by JC Cassels
The light shifted and flickered. Tendrils of acrid smoke wafted lightly on the air. A large, dark shadow filled the doorway. Nix whimpered, and lifted a hand against the blinding light shining in his eyes. Light glinted off a weapon in the shadow’s other hand.
It had finally happened. An assassin had finally come for his brother.
Nix tried to swallow.
Gray was dead. He didn’t have to go into the office to know the shadow had killed him.
“If you kill me, the Barron will hunt you down,” he croaked, struggling to keep his voice calm and failing miserably. “You’ll have to answer to her and Blade Devon! They’ll never stop hunting you!”
The light shifted from his eyes to the patch on his jacket, then returned to his face. The shadow said nothing.
Nix squinted, waiting, silently praying for his life.
The light died.
Footsteps neared in the darkness, moving quickly. A large hand bunched in his jacket and the shadow hauled him to his feet, shoving him hard toward the front door.
Nix stumbled a few steps, then found his feet, trying to keep up with the shadow as he dragged him outside at a brisk pace.
His heart thudded against his chest and he tried several times to swallow, but failed. Wherever the shadow was taking him, he was in a hurry. In the darkness, Nix made out darker lumps that could only be what remained of Gray’s security personnel.
Just beyond the gate, the shadow shoved him into a waiting ground cruiser. Nix huddled in a corner, shaking, as the engine flared to life and the cruiser whipped along the road. As the light from the street lamps strobed past, Nix got a good look at his hand, covered in the blood of the man he’d tripped over, and swallowed back his bile. He lifted his stare to the shadow in the driver’s seat.
He still hadn’t uttered a word. The man’s face was hidden by the black cowl of an IC Predator’s assault suit. He’d only seen the like in holofeatures. This close, it was terrifying. Nix squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to breathe evenly. If he panicked, the man would kill him.
When the cruiser glided to a stop and the shadow killed the engine, Nix lifted his head and looked around. The shadow didn’t give him much time to take inventory before he grabbed him by the jacket again and hauled him roughly out of the cruiser and up the ramp of a small spacecraft. The man paused by the hatch long enough to secure it. It clanged shut like a death gong.
The man shoved Nix into a jump seat near the hatch. “Strap in and stay put.”
He didn’t say another word. The man strode through another hatch and it closed behind him. Almost immediately the ship’s engines rumbled to life.
Nix’s hands shook so badly, it took several tries to fasten his g-locks. As it was, he was still trying to get them latched when the ship rose into the air.
He looked toward the closed hatch. Had the man taken his threat seriously? Why had he spared Nix? The shadow had likely killed everyone else in his brother’s compound. If he hadn’t, someone would have sounded the alarm. Why take Nix? Did he plan to ransom him to someone? Bo maybe? Just because he hadn’t killed him outright didn’t mean he was safe. Holy Maker, there were so many other horrible things the man could do. Nix closed his eyes against the tears that filled them, but not before several broke free and trailed down his cheeks. Akita had been one kind of hell. There was no telling what this man had planned for him.
When the engines finally changed pitch and the ship lurched into hyperspace, the hatch opened once more. The man had removed his cowl. His dark brown hair was tousled from the cowl, and his expression hard. Hell, everything about this guy was terrifying. He was about as tall as Blade and just as beefy. His craggy face was set in grim lines. His eyes were cold, deadly, and glittered like dark ice in the low light.
What would Blade do in his place?
Nix took a deep breath and lifted his chin. “What do you plan to do with me?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “Well now, that all depends on you,” he said. “You throw The Barron’s name around pretty freely.”
“She’s my friend.”
The man’s lips twitched. “If she’s your friend, then you’ll know how to find her.”
“Even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you.”
The man folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the bulkhead. “I take it you’re Gray’s brother?”
Nix nodded.
“I killed him, you know.”
A cold hand gripped Nix’s heart. “Why?”
“Because he killed my son.”
The man’s cold words couldn’t mask the pain in them.
“I’m sorry,” Nix said. He meant it. “My brother killed a lot of people. He was an evil son-of-a-kretch.”
“Are you proud of that?”
Nix shook his head. “He was a bastard to me, too. Somebody was bound to kill him. He was into too much. I really am sorry about your son.”
The man studied him for a long moment in silence.
“Listen, I need to get in touch with Bo,” Nix said. “Do you know how to get hold of Redmaster Blue?”
“Your brother destroyed Redmaster Blue.”
“Oh.” Nix’s heart sank. “Are you a Predator? IC?”
The man nodded.
Nix’s thoughts raced. “Do you know how to reach Blade Devon? He’s a Predator, too.”
“It’s all over the CNS that he’s wanted for a terrorist attack on Chiron Station.”
The boy huddled deeper into his seat. If he couldn’t get in touch with Bo and he couldn’t find Blade, he didn’t know where else to turn for help. His eyes welled with tears. “You have to help me find them,” he said. “My brother made some deals with people, bad people. Regent and General – they want to kill Bo and Blade. This General guy, he knows Blade’s weakness and he’s planning to use it against him. And Bo wasn’t the one who hurt Lord Marin. They framed her. I have to warn her. I have to warn them both.”
The man’s face softened. “You care more about Bo than you do your brother, don’t you?”
Nix wiped his tear-streaked face. “She’s the only person who’s ever been good to me.”
Nodding, the man straightened with a sigh. “Okay, kid,” he said. “I’m a believer. Come on. We’ll get you cleaned up and I’ll take you to them.”
Brightening, Nix lifted his face. “You know how to find them?”
“Yeah,” he said. “Name’s Royce. Royce Barron. I’m her uncle.”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Exhaling slowly, Bo cut the hyperdrive and nudged power into the sublight engines. Sundance seamlessly shifted into realspace with hardly a shudder to mark the transition.
“Damn, you make that look so easy,” Blade said.
She smiled at his praise. “A little more practice and you’ll be able to manage it without shaking the ship apart.”
He grinned. “Love, I am man enough to admit that there are some things I’m just not good at. You’re the pilot in the family.”
“Family. I like the sound of that.”
His gaze caressed her face. “Me too.”
Bo forced her attention to the long-range sensors. Her brow gathered. The space around Kah Lahtrec lit up with enough blips to form a fleet.
“Are we expecting company?”
“Where?” Blade leaned forward and studied the readouts.
“Around the planet,” she said. “It could be a blockade.”
He whistled. “That is one hell of a response. I wasn’t expecting so many, so soon.”
“So many?”
Blade tapped in a command and the blips lit up with transponder codes. “Most of them are RedMaster Blue ships Edge ordered to rendezvous here. It looks like a lot of civilian ships as well. Royce put out a rally call for Mondhuic expats.”
She nodded. “So you were amassing a fleet.”
One of the transponder signals caught Bo’s attention. She keyed in a command, calling up the ship’s registry. A holographic image of the ship flickered to life
over the panel.
“Holy Maker…”
Her eyes traced the sleek lines of the vessel. The bulky aft section spread wide to accommodate incoming craft.
“Is that…”
Bo swallowed. “A Black Wing med ship.”
“Well, I wasn’t counting on The Black Wing,” he said.
“There are at least two…make that three more Black Wing ships.”
One of two heavy battle cruisers assumed an intercept heading.
“They’ve seen us,” she said.
The com lit up with an incoming transmission. Bo keyed the hail.
“Unidentified vessel, you are in unauthorized space,” an authoritative voice with a Mondhuic accent said. “Please identify and state your business.”
“I’m seeing two battle cruisers and a carrier,” Blade said. “They are prepared to engage. Sensors show weapons banks fully charged and tracking.”
Her brow furrowed. “Standard procedure,” she said with an assurance she didn’t quiet feel.
“Do we trust them?”
Damn! He wasn’t kidding about being attuned to her emotions.
With one eyebrow raised in question, he waited for her response.
Her mouth pursed as she considered her options.
“It’s been a while, but if they responded to Royce’s call, they’re not in Galen’s camp. You can count on them.”
His lips quirked. “You stay optimistic,” he said. “I’ll be pragmatic. Royce said it’s not Galen they’re following, it’s his son, Jaden. He’s one of them.”
She looked sharply at him. “The last time I checked, Jaden followed me.”
“Love, you have to consider the possibility that Jaden’s desire to be Barron is stronger than any loyalty he may have to his childhood playmate. I wouldn’t take his allegiance for granted. Galen is his father, after all.”
She wanted to deny it. She wanted to scream at him, to laugh in his face, but she couldn’t. A part of her wasn’t so sure he wasn’t right. Jaden had always idolized his father. Galen was a forceful personality and a natural leader. Jaden had spent his life trying to please him.
Bo drew a deep breath and released it slowly. “Your concerns are noted,” she said. “I can only deal with starting one civil war at a time.”
“Understood.”
She opened the channel to the Black Wing ship. “Black Wing vessel, this is Sundance, Altairian registry, owned and operated by The Barron.”
“Please repeat that, Sundance. Did you say, The Barron?”
“Affirmative.”
“Bo Barron?”
“The last time I checked, there wasn’t any other Barron,” she said. “Unless I’ve been deposed in my absence?”
“No, Barron. You are the one and only.”
“As to my purpose, I’m going home.”
The com erupted with cheers from the Black Wing bridge.
Her shoulders sagged in relief. Bo’s lips twitched and she looked to her husband.
“Advance and be welcome, Barron. You are cleared to land.”
He grinned and switched off the com. “Well, I guess that answers that question.”
He called up the communications from the planet. “Ballanshi is sending an official diplomatic escort to the space port,” he said, scanning the information. “Offworlders have been granted the opportunity for shore leave, but only in designated locations that are considered Sovran territory. They’re located well outside the city.”
“That was wise of him,” she said. “The types of people who answered Royce and Edge’s call aren’t exactly the kind of citizens who follow rules well. Commonwealth law is hard enough for them to obey. Lahtrecki laws would be a nightmare.”
Blade’s hand froze over the panel. He sighed and his chin dropped to his chest as though someone had just released the air from him. Tension she hadn’t realized he’d been carrying melted from his shoulders as they sagged.
“Blade? What’s wrong?”
He turned his head slightly and met her concerned look. “Andre’s awake.”
“I thought his wounds were fatal,” Chase said from behind him.
Blade glanced over his shoulder as his brother entered the flight deck and settled into the seat behind Bo. “Thank the Maker they weren’t,” Blade said. “You saved his life by kidnapping him. Apparently Rameus was setting the groundwork for his murder.”
“So, I’m not going to face charges?”
“Only if we lose the war,” Bo said.
“Is it too late to change my name and disappear?”
Blade laughed. “You’re supposed to be the responsible one.”
“No, I’m not,” Chase said. “You can be responsible, you’re really a lot better at it than I thought. You be the responsible one for a while.” He peered out of the forward screen. “What’s going on?”
Bo followed his stare. Her heart swelled with pride. Led by the Black Wing ships, the Mondhuic vessels moved into escort position. Running lights flashed in rapid succession.
“They’re welcoming The Barron,” Blade said. “It’s an honor guard.”
Bo folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat. She didn’t bother to hide her grin.
With an amused look, Blade took the helm. “I’ve spent a lot of time with your people over the past few years,” Blade said. “Not all of them believe Galen. The Black Wing is hard to read, but your people love you, Bo. Galen isn’t Daecus-born.”
“Daecus-born?” Chase echoed. “What does that mean?”
Bo’s eyes blurred with unshed emotion as Sundance closed on the rag-tag ships lining the approach corridor. She paid little attention to Blade’s conversation with his brother. Her heart swelled with pride as her people showed their love and loyalty in the time-honored spacer way, lighting up the dark of space with their ships in frenetic, silent cheering.
“Caer Daecus is The Barron’s home,” Blade said. “It’s where Bo grew up. Daecus-born is what the Mondhuic call legitimate heirs in direct line to rule. Bo is Daecus-born. Dash is Daecus-born even though he’s never been to Mondhuoun.”
Chase rubbed his ear and looked from Blade to Bo. “Is it going to be a problem that Dash stands to inherit both titles? Barron and Sovran?”
Blade laughed. “Hell, Chase, let’s take on one problem at a time.”
***
She was still grinning like an idiot long after they’d made planetfall and her party was comfortably ensconced in the Tryrium’s ground cruiser.
Buckled safely into a child seat, Dash nestled between Blade and Ballanshi, Tryrium te Kah Lahtrec, and regaled the heavyset middle-aged man with a story in Lahtrecki. Laughing, Blade leaned forward and tossed in a helpful comment in the same language. The boy kicked his feet and waved his father to silence before turning back to the Tryrium and resuming his tale.
Blade caught her eye and winked.
Beside her, Chase sat uncharacteristically silent, his brow gathered as he stared unseeing at the floor. Tese sighed and snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
Ballanshi’s deep, booming laughter broke through her musings. He fondly ruffled the boy’s hair and smiled at Bo.
“It pleases me to see you here, Barron,” he said. “The boy needs his mother almost as much as Blade needs his wife.”
“Are the lads aboard the med ship?” Blade asked.
“Kayne promised me there would be no repeat of the last time they were here,” Ballanshi said. A merry twinkle lit his dark eyes. “So I relented and allowed them to settle into your villa where they wouldn’t bother anyone.”
Blade groaned. “So much for my liquor stash.”
“Lucky for you I talked your father out of joining them.”
Chase perked up. “Lord Marin?”
“He requested to be moved when you arrived,” Ballanshi said. “Madine was able to convince him to stay with us at the Tryriate until your arrival. The Black Wing medical ship has been tending to him.” He looked to Blade.
“I had them send your father’s medical files to you when you arrived…”
Blade nodded. “Thank you, I saw them.”
“You did?” Chase’s brow furrowed. “When?”
“When we made Lahtrecki space.”
“But…there was so much going on…”
“That’s how I knew he was conscious.” Blade grinned. “I’m used to multi-tasking,” he said. “This is what I do, Chase.”
“Your brother tells me that you have decided to join with this lovely lady beside you,” Ballanshi said, smoothly changing the subject.
Chase’s demeanor softened. He leaned protectively closer to Tese and covered her hand with his. “We have.”
She smiled up at him, but said nothing. The two of them gazed at each other in adoration.
Ballanshi cleared his throat, drawing their attention. “And you both desire to legalize your union here? On Kah Lahtrec?”
“We do, Tryrium,” Tese said. “I accept this man of my free will.”
“Nothing would make me happier.” Chase kissed her forehead.
Ballanshi smiled fondly. “Who stands accountable?”
“I do,” Blade said.
“Then I wish you a lifetime of happiness,” Ballanshi said. “Blade’s villa is quite crowded. We thought you would prefer somewhere more quiet.”
“I don’t see a problem,” Chase said absently, enraptured by Tese’s gaze.
Blade laughed. “They would love to accept the use of Madine’s family home, wouldn’t you?”
“What?” Chase shook his head in confusion.
Without comment, Blade pointed. Bo, Chase, and Tese turned to look out the front windscreen of the cruiser.
They had turned into a long drive, lined with trees and flowering shrubs. A stately yellow home nestled amidst the greenery. Its wide, sweeping balcony ran the length of the front of the house. Barbur wood shutters covered the windows. Brilliant flowers spilled out of baskets lining the balustrade, meeting up with the colorful vines climbing the side of the building.
“Oh, it’s lovely!” Tese exclaimed.
Chase looked to Blade. “All we have to do is go in there without a chaperone and we’re legally joined?”