“Sorry, but this is a private party. I’d really prefer it if you didn’t invite anyone else.”
“What do you want?” Niels demanded in a hoarse voice.
Rian strolled forward. “You know, if I was the sort of person to laugh, I’d find that hilarious. Except, I don’t find much to laugh over these days, not since you lot got your claws into me. Actually, interesting question. Do you have claws? Can’t say I’ve ever taken the time to notice.”
Niels started to reach into his jacket but Rian leaped forward and grabbed his arm, shoving the barrel of the ion blaster under his chin and making him freeze.
“No toys for you.” Rian roughly reached into the jacket and pulled out the weapon Niels had been going for. He tossed it back to Varean without even looking at him. Thanks to his abilities and their entanglement thing, he knew exactly where the commando was standing.
Niels stared at him, eyes glittering with malice. “Fine, you’ve got me where you want me. So tell me what you want.”
“It’s simple. I want you to stop sending your minions after me. I mean, haven’t I killed enough of them? Can you really not get a clue? Didn’t you bother reading the file on me I’m sure you dickbags kept during the years I spent at the Reidar Spa Retreat on Cassius? You keep sending them, and they keep getting dead.”
“If I agree to your terms, will you release me and restore the finances to my company?”
Rian scoffed, probably the closest thing he ever got to laughing. “You really know nothing about me, do you?”
He shoved the ion blaster harder against Niels’s throat, absolute hatred boiling through him like acid. He could taste it in the back of his throat; the loathing inside him was a physical thing thrashing to get free.
Two years ago, Rian had finally started scraping some kind of life together with his ship and his crew. But Baden Niels had kidnapped Ella and put them on one hell of a collision course. Ever since then, he’d been fighting for the smallest hint of purchase on an avalanche that only kept gaining momentum, never slowing. Niels had damaged his ship, attempted to snatch Ella over and over, made Rian believe for a short time that his sister was dead, put them on the IPC most-wanted list as intergalactic terrorists, killed Jensen and Callan, and forced him to abandon the Imojenna. The bounty that’d resulted in the shite-show with Rajak Haan had been the final straw in an entire frecking haystack.
“You wanted to keep your company and your life, then you should have given up the game months ago. That black-market bounty you put out on me was the last mistake in a long line of dumb-shite mistakes you made. So, no, there aren’t any terms you can agree to. Your company is shanked. I just wanted to make sure you knew. And that mine is the last face you ever see.”
Niels grinned at him, the expression almost maniacal. “You can kill me, Sherron. But death won’t be the end between us.”
“You’re right. I’ve got absolutely no doubt I’ll see you in hell. Save me a seat.”
He tightened his finger fractionally on the trigger, letting off a single blast. The top of the alien’s head blew out and Rian released his hold, letting the body collapse to the floor. He stepped back, calmly securing the ion blaster into the concealed holster and tugging the lapels of his suit jacket straight. He waited, watching for the long moment between death and when liquification began, just to be sure. When he was satisfied Niels would be nothing more than a puddle by the time anyone found him—it—he turned on his heel to where the others were waiting, none of them looking surprised. They’d known how this was going to end.
End was probably the wrong word to use, since killing Niels had only taken care of one small, personal aspect of their bigger Reidar problem. They’d kept this low-key, avoided witnesses, gotten Tannin to cover their tracks so even when the Reidar did realize Niels had been killed, it wouldn’t be traced back to them. Or if it was, it’d take the shape-shifters a while to work out who’d been responsible.
Rian couldn’t predict whether the Reidar would come hard for him if they did figure out he’d done this, or whether they’d simply pick up where Niels left off and some other alien wearing a meat suit would become a new pain in his ass.
He stepped toward the others, automatically holding an arm out for Ella, who slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow.
Leading them back the way they’d come, he assessed the next part of the plan, which involved them calmly walking out the front doors like nothing had happened.
Once they returned to the main room and started making their way through the crowd, Rian spotted Ella’s brother.
An echo of memory—Ella’s feelings from when she’d seen him earlier—reverberated through him and he couldn’t just walk away, not when he was wired from facing down Baden Niels and the darkness was rumbling so close to the surface.
He passed her off to Varean.
“Keep going. I’ll meet you out front.”
“Rian.” Ella was staring at him with wide eyes, but Varean seemed to understand and had a firm hold on her when she tried to break away. “What are you going to do?”
“Just go with Varean and Kira. I’ll catch up in a minute.”
He could hear her protests as he strode away, skirting the crowd and stalking his quarry. He didn’t have a plan, didn’t really know what he was going to do, not until he got closer and overheard the guy talking.
He sounded like a pompous ass. His gaze was calculating, his smile too practiced. Rian liked to think he had excellent instincts when it came to people, and this man left a cold sensation trickling under his skin. Besides, he’d done something to Ella that put the kind of dread in her he’d never expected the priestess to feel, especially toward someone who was supposed to be her family. In his books, that was the worst kind of betrayal: the betrayal of blood. Not that he could talk, when he was guilty of it himself.
Closing the distance between them, he barreled right up to the guy and grabbed him by his shirt collar, driving him back until he thumped into the wall. Around them, people gasped and caused a small wave of commotion.
“What is the meaning of this?” the man demanded. “Who are you?”
Rian leaned in, getting in the guy’s face. “Never mind who I am. You don’t need to know. But I know who you are, and I know what’s owed. I’ll be coming for you. One day soon, you’ll turn around and I’ll be there.”
“I don’t understand! What is this about? I haven’t done—”
Rian tightened his hold on the shirt collar, twisting and cutting off his words. “You’ve done plenty. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you know exactly what you’re paying for when the time comes.”
“Sir! We must ask you to release Diplomat Kinton at once.”
Rian glanced over his shoulder to see two security officers had come over. He returned his attention to Ella’s brother, who was looking slightly triumphant, despite the hold Rian still had on him.
“Oh, I nearly forgot. I have something to give you. It’s from your sister.”
Kinton’s face dropped into a mask of complete shock that Rian enjoyed just a little too much.
“Miriella? She’s alive?”
He released the guy and took half a step back with a suggestive smirk. “Oh yeah, she’s alive. I can definitely guarantee that.”
“What have you done to her?” Kinton’s expression darkened with anger.
“Nothing she didn’t want. Including this.” He hauled back and punched Kinton in the face, going for precision instead of strength. He caught him in the mouth, exactly where he’d been aiming for, and sent the guy sprawling to the floor with a split lip.
The two security officers immediately sprang into action as some kind of alarm went off. Rian spun, ducking under the arm of one while he kicked out at the other. With a few simple moves, he’d put both the officers down next to Ella’s brother.
He turned to survey the silent crowd, who were staring unabashedly at the spectacle. A waiter stood gaping nearby with drinks on a tray. Rian went over and
took a bourbon in each hand, tossing them back one after the other. He chucked the expensive crystal glassware over his shoulder to shatter on the floor as he walked off. He then tugged at his cuffs, settling them back into place.
“This was one hell of a party.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
The chiming of Qae’s comm on the nightstand next to the bed roused Cami from the doze she’d been enjoying, naked and half sprawled across Qae’s chest. She was feeling decidedly lazy because in the past eighteen hours since they’d returned to the ship and started heading for a dwarf planet called Conroy, Qae and she pretty much hadn’t left his bed. Not that there was much else to do. And considering where they were going once they met up with the others, she figured they should enjoy the downtime while they could get it.
Qae stretched with a groan and then groped for the comm. He didn’t pick it up, but tapped at the screen.
“What is it?” he asked over a yawn.
“We’re approaching Conroy,” Lianna answered, presumably from the bridge. “We’ll be landing in around half an hour. Rian already contacted the ship to say they’d arrived.”
“Okay, I’ll be up in a minute.” He tapped the comm again to disconnect the call, then turned to kiss her on the head. “You stay here. I’m going to hit the shower.”
She rolled onto her back, out of his arms, and watched with a lazy gaze as he crossed to the privy. With a sigh, she enjoyed one last moment of peace, inhaling the subtle scent of Qae on the sheets and shivering lightly as she recalled what they’d spent most of the last hours doing. After she’d finished indulging in the moment, she got out of bed and by the time Qae emerged from his shower, she was dressed and waiting for him.
“Thought I told you to stay in bed.” He jammed his feet into his boots and came over to her. He slid his hands around her waist and pulled her into him.
“Is that all you plan to do with me now?” She looped her arms around his neck. “Keep me naked in your bed so you can have your way with me whenever you want?”
“Sounds like an idea.” He leaned in to kiss her, but the serious gleam he saw in her eyes stayed him. “What’s wrong?”
“I know we’ve got other concerns, but I can’t help worrying what my father is going to do to you when he finds out about us, especially since you made that promise.”
“He can’t keep scaring off your boyfriends forever. And I think you’ll find I’m not so easily intimidated, especially once I set my sights on something I want.” He shifted in, pressing their bodies together. “And I very definitely want you, Cami Blackstone. No matter what your father does, I won’t be going anywhere.”
“So you’re serious about me, about us?” Her words were pitched low and quiet, as if she wasn’t sure whether she should be voicing them aloud.
He set his hand against her cheek. He hadn’t committed himself to anyone since Ebony. Losing her had hurt too much, so it’d been easier to have shorter, less intense relationships. He always cared about the people he got involved with, liked to have a special connection to them. But he only let himself care a certain amount. He’d certainly never let himself fall in love again.
Except Cami had come along, and she’d taken him down without him even noticing. Sure, he’d been aware he liked her, thought she was sexy as hell, impressed by her tough-chick attitude. But it’d taken her almost dying for him to realize how deep his feelings ran. That was why his promise to her father hadn’t mattered as much anymore. He’d let his honor take a beating in return for a chance with Cami. A real chance. To have something he’d never realized he was so desperate for.
“I don’t think you understand,” he returned in a low voice that matched hers. “I don’t make promises lightly and I never break them.”
“But you broke your promise to my…” Comprehension dawned as she trailed off.
“Exactly. Still need to ask if I’m serious about you?”
She shook her head, eyes wide and gaze disbelieving as she stared at him.
He caught her lips beneath his, putting all of his determination and resolve into the way he kissed her. If she couldn’t believe his words, maybe he could show her.
Did she really find it so hard to believe he was completely taken with her? That after almost having her die in his arms, he wasn’t about to let anything or anyone get in the way of them? He’d learned long ago life was too short and too fragile. Other people might spend days or weeks agonizing over decisions, but he made them fast and then stuck to his guns. When it came to Cami and her father, he got the feeling that sentiment was going to end up being more literal than figurative.
She gently extracted herself his grasp. “Come on. We’ve got work to do.”
They headed up to the bridge where the others were all waiting, the dwarf planet of Conroy getting closer in the viewport as Lianna put them on a trajectory to land.
They hadn’t actually discussed what was going to happen next because they’d been so focused on their plan to take down Baden Niels. They’d syphoned off eighty thousand dollars from Deiter Industries and had it transferred to untraceable hard creds.
The two-week deadline her father had given them was almost up. Once Rian and the others rejoined them, they’d have to work out the logistics of getting the creds back to her father and then going to Lander.
No one said much as Lianna guided the Ebony Winter in and they landed at a smaller spaceport in one of the regional cities, rather than the main inter-galactic spaceport in the capital.
There were only a handful of other ships berthed, and Lianna set the Ebony Winter down right next to the Medulla, hailing as she did so.
Cami followed Qae down to the cargo bay, where he released the hatchway and went to lean against a crate. Tannin, Zahli, and Jase appeared and a few minutes later, Rian, Ella, Kira, and Varean walked up the ramp.
Greetings were briefly exchanged, before Jase announced he was putting on the coffee and cooking up a meal—though whether it was lunch or breakfast, no one was really sure. They made their way up to the common room and soon everyone was catching up on what they’d all been doing while they’d been separated. By the time they were finished eating and the dishes were being cleared, talk had moved on to what was going to happen next.
“The untraceable creds are waiting to be picked up from a private deposit on Conroy,” Tannin told Rian.
“Add the Medulla to the bounty—since I doubt anyone at Dieter Industries is worried about one missing ship right now—then technically, we got Blackstone twice the bounty,” Qae put in.
“So we get the creds and make a run back to the Barbary Belt before we confront Alvar Galton,” she said.
“We?” Rian had his arms crossed and stood with his legs braced wide apart in his usual commanding manner.
“Cami is coming.” Qae set a hand on her shoulder in support.
Rian’s gaze tracked the movement, one eyebrow arching slightly. “Thinking with your dick?”
Cami had to clench her fists against blurting out anything in return. Rian could be such an ass.
Qae straightened, anger edging into his expression.
“As much as I enjoy hearing your esteemed opinion, shite-head, in this case, no, my dick has nothing to do with it.”
“Cami has no business with Galton or my ship. She can take the creds and the Medulla and head back to Tripoli. You and your dick are more than welcome to go with her.”
Zahli put her hand up. “All in favor of not discussing Qae’s dick anymore.”
Jase laughed, but Rian cut the two of them an annoyed look.
“Actually, I have business with Galton,” Cami said. Before she could think about it, she undid the top two fastenings on her shirt.
“Cami— ” Qae started in a low voice, but she ignored him and drew the shirt over her head, leaving her standing in a singlet with the tattoos on her arms exposed to other people for the first time ever. If she really was going to get past this, she had to learn not to care what anyone thought.
All these years she’d been punishing herself by hiding away and feeling ashamed.
The silence in the common room was suddenly so thick she could have carved it up with her knife. But she kept her gaze on Rian. His eyes tracked her arms and returned to her face, expression impassive and not giving any hint to his thoughts.
“Galton is responsible for this. My father has spent years trying to exact his revenge for it, but I think it’s time I stepped up and saw to it myself.”
The silence continued, everyone waiting for Rian to respond.
“We’re not going back to Tripoli first,” he finally said in a low tone. “Even if the deadline is up. I don’t want to waste the time. You can contact your father on a sub-space linkup and sort it out with him.” He turned to Lianna before anyone could agree or not and said, “Plot a course for Lander and give me an ETA.”
Lianna went over to the bridge while the others all dispersed.
So that was it? Rian had decided, and everyone just went along with it? Had he agreed to let her go with them?
Qae took her elbow. “Come on. We’ll go down to my quarters and contact your father from there.”
They didn’t say anything until the hatchway of Qae’s cabin had closed behind them.
“What just happened?” she asked, knowing she sounded confused.
“Rian just happened.” Qae didn’t bother to hide the amusement in his voice as he went over and lowered the viewscreen then brought up sub-space communications. “That was his way of agreeing that you could come with us.”
“The man clearly has an ego problem.” She put her shirt back on as she crossed to stand in front of the viewscreen next to Qae.
“You get used to it,” he replied distractedly as he activated a sub-space linkup.
“Really?” she returned skeptically.
He paused, looking thoughtful. “No, actually, you don’t.”
She gave a low laugh as he went back to his task. A moment later he looked up at her.
“Ready?”
“No, but do it anyway.”
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