?” Jake asked from behind them. “I have to keep this all below the passengers’ scanners if possible, but if she requires treatment—”
Dr. Shane shook her head and patted Tassia’s arm. “Let me seal this superficial knife wound. Although I’m sure it hurts like crazy, you should be ok. No need to go to sick bay. I can give you an antibiotic inject as well. Do we have an empty cabin on a crew deck we can give her?”
“No, I don’t want to be alone,” Tassia gasped.
“You won’t be,” Liam said. “I’ll be guarding you twenty-four-seven till this is settled. Even if I have to take personal time off to do it.”
“Can we—can we go to your cabin now?” Tassia asked, closing her eyes. “I’d like to get out of this place.” Tears squeezed out from under her lashes, and Liam hugged her hard, overwhelmed with the idea of how close he’d come to losing her forever. “I loved it here, my own private space but now…it’s ruined.”
“Jake.” He waited until he had his superior’s attention then said, “Permission to take her to my cabin, at least for now? Get her out of this mess?”
Jake walked to the couch and checked with his wife the doctor, who nodded.
“All right. We’re going to have to interview you later, Tassia.” The Security Chief glanced at the scene, his gaze settling on the dead assassin on the deck just inside the bedroom area. “Clearly, there’s a hell of a lot we don’t understand about this event, but I’m glad you’re ok. The captain is going to want to talk to you as well—this is above my pay grade.”
“Of course. Thank you all for coming to help me.” She looked at Liam. “How did you know I was in trouble?”
He rubbed the back of his neck, conscious of his boss regarding him curiously, awaiting his answer. “F’rrh came to tell me.”
Jaw dropping, she blinked in surprise and put her hands on her hips. “Really?”
“Yeah. Materialized out of thin air on Level A and made it clear there was a problem. Spoke to me, gave me a mental picture when I didn’t understand the words.”
“She’s never done that.”
“Well, she did today, thank the Lords of Space.” Liam vowed to himself later he’d find out what if anything F’rrh liked, be it special cat food or a soft pillow or the finest Old Terra catnip and he’d buy a truckload of it for the creature.
“And F’rrh is who?” Jake asked, brow furrowed. Liam was reasonably sure his boss was upset over Liam raising yet another mystery in the case.
“It’s a long story, boss. It’ll all be in my report. I give you my word.” He hoped his superior would let it go for now.
Eyes narrowed, Jake studied him for a moment until his wife touched his arm and said, “It would be best for Tassia if we allow her to leave the room. I’m concerned how shaky her breathing remains.”
“All right, full report on my desk by the end of the day, and I mean every damn detail, got it?” Jake pointed a finger at Liam, and his jaw was clenched.
“Thank you, sir, full details, duly noted.” Liam turned to bend over Tassia. “Can you walk or do you need me to carry you?”
“I think I can walk. I’m a little woozy.” She held out her hand, and he helped her to her feet, where she swayed briefly before catching her balance. “I should take F’rrh’s box with me.”
“Sorry, not right now,” Jake said, shaking his head. “Everything here is evidence. But the room and the contents will be under constant guard.”
“I’ll be on alert and monitor as well,” Maeve said from thin air.
“Emily, I need you to come certify this guy as DOA,” Jake said to his wife.
“I’ll come up to your cabin and check on Tassia as soon as I can,” the doctor said to Liam as she prepared to move to the bedroom.
As they reached the door, Tassia hesitated. “Are there people in the corridor or the grav tube?”
“Corridor’s clear, ma’am, per Officer Dilon’s orders,” said the security woman guarding the portal. “All crew on this level confined to quarters or sheltering in place.”
“I don’t want to be gawked at,” Tassia said to Liam, fidgeting with the fringe on the afghan she wore as a shawl. Head bowed, her voice was so soft he could barely make out the words, she added, “That must seem foolish to you since I was so nearly killed, but—”
“I get it completely.” He put his free arm around her but didn’t holster the blaster. “We’re going to walk straight to the grav tube and ride down to Level Fourteen, then walk to my cabin. You can stay there until we’re required to go see the captain.” Liam kissed her forehead. “I’ll be with you every second, and I’ll take care of you, I promise.”
“People will speculate, though, about what they heard. I know how gossip spreads on this ship,” Liam right beside her, she stepped into the nearly empty hall.
“Tass, what happened? Are you ok?” It was Micki, standing in the corridor, hands on her hips, face set in belligerent lines as if daring the security officer to shoot her. She glared at Liam. “Is she going to be all right? Do you need me to come with you and help take care of her?”
Tassia pivoted toward her friend and Liam signaled the other officer to allow Micki to pass. She ran to them and enveloped Tassia in a hug. The two girls clung together for a minute or two, Micki stroking her friend’s hair in a comforting fashion, and then Tassia stepped away, extending her free hand to Liam. “I’ll be fine. Liam’s going to take care of me tonight. We can talk tomorrow, ok?”
Micki squeezed the hand she still held. “Whenever you’d like. Call me if there’s anything I can do.”
“The less said, the better.” Liam gave the
dancer his best threatening glare, honed over years of work in the military and security. “Neither Tassia nor I, nor Captain Fleming want this incident discussed, understand?”
Face set in serious lines rather than her usual good humored grin, Micki made a motion across her lips as if sealing them. “No one will ever hear anything from me.”
“Return to your own cabin now, ok?” Liam said gently.
Without waiting to see if Micki would obey, he and Tassia made the quick trip to the tube. He noted how she was allowing her hair to partially obscure her face, as if she was hiding, even from him.
“What will I tell her tomorrow? Or any of the others?” Her voice sounded thick with emotion.
Wishing he could make the situation simple for her, but knowing there’d be various hurdles ahead, he kept his voice gentle. “Captain will probably say it was a readiness drill. Don’t worry, no one is going to learn the truth from any of us. Ex-military can keep their mouths shut. Can you trust Micki?”
Tassia nodded. “She’s been a good friend since the day of the auditions. She has a big heart, I think.”
One lone crew man was descending in the grav tube but, other than giving Liam a wary glance when he saw the blaster, he said nothing and went on his way.
Liam took a deep breath once he had her safely in his cabin, with the door sealed. Holstering his blaster, he watched Tassia make her way to the couch and collapse. “Can I get you anything?”
“Synthcaff would be heavenly,” she said. “The doctor’s inject is making me drowsy and took the edge off my panic, thank the goddess, but I’m craving something hot and sweet.”
“Coming right up.” He hastened to his small efficiency kitchen and made them both cups of the beverage. When he came into the living room, he paused. “Well, hello,” he said to F’rrh, who was curled up next to Tassia, third eye closed.
“She’s not acting normal today.” Tassia accepted the mug he gave her. “But then, it’s not a normal day, is it?” Tears tracked down her cheeks.
“Aw, hell, sweetheart, go ahead and cry it out if you need to. You must have been completely terrified.” He sat next to her and held her, allowing her to slide onto his lap when she made her preference clear. After she’d been so recently traumatized by the would-be assassin, Liam didn’t want to offer her unwanted contact, but Tassia burrowed into his arms, trembling and curled up protectively. He hugged her as tightly as he could.
“I’ve only been that frightened once before in my life, as a child,” she said. “I prayed for you to come tonight, but I knew there was no hope. And then, unbelievably, there you were.”
He couldn’t bear the thought of what would have happened if the jenfellini hadn’t summoned him. To find Tassia murdered tomorrow would have broken him. “It was the guy who sent you the flowers, wasn’t it?” At her quiet murmur of agreement, he swore again. “I should have gone and made it clear to him he needed to stay the length of the ship away from you.”
“No, don’t blame yourself. It wouldn’t have made any difference. He was RNR, sent to kill me. He wasn’t an obsessed stalker.” Her voice quavered, and she kept her head lowered, leaning on him.
“Why you? What reason could he possibly have?” At the idea of her being targeted by the RNR, a chill slithered down his spine. Remembering his previous intuition that she was on the run and hiding secrets, he held her tight. “I need to know the whole story now, sweetheart, so I can protect you. Help you. Before we have to explain anything to Captain Fleming.”
Tassia took a deep breath, set the mug on the table with a thump, and sat straight. “I’ll have to tell the captain so I might as well start by telling you.” She gazed deep into his eyes. “I trust you.”
“Tell me what?” Nothing she could say was going to change his feelings for her but he sensed major trouble might lie ahead. No matter what challenges Tassia had, he’d stand with her and do his best to defend and protect her.
Raising her head as if she wore a crown, she said, “I’m the Imperial Princess Alynnskaya Tassiamilla Oleavna, sole survivor of the mass assassination that sparked the Ruatsar Rebellion.”
He stared at her, not sure he’d heard correctly, waiting for her to clarify the oddly timed joke, and then he realized she was deadly serious. She was the embodiment of the persistent urban legend, whispering through the stars, telling of the mysterious survival of one member of the doomed family.
“It’s a long story, but the RNR forces have been hunting for me almost my entire life.” Her voice was weary and her hands shook. “They’ve also been trying to regain the crown jewels, which the enemy believes I possess, but whatever bits of jewelry I had were sold long ago for food, a roof over our heads, or passage to the next solar system by the woman who was my rescuer and guardian angel.” She watched him. “I’m trying to reach asylum at the court of my great aunt, but it’s been a long and difficult journey through many Sectors.”
“And she lives on the planet where we’re stopping next, doesn’t she? Dyenbachar Five. The Sector Hub.”
Tassia nodded to confirm his guess. “The RNR was getting desperate because once I join her, I’ll be protected.”
“So, that’s why you were leaving the ship at the next port.” He rose and paced the length of his cabin a few times, trying to take it all in. She wasn’t going to stay with me no matter how hard I tried to convince her. Happy as he was over the successful resolution of her narrow escape with the assassin, the possibility of losing her so soon anyway burned. He was head over heels in love with her, and she was a princess merely passing through his life on her way elsewhere.
Tassia yawned and laid her head on the couch cushions. “Can we talk more later? Or in the morning? I can’t keep my eyes open. I feel too dizzy to walk either.”
“Must be the drugs. Let me get you something else to wear, a big T shirt maybe, and you can have my bed. The captain and Jake will have to wait for their debrief until you’ve recovered from doc’s inject.” He came to her, picking her up and carrying her to his bedroom. F’rrh trotted behind them and levitated onto the foot of the bed as Liam laid Tassia down.
“If anyone needs to talk to me, wake me up,” she said as he dug a clean gray T shirt out of the bureau for her. “I don’t mind.”
Staring resolutely into the living room while she changed, he said, “Jake and the captain have plenty to chew on for now, no problem. Expect to talk to them first thing in the morning, after breakfast. I’ll be right outside this room all night, and I’ll be by your side when you go meet with them, I give you my word.”
“You can turn around now. Can you let the director know I won’t be dancing tomorrow?” Smoothing the fabric over her hip, she sounded tired, her voice thin.
“Sweetheart, don’t fret over the small stuff right now. Yes, I’ll call her as soon as Jake says we can break the embargo on this and what the official line is going to be.” He paused on the threshold. “Can I get you anything else? Do anything else for you?”
She beckoned to him with one finger and a small smile, pulling him closer when he sat on the edge of the bed. She kissed him on the lips. “Saving my life was enough for one day.”
He waited while she reclined then drew the covers over her. F’rrh had her third eye open, staring at him, but she curled up next to Tassia like any well behaved cat might and purred. Running one hand through his hair, Liam walked back into his living room. As if on autopilot, he cleaned the two mugs and put them away, trying to assimilate the fact the woman he loved was leaving the ship—and his life—forever and in just a week’s time.
“Oh hell’s no, I’m not giving up this easily.” Striding to the desk, he opened the link to the Ship. “Maeve, I need to do some heavy duty research. Give me all the access you can. I may need to place some interstellar coms as well. You can charge my account.”
“Anything you need,” the AI said promptly.
6
In the morning, Liam accepted delivery of an impressively loaded breakfast tray sen
t up from Chef Stephanie. He knocked on the door frame of the bedroom and advanced into the room as Tassia sat up, rubbing her eyes. “Breakfast is here. The chef doesn’t know what happened obviously, but I asked her if she could send up something restorative. Apparently, the doc asked her the same thing already, so Stephanie outdid herself. She’s good people all right. We have to be in the captain’s wardroom in an hour by the way or I wouldn’t wake you up.”
“No problem. I understand completely.” She combed her fingers through her hair and grimaced, stifling a yawn. “I’m grateful the captain waited until this morning.”
“And you slept well?” His concern was all for her state of mind, and he scanned her for visible signs of her emotions the day after surviving such a horrendous event. Her breathing was normal, there was color in her cheeks, and her eyes sparkled, all of which was reassuring.
“Your bed is comfortable, as I know all too well.” She blushed a bit as she stretched like F’rrh might have done, catlike. “I missed you though. Did you sleep?”
“I caught a few winks, don’t worry.” He took the hand she extended to him and squeezed lightly, kissing her cheek as she made it clear she wanted more contact. She leaned on him as she crawled from the bed. “I’ll set the table and open up the serving dishes. If you want to take a shower before you eat, go ahead, the food will keep warm. Jake delivered some of your clothing a couple of hours ago. I’m pretty sure Emily made the selections, not him. Fashion’s not his area of expertise.”
“All of you are so kind to me.” Tassia teared up as she spoke, and her voice was husky.
“Hey, you’re part of the Zephyr family.” He noticed the way she winced as she stood and the angry red lacerations on her wrists from the restraints the assassin used. “Are you in pain? Should I call the doctor?”
Tassia pressed herself against him, head resting on his chest, arms locked behind his back. “I’ll be fine. No need to bother the doctor.”
Liam hugged her, trying to ignore the mix of emotion and arousal in his mind. Tassia didn’t need any uncomfortable signals from him, not now. Unable to fight the impulse, he stroked her shining hair, enjoying the silky texture under his rough palm. “You’d better get going if you want to eat before we have to go see Captain Fleming. He doesn’t tolerate being kept waiting. And this is his ship.”