Forrest pretended to think. “Nah.”
Jason’s eyes narrowed. “Looks like there’s a lot I need to catch up on.”
Felix straightened. “Yes. Much.” He strode for the door. “Come. Go to stable,” he said as he passed Blue and Forrest. “Bring knife.” Vivi made a running leap just as the mercenary reached the doorway, latching onto his armor. He continued on, a cat clinging to his back.
“Damn. They grow up so fast.” Forrest followed after them.
Blue went last, rushing to get her new dagger from her room and catch up with the other two on the stairs. They headed for the barn. Light from the streets filtered to the side area, and the overhead lights gave them enough to see by.
She took a moment to greet Beast for the second time that day. Felix arranged her and Forrest next to each other, then took up a stance in front of them. “Copy.”
Blue pulled her knife, but he stopped her. “No yet. Copy.” Then he placed himself again, feet a little wider than shoulder-width apart, knees bent, arms a bit out from his sides.
She and Forrest matched his stance, and he adjusted them. “Stay.” After a few moments, he indicated for them to pull their knives. Then he stepped into the position again, this time with his own knife held before him, fist wrapped around the hilt. “One.”
They matched him, or tried to. Again, he corrected their stances, getting Forrest lower and Blue’s feet farther apart. He also moved Blue’s thumb so it wrapped around her fingers, like a fist. Forrest’s he left with a sharp nod. “One.”
He adjusted the grip on his own knife so the blade was held down, flat against his wrist. She’d seen this in movies. “Two.”
They copied him, and he corrected.
“One.” He spun the blade back to the first position and crouched down.
Blue didn’t spin, but she got her grip back to “one” and checked her stance, pushing her foot out a few more inches.
“Two.”
They switched.
“Good. New stand.” Felix placed his right foot, the one on the same side as his knife hand, before him, stance still wide. He twisted just slightly. His left hand protected his middle. He also had a new grip, the blade facing up, thumb on top. “Three.”
They got in position, and he corrected. They switched between the three as he called them out over and over, adjusting as needed. After about thirty minutes he nodded. “Next.” He grabbed Blue’s hand, the one with the knife, and brought it up to his throat. “Aim here.” He moved it down to his groin. “Here. Most blood.”
He stepped back and fell into “three.” Then he slashed up and then down. “No stab. Cut.”
Beside her Forrest nodded. “Yeah. You have to slash, not stab. The knife could get caught on bone if you stab. Unless it’s the right kind of knife.”
Felix eyed him then nodded. “Yes. You learn?”
“My father had some… interesting ideas on how a boy should be raised. We humored him. It’s come in handy, though.”
Felix’s lips thinned. “Not assume know all.” He frowned and huffed out a breath. “You,” he said, pointing with his knife at Forrest. “Learn with Blue. Most good. Fix some.”
Forrest’s grip on the knife handle tightened. Then he fell into “one” and nodded. “Fair enough.”
For the next hour they practiced those three holds over and over, inserting slashing motions. Felix had her concentrate on the leg and groin area because of her height. By the end, her arm was jelly, but she felt semi-confident she wouldn’t hurt herself if she picked up her knife. Felix helped her thread the sheath onto her belt.
She pulled the knife and went into “three.” Definitely on the way to badass. She tried to sheath the blade and missed. It skimmed along her upper thigh, and she narrowly avoided slicing herself open. Okay, one foot on the path to badass.
Chapter 15
BLUE
Two days later…
Blue was just leaving the barn, Felix behind her, when a transport pulled up in front of the inn. A cool breeze blew as two men climbed out, dressed in bodysuits that looked familiar. They look like…
“He’s here,” she said, her breath a small white cloud in the cold of the morning. Felix stood close behind her, blocking some of the breeze.
One of the men hurried into the inn while the other opened the rear door of the transport. A man stepped out, his dark hair tousled, silver studs glinting in his right ear. He looked different. The scruff of beard was gone, leaving him clean-shaven, and he was paler than she remembered. He was also wearing… jeans?
The first man came striding out of the inn and said a few words to Trevon. He looked abruptly toward the barn, and his gaze landed on her. A smile appeared, and he nodded at her. He said a few words to his men, who grabbed bags from the transport and entered the inn.
Trevon didn’t move right away, just kept looking at her, that smile firmly in place. Blue shifted restlessly. Why wasn’t he coming over? Was she supposed to go to him? And how ridiculous was this? She’d had two encounters with the guy. Two. That was it. They were memorable, yes, but she’d spent maybe an hour in this man’s company.
It was Felix who broke the stare-off. He placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back into his chest until their bodies were flush. Trevon’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded toward the inn door. A moment later he went inside.
Blue stared at the transport. “Well, that was interesting.”
“He… sneaky man. No trust.” Felix guided her to a side entrance.
Felix was calling Trevon sneaky? The irony.
They hurried up the stairs, passing one of Trevon’s men, who now carried different bags, three men hurrying after him. What the…?
Trevon stood in the doorway of the room beside hers, the one that wasn’t Mo’ata’s, looking it over with thinned lips. She drew even with him and paused. “I thought the inn was full?”
He shrugged. “I had two days to arrange things. Although I expected the innkeeper to have them gone.”
“So you just kicked them out?”
“Well, I could have had them killed, but I decided moving them to another inn in a nicer area and paying for their new rooms would be less messy.” He peered back into the room as the other of his men approached.
Felix rolled his eyes. An actual, whites-showing, full-on eye-roll. Blue continued on to her room while Trevon conferred with his man.
“Blue,” Trevon said.
She paused at her door.
“It is good to see you again.” When she nodded, he turned to Felix. “Maybe we should begin while my men see to the room?”
Felix crossed his arms.
“Felix,” Blue said. “I’m going to wash up. Can you check in with Mo’ata? He’ll want to know Zeynar is here.”
Felix nodded, and Trevon smirked. “So formal. I’ll be right here. Oh, and I spoke to your cousin. He’ll be sending any information he finds directly to me. I hope that is all right?” His gaze roved over her face. “I can have him funnel it through you if you prefer?”
Did she? “No, he can send it to you. That will be faster.” She turned back to her room but didn’t step in.
“I can arrange for you to meet with him anytime you like. Anytime you are ready.” His voice was closer.
She looked over to find him only a few feet from her. “Thank you. And… I will take you up on that. When this is over.” When she had a brain cell to spare for it. A thought struck her. “Does everyone involved in mob things speak English? I would honestly think Spanish or Chinese would be more likely. I read somewhere that more people speak those than English.”
“Hablo esos tambien, pequena estrella.” He propped a shoulder on the wall. “Do you know what the main… exports are from Earth? Chocolate, tobacco, ginger, and… cranberries.”
Felix cleared his throat, and Trevon straightened. “Blue, wash. Trevon come me.”
She hurried through her washup and then across the hall to Levi’s room. Everyone else was already there, a
rranged on mattresses and chairs. Trevon sat on the floor near the far wall, legs stretched in front of him. Blue sat next to Levi this time, listening as Mo’ata filled Trevon in on the crystals and Phillip. When they were done, Trevon leaned back, eyes closed, his fingers laced.
A few moments later he opened his eyes and fixed them on Blue. “This is more than I bargained for.”
She couldn't read him, and all traces of playfulness were wiped from him. She held his gaze. “I didn't know we were bargaining.”
“Everything is a bargain, little star. Everything.” He stood. “I'll still help, but I'll need something in return.”
Blue picked up Garfield and held him in front of her like a shield. The cub tensed and fixed his eyes on Trevon, though he didn't growl.
Trevon moved closer and stopped just feet away. “I want another kiss.”
The reactions were immediate. Forrest spun to stare at her, eyes wide. Mo'ata stiffened. Felix and Jason cursed. Levi's was the most interesting. He grinned.
“You kissed him?” Forrest's tone was guarded, and she could see the hurt in his eyes.
“Technically, I kissed her. But yes, we kissed.” Trevon crossed his arms, one brow raised. It reminded her too much of Phillip.
“You are an ass,” she hissed, then turned to Forrest. “It was last year. He'd just let me go, and we were in the scent shop. He gave me the crystals and that perfume, and then he kissed me. It wasn't really anything, didn't mean anything. He was just being... a hooligan.” She spat the last in Trevon's direction.
“Then why didn't you say anything about it? Why hide it?” Forrest asked. Vivi crept across the floor to him, making small pleading sounds. He looked down at her but didn't pick her up. His eyes when they met Blue's were dull. What was he thinking? “And what perfume?”
Her heart stopped. Why hadn't she told him anything about what had happened with Trevon? They'd promised to be honest with each other. Why had she held back? The answer came to her, and she told him, holding nothing back this time. “Because it didn't matter. And because it would have hurt you. I never expected to see him again. The kiss was nothing. It was passably pleasurable, but it was a shock and not particularly welcome at the time.”
Trevon smirked, and it definitely wasn't charming this time. “I don't know. You were breathing pretty hard by the end of it.”
Felix slapped his hand over Trevon's mouth and squeezed his cheeks. “No talk you.”
Trevon grabbed Felix's wrist and dug his fingers into the tendons. Felix's lips thinned, but he didn't let go. Blue held her breath. She should do something, but she felt frozen.
Garfield dug his claws into her arm through her sweater and undershirt. Worry came through their link and an image of Forrest crying. What? How...? Another mystery to add to the pile.
“Stop!” The word burst out of her. She stormed over to Trevon and kicked him in the shin. “You stop. You're supposed to be here to help. I don't know what you're trying to do right now, but it’s not helping.” She glared up at Felix. “Thank you for making him shut up, but this is going too far.”
She spun, glaring at all of them, even Forrest. So he was upset she hadn't told him every little thing about herself. Yes, they'd said they'd be honest, but did that mean she could have no thoughts of her own, no memories that she could pull out and look at in the dead of night? No hopes or parts of herself that were just for herself?
“You want to know where the perfume is? It's in my bag. I've never used it. I'll pull it out sometimes and look at it. Want to know what I think when I see it? I think that somewhere out there is a man who is spontaneous and charming, and, yes, he kissed me. It reminds me of my time here. It reminds me of the good and the bad, just like Mo'ata's scarf did.” She walked to Forrest and stopped just out of arm's reach. “I never used it because that's all it was. A passing moment. No, I didn't tell you because it was my moment. At the time, it didn't have anything to do with you, Forrest. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true.”
He met her gaze, his eyes cold, face blank. “You should have told me. Especially when we agreed to come back here. If he was in the running, I should have known.”
Her heart skipped a beat. Here it was. Part of her had expected this much sooner. She'd never truly believed that Forrest could be so accepting of other men being with her, dating her. He'd just thrown himself in. But so had she.
“Maybe so.” Her shoulders slumped, and she looked away. “Maybe so.”
“It's not that you kept the perfume or that he kissed you. It's that you didn't tell me. It's like... you don't trust me.”
What could she say to that? He’s right.
When she didn't say anything, he rubbed a hand over his face. “Fuck me. Fuck a duck. Fuck. I can't do this right now.” He spun around and went to the door, yanking it open. He paused for one brief moment, then slammed it behind him.
Forrest left. He... just left. Blue shivered, suddenly cold to her bones. Forrest had taken all the warmth with him.
A large chest appeared in front of her, then a face. Mo'ata, leaning over until they were face to face. “I will go talk to him. But, shopa, if this is to work, there needs to be trust and truth. Even if the truth is that it is none of our business.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and went after Forrest.
“See, sneaky.” Felix glared at Trevon, who no longer smiled.
“You owe me,” she said, voice cold, just like she was. “You already owed Forrest for Derrick. So no deal. No kiss. You will help us find Phillip and neutralize the crystal. You'll help us get it back to Levi's people. And you'll make sure that no one tries to use these again. I don't care how you have to do it. Your father did this. I don't understand the honor system of the Families, or you, but you will do these things. Because. You. Already. Owe. Us.” She was breathing heavily by the end of this, the cold bursting into a burning anger. “You will fix this, and then you will leave us alone.”
He closed his eyes and breathed in, holding it. He let it out and slumped. Meeting her eyes again, he nodded. “You are correct, little star.” His hand rose as if he reached for her, then fell back to his side. “I will fix this. But I cannot agree to that last. I will not leave you alone. But I will fix this. All of it. I promise.” The softest note of pleading crept into his voice.
Blue held her silence. If she opened her mouth, she feared she would either scream or burst into sobs, neither of which she wanted to do in front of this… hooligan.
He sighed. “I will see what I can find in my father's research. If we cannot find a way to safely transport and contain the crystal, then nothing else we plan will amount to much.” He moved to the door.
Jason intercepted him. “You crossed a line, Zeynar.”
Blue tensed. She couldn't handle any more confrontation.
Trevon glanced back at her. “You are correct, Ministry. I did cross a line. Don't make it worse. In fact, why don't you come with me and help go through the research data. Two sets of eyes are better than one.”
Jason looked at Blue, a stubborn expression on his face.
Children. They're all fucking children. What, does he want me to protest? “I can't read minds. And I am not in the mood to babysit anything or anyone. Just go fucking help him, Jason.”
Trevon grabbed his arm and dragged him out of the room. Blue collapsed onto Levi’s bed, holding Garfield to her. This was not how my adventure was supposed to go.
Later that night, Blue lay in bed, unable to sleep. Forrest had yet to speak to her. Dinner had been full of tense silence and furtive glances. The plates of meat and roasted vegetables had been steaming, the bread fresh, but she’d had to force down every bite she took. Trevon and Jason had eaten in their own rooms. Felix, who had relayed the message, said they wanted to stay on the research. Blue suspected it was Trevon’s doing, that he was trying to keep his promise to fix things, to give her some time.
She turned and faced the wall, curling into herself under the covers. She didn’t know how he could
fix things, not really. And what was between her and Forrest wasn’t for him to fix. He hadn’t broken it. She had.
Her chest grew tight, and a tear escaped the corner of her eye to roll into the hair at her temple.
A faint creak from the direction of the doorway that connected her room to theirs had her heart pounding, dread and anticipation filling her. A moment later a warm body slid under the covers beside her, and an arm wrapped around her waist.
“Hey pixie.” Forrest’s soft voice filled her ears, and Blue let out a gasping sob.
She turned and burrowed into him, arms wrapping around his waist. She clung to him like… “Octopus,” she said. “Octopus, octopus, octopus.”
His hand clenched on her back. “Shhhh. I’m here, I’m here.”
She sobbed. And it wasn’t pretty crying like some girls could do. No, this was ugly crying with snot and drool and puffy eyes. He held her through it. When it finally tapered off, she sniffed, then sniffed again.
“I need a tissue,” she mumbled. “Also, I’m a ninny.”
Forrest’s shoulders shook. After a moment, short gasping laughs escaped him. “I don’t have any tissues,” he finally said. “I think you’ll need to use your sleeve.”
“Gross. No.” She struggled up and climbed over him, rushing for the bathroom. She picked up a hand towel and quickly wiped her face and looked in the mirror. I look ghastly. She took a deep breath. Time to do this. Time to fix this, Blue.
She slowly walked back to the bed where Forrest lay watching her. He was shirtless, and the muscles of his chest and arms flexed as he shifted over, making room for her on the outer edge of the mattress. She sat on the edge, one leg dangling over the end, and studied his face.
He gazed back at her calmly, one corner of his mouth crooked up. She opened her mouth, but no words came out. His eyes crinkled. “I guess I’ll start.” He held out his arm. “Come here. I don’t want you quite so far away for this.”
She pulled back the covers and snuggled into his side.
“Did I ever tell you about the pennies?” Her question was soft.
Beyond Blue Frontiers Page 18