“There you are!” He and Nick turned at the sound of Poppy’s voice and she walked over to them having, presumably, traced their location through their hy-phones. “I’ve got the plans of all the access tunnels on my computer for us to study.”
“We were hoping to catch Stickler and find out if she’d discovered anything new about Korloff,” Reese said.
“As long as it doesn’t take too long.” Poppy fell into step beside them and the chance for a quiet conversation with Nick was lost. Without knowing what the outcome would have been, Reese couldn’t honestly say whether he was more relieved or disappointed.
“We think we should all wait in Uxor’s suite,” Nick was saying, his concern for his sister coming to the fore.
“No, that won’t work. There are access tunnels that lead into both the bedroom and the outer living room, so we don’t know exactly where he’ll appear and there aren’t any cupboards big enough to hide you.”
“There’s the bathroom...”
“Which is too close,” she objected again. “You wouldn’t see him arrive from there and might not hear him, but you couldn’t keep your hy-phones on for fear of him hearing them or hearing you moving about. There’s no benefit to it. You’ll be nearly as close from next door and there’s no chance of spooking him.”
Reese had been going to back Nick up and say something but Poppy’s assessment was logical and if Korloff were to escape then Larsha might pay the price for sending him into danger.
“Then I’ll stay there,” Nick said.
“Would you quit trying to protect me all the time? I’m not a child. We have a plan and we’re sticking to it.”
Nick reluctantly admitted defeat and Reese said, “Then let’s make sure we all know where the access tunnels are in Uxor’s suite and outside it, so that nothing goes wrong.”
Poppy got her hand-sized computer out of her pocket and silently passed it to him. Reese wanted to tell Nick that everything would be all right but it wasn’t a promise he could make, so he did the next best thing and memorised the details of the plans.
Chapter Thirty-Three
THEY HADN’T managed to find Stickler and the day was drawing to a close. Nick’s worries returned as they left Poppy alone in Uxor’s room, who along with Yalfi and Kedos had already gone out. Nick and Reese were sitting on chairs in Larsha’s abandoned room, their hy-phones in their hands. Nick didn’t want to risk talking and missing the sound of Korloff arriving, although he had nearly messed the whole trap up half an hour ago, ready to run next door when he heard footsteps which turned out to just be Poppy moving position in her hiding place.
It felt odd for him and Reese to be so quiet together. Nick and his sister could sometimes spend an hour or two in each other’s company not speaking as Nick wasn’t a chatty person and Poppy could get so focused on her work that she went silent. She had changed from when they were children, being far less open with him about what was going on in her head these days and, when he remembered being in his childhood home with his sister and parents, he missed it all so much that it hurt.
What must Reese feel like having never had any family at all and, from the sound of it, having been forced to work in a factory from a young age? He thought that Reese had been going to talk to him about his past earlier, just before Poppy caught up with them, and he wished they could have had the conversation. Nick had plenty of questions but he didn’t want to push Reese into speaking about anything that was too painful.
He could tell that Reese hated what the crew had learnt about his past but Nick felt only sympathy at discovering how unwanted Reese had felt as a child. Unlovable was the word Nick had heard Reese use to Siglinde. It broke Nick’s heart to think that Reese had assumed that being abandoned had meant that there was something wrong with him, that Reese had grown up feeling so alone. Reese had pretended to be someone else because he hadn’t thought that the real him was good enough, but he was wrong. It was the real Reese who had helped Nick over and over again on Ocean and saved his life.
Nick had never been in love. He had made friends easily while he was growing up and had assumed that love would just happen to him, but it hadn’t. When he and Poppy had first started working about The Prince he had expected them to meet a lot of people, giving him a chance to find someone to care for. To be fair, they did meet plenty of people – most of them murderers or thieves or grieving family members.
Reese was the first person he thought he could fall for. The danger when they had met had made them rely on each other and, since then, they had slipped into an effortless partnership. Reese had a sharp mind mixed with a lethal combination of bravery, ingenuity and friendliness and, as the cherry on top, he was the most handsome man Nick had ever met. Nothing Nick had heard recently changed any of that and, now that he understood the reason behind the secrets, he thought he could accept them.
There was a rustling noise from the hy-phone and he immediately thought of the potential danger to his sister and held it up to his ear, tensing, about to move. There was no other sound and Reese said in a low tone, “I think it was just Poppy. She must be uncomfortable.”
Her hiding place had seemed ideal earlier but they hadn’t taken into account that they might have to wait, unmoving, for so long and that sitting or crouching down on the floor wouldn’t be comfortable for her. He glanced at his watch and saw that it was still only mid-evening. Korloff might not be here for another three or four hours, if he came at all.
“It’s a bad sign that Korloff hasn’t appeared on any more recordings,” he said, voicing his concern aloud.
“It doesn’t mean he won’t be here tonight. He might just have been more circumspect in making plans with Larsha for the robbery.”
“That’s what I’m worried about.” Nick listened to the hy-phone carefully and, hearing nothing, said, “If he’s realised that the station uses cameras now, then he knows we’ve already identified him and that gives him a strong reason to flee.”
“Maybe but don’t forget that he’s a gambler, so the fear of getting caught could add to his desire to win against us.”
Nick hadn’t considered this. “And gamblers always need more money.”
“Exactly.”
“If you weren’t ever in the British police then how did you learn so much about conducting this kind of investigation?” He had overheard Reese tell Siglinde about the police work being a lie.
Reese raised his head to give him and intense stare. After a long moment he said, “If you don’t want me to lie to you then I can’t answer that.”
So much for Nick finally knowing Reese’s secrets. This wasn’t the response Nick had wanted but at least Reese was being honest now. “Okay.”
They fell silent again and Nick glanced around, taking in Larsha’s personal possessions scattered about and the bed, still unmade, making it feel as if she could return at any time. She must be terrified and Korloff’s own fear made him even more unpredictable than when he had thought a ransom was still a possibility. Nick understood Uxor’s decision but his gut feeling was that it had been the wrong one.
They waited patiently and then impatiently, the time slowly ticking by.
Korloff never came.
Chapter Thirty-Four
“SO WHAT are you do to find daughter now?” Uxor demanded the next morning. The question might have been amusing – given that he had fired them a few days ago – if the situation wasn’t so deadly. Their big plan for catching Korloff and getting Larsha back had failed and it was possible that Korloff had already escaped from the station, leaving Larsha behind either dead or alive.
“I’ve already spoken to the station owner,” Poppy said to Uxor, “and his security people will be checking any ship leaving today more carefully than ever now that he understands that there’s a strong likelihood of Korloff trying to get away. It’s also possible that something prevented Korloff from committing the robbery last night so I want to do everything just the same tonight, if we don’t catch him earlier
.”
To be fair to Poppy, she sounded as if she had the entire case under control, even after spending more than twenty-two standard hours without sleep. Uxor gave a head shake of agreement and let them leave to continue their work.
Outside, Poppy said to the men, “We need to be alert tonight so you two should go and get five hours of sleep while I check with the security teams and then, while you’re monitoring things this afternoon, I’ll get some rest.”
“All right,” Nick said, “but if we’re doing another stake-out tonight then it’s my turn to wait in Uxor’s room for Korloff.”
“Agreed.” Poppy didn’t try to argue and Reese wished he had thought to volunteer himself first. He knew how scared Nick had been for his sister’s safety last night while Reese would be just as worried with Nick as the one in danger.
They returned to the room they shared on the ship. They had only both slept here a few times before and, although they had spent plenty of time on Ocean sleeping in the same room or – on one memorable night – under the same pile of rocks during a snow storm, this had a domesticity to it that made the experience feel more intimate. They also knew each other much better now, better than Reese was comfortable with after the gossip Iain had spread about him. This was a good chance to answer Nick’s questions about his past but, exhausted and more worried than ever about Larsha, he didn’t have the energy to talk about painful subjects.
“Don’t try to do anything heroic tonight,” Reese said. “If Korloff shows up, don’t give him a chance to say or do anything; just stun him. In fact, he’ll probably have a weapon of his own so stay hidden until we get there.”
“I don’t like guns, but I know how to use one. I’ll be fine.”
“You’d better.” Reese glanced towards the bathroom and pulled a face. “Do you think Tanya would fire me for using the proper shower in Prince’s en suite?” He had no idea who had invented sand showers but that person deserved to suffer as much as everyone who used the useless things.
“What did she say about keeping you aboard?”
“Nothing.” Reese sat down on his bed and had to forcibly keep his eyes open. “I expected her to do it as soon as she heard Iain’s tales but she might be intending to sack me after this case is over.”
Nick’s face fell and Reese was warmed to think that Nick still wanted him around so much. He hadn’t expected that.
“You’ve done good work on these two cases. If me and Poppy speak up for you, Tanya might let you stay.”
“I hope so, although I doubt whether your sister would ever put in a good word for me.”
“I’ll make sure she does.” Nick’s tone was resolute and Reese let himself believe that it might work. If they rescued Larsha.
Nick went to take a sand shower and Reese took his first chance in days to check his hyper-mails. There was a note with an attachment from his boss, sent the day after Reese had told Jolly about running into Iain, who just said he should find the enclosed document interesting. It was the police file on Iain Ferris and Reese smiled at the fact that, even halfway across the galaxy, Jolly was still helping him; he was the first reliable friend Reese had ever had.
He skimmed through the file, not surprised to discover that Iain had, like him, committed numerous crimes from a young age. A lot of them were theft – no surprise for someone alone with no money – but there were also half a dozen assault charges, several of the crimes committed against women. He didn’t think his opinion of Iain could sink any lower but then he got to the section on his employment history and Reese stared at it in revulsion: Iain now worked for the same people who had mistreated them as children.
Chapter Thirty-Five
NICK WAS woken from too little sleep by the sound of a shout. His brain foggy, it took him a few seconds to work out that the sound had come from his companion. Reese was tossing and turning on the bed beside him, eyes moving beneath his eyelids. He made another agitated sound and Nick was out of bed instantly, sitting down beside him and reaching out to gently touch his shoulder.
Reese came awake with a start and Nick said, “You seemed to be having a nightmare.”
Reese rubbed his eyes, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he stared at the bed, looking as if he was about to be ill. “There was a girl a year younger than me who died when I was eight. They didn’t even hold any kind of service for her – just threw her into the ground and forgot about her. When I was young I used to dream all the time about that, or about me or one of the other kids I knew being the one rotting in the ground.”
Nick shuddered at the thought of Reese having had such a grim past. His own family had been poor but his childhood had been heaven compared to this. His parents were kind and he’d had Poppy for company when they were working. Even when it all fell apart, he still had people who loved him. Reese must have felt so helpless, having no family to depend on. “That’s terrible. Were you friends?”
“No. Bren was a nice kid, though, always gentle.” He spoke haltingly, as if struggling with his emotions. “She tried so hard to do everything right – to obey every order no matter how tough it was. It was pointless. When she got sick they couldn’t even be bothered to send for a doctor. Several of us asked but they let her die. I remember that Iain made a joke about her death.”
Nick grimaced and hoped that the other kids had been kinder. “He’s a scumass. Don’t keep worrying about him.”
“You don’t understand: I wasn’t any better. I hated the fact that Bren died but the only real effect it had on me was to make me more determined than ever to get away.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Something was obviously troubling Reese’s conscience but nothing he had said made him guilty of anything, certainly not resembling anyone as callous as Iain.
“I later stole money from the factory where I worked and made just enough money to run. I changed my fingerprints and, just like that, I was free. I didn’t know if it would work so I left my friends behind and I never went back or did a thing for them. I keep wondering how many had the same fate as Bren, their short lives made meaningless by such a needless death.”
Nick felt tears prick his eyes at the thought of Reese blaming himself all this time for the deeds of other people. “How old were you when you left?”
“Fourteen.”
“Then how could you have helped anyone? I’m guessing that, with the country the way it was, the people who were in charge of your upbringing didn’t do anything illegal, so you couldn’t have reported them to anyone.”
“I could have taken some of them with me.”
“How? You were an escaped criminal so you would have been putting other kids in danger by letting them go with you and how would any of you have survived? I’m amazed you managed it.”
Reese rested his head on his knees. “I wasn’t the only one with a criminal side. Older kids taught me how to pick pockets and pick locks. I turned honest when I could afford it but out of fear of getting caught by the cops, not for any ethical reason.”
“You were a scared kid. Stop being so tough on yourself.”
“You don’t understand.” Reese looked up at him, despair in his eyes. “I didn’t deserve to be the one who lived. There were plenty of other kids who were kinder and more honest than me. It was just fluke that I got a chance to go.”
“Did you ever meet any of them?”
“No. Not until now. Iain.”
“Then a lot of the other kids might have managed to keep going until they grew up and could have some control over their lives. They might be living good lives now. You didn’t hurt or kill anyone. Maybe you were selfish – I don’t know; I wasn’t there – but it seems to me that you did the only thing you could at the time.”
“You really don’t hate me, do you? Despite everything.”
Nick had no idea why Reese thought he should think badly of him. Reese had been mistreated by the adults around him. They were the only ones to blame for the miserable lives the orphans had had. He opened
his mouth to say this when the bedroom door slid open.
He and Reese looked round at the small blue figure of Cee, who was standing in the doorway. “Human visit you. Stickler.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
STICKLER WAS sitting in the canteen, a drink on the table in front of her, when they went to see her. “I looked in your kitchen,” she said by way of greeting as they took seats across the table from her. “You can’t make much money from detective work if that’s the kind of muck you have to eat.”
“Good point,” Reese agreed. “What information do you have?”
“Where’s the money?” Stickler countered. The grey irises that extended over her entire eyes made it disconcerting to meet her gaze.
He began to get his wallet out of his jacket but Nick put a hand on his arm to stop him. “It’s my turn.” He reached into the pocket of his trousers and got out his own wallet, holding it open.
Stickler eyed the notes inside with a slight smile and said, “You won’t be happy about this.”
Reese and Nick exchanged worried glances, Reese immediately fearing the worst for the kidnap victim. “Larsha..?”
“Korloff, aka Lors, hates her. I’ve just heard from a couple of reliable people that, after losing to her, Korloff blamed her for the fact he got badly hurt by a money lender he was in debt to. He might have put on an act, acting all friendly with her, but behind her back he said he was going to kill her.”
“Uxor was right,” Reese said, feeling ill. “Korloff wasn’t intending to let her return to her family whether the ransom was paid or not. Him not getting the money was the only thing that kept Larsha alive.”
“It’s worse,” Stickler told them. “Korloff has been scouting around for a ship to get him away. If I’d heard about it sooner, I could’ve bribed people to catch him for you.”
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