No Quarter (Bounty, Book One) (11 page)

Gar pinched the bridge of his nose. “I guess it’s safe to say then the
Geilt
was compromised by a pro.”

“Yeah, sorry. The good news is there are only a few people who would have a clear understanding of your system, so that should help you narrow it down. It really is quite effective.”

“Didn’t look like it from where I was standing.”

Faolan placed a hand on Gar’s shoulder. The heat from the touch seeped through his shirt, tempting him to lean into the older man again. The space between them heated as Faolan smiled, leaning forward close enough to speak in nothing more than a soft whisper.

“I have yet to meet anything that can keep me out. Don’t think there is anything wrong with your ship. Your average hacker would have either needed an hour to do what I just did or someone to hand them the ship schematics.”

“No one has those. I wiped them from the space dock’s central computer after I took possession of the
Geilt
.” Gar swallowed. “And you’re far from average.”

He’d intended it to have come out as a question, but knew it hadn’t. A flare of lust flashed between them, sending electricity crackling along Gar’s skin. He didn’t resist Faolan as he shoved him against the wall next to the open door. Hot huffs of air caressed Gar’s neck as Faolan moved his lips close to his face. Gar’s body was ahead of his brain, cock already half hard in his pants. Gods, he wanted this—he needed to be with someone he could talk to, who would listen to him, who wouldn’t let him surrender to the darkness threatening to consume him. Faolan could be that man.

“You know, Gar, you’re nowhere near the norm either. There’s something about you…you feel it too, right? This
thing
?” Faolan pressed his hand to Gar’s sternum, only to flex his fingers, digging into the material of his shirt. “I know you do.”

Gar reached up and clutched Faolan’s arms and prayed the sudden spinning of his world would stop. “Not the best time for this.”

Faolan nipped at his neck. “Never a bad time for this.”

“Jason is tracking us and we are floating in space like a practice target. He’ll send more ships once he realizes we’re still alive.”

“And they will be off chasing your escape pod in some random corner of the galaxy.”

“Faolan.”

“Shut up, Gar. Just…shut up.”

Gar arched his neck back and to the side, giving Faolan complete access, silently begging him to do
something
. Faolan hummed low and deep in his throat as he latched on to the juncture of Gar’s shoulder with a playful bite.

“I want to fucking devour you.” Faolan licked a wet trail up to Gar’s ear. He flicked the lobe with his tongue. “I want to hear you beg me to fuck you. I want you to cry because I made you come so hard you saw stars.”

Gar shivered. “No.”

“Oh yes. You’ll want me. You’ll be panting for it, in fact. And I’ll deliver, but not before I have you on all fours and pleading for me to take you. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Yes, Gods, yes.
“No, I’ve never let…no one has ever—”

Faolan’s head snapped up. “You mean you’ve
never
, not once?”

Heat flushed across Gar’s face. “Don’t think I’m about to let you either.”

“Oh baby, don’t lay that kind of challenge at my feet and expect me to back down. I’ll have you begging for my cock up your ass in no time.”

Gar braced his hands against Faolan’s shoulders and shoved hard. “I don’t think so and I’m not your fucking baby.”

Faolan chuckled as he rubbed the skin through his shirt. “No? How about sugar? Sweetie? Honey?”

“Bastard, pirate.”

Gar marched away, adjusting the bulge in his pants en route to the escape pod. How the hell did he let himself get sucked into Faolan’s charms like that? He didn’t need to have someone fret over him like a child or some fragile lover. Gar had been on his own since he escaped Zeten when he was fourteen and had been doing fine on his own. He never let himself be vulnerable, let someone have control over him, or ever put his needs in the hands of anyone. The last time he trusted anyone his father and sister paid the price and now this thing with Jason—
never again
.

“Gar.”

He could handle his demons on his own. He’d been just fine before Faolan showed up, he’d be just as good when he left.

“Gar, wait.”

Gods, he needed this to be over so he could get Faolan to his ship and slip away to some nebula where he could plan his revenge. It was clear he wouldn’t get any support from the Guild now with Jason’s betrayal apparent, but there were other places and people who would be more than happy to pay a fair price for his services. Places where he would be safe once the Guild came after him for taking Jason out.

“Gar!”

“Once I install this on the escape pod, we’ll make the next jump. Then you can contact your ship and arrange pickup.” His life would get back to normal soon enough. Gar just needed to live through the next few days.

Two days. He could do this.

“Will you
wait
?”

Gar stopped short and spun on his heel. Faolan wasn’t expecting it and stumbled, his body nearly crashing into Gar. The surprised look on Faolan’s face would have been amusing if Gar wasn’t as angry as he was.

“Look, Wolf, just forget about it. Despite what you think, there is nothing here. You were a mark I had to bring in. I should have killed you on the spot and saved myself a shitload of headaches. Instead, the man I thought of as another father just tried to have me killed and you want me to lie down and let you take advantage of me. Well, fuck that and fuck you. We are going to place this tracker on an escape pod, launch it into the next sector, jump and call your ship. This time two days from now, I expect you to be so far away from me I won’t remember your face. Understand?”

Whatever the emotion was on Faolan’s face faded into nothing the moment the final word left Gar’s mouth. To say the older man’s face was blank wasn’t entirely accurate either. He was clearly trying to work out the best thing to say. What Gar wasn’t expecting was the sincerity behind the words when Faolan finally spoke.

“What did they do to you to make you so scared?”

Rage and indignation fired Gar’s blood, but he couldn’t voice it. He
was
scared—terrified if he was willing to admit it out loud. His whole life he’d run from the comfort basic human connections offered him. Every single person he’d ever loved had been stripped from his life in one way or another. He wasn’t willing to risk his heart again, no matter who was the offered prize.

Ignoring the pounding of his heart, Gar clenched his teeth. “Two days. Then either your ship gets you or you can wait floating in space in an EV suit.”

Faolan’s eyes bored into his, but he didn’t say anything else. A single nod was the only confirmation Gar received.

“Then let’s get to work,” Gar ground out before turning and marching away.

Chapter Eight

Faolan had encountered many crazy and fucked-up people in his life, but no one as much so as Gar Stitt. Sure, he could completely understand the other man’s reluctance to spread his legs and let Faolan fuck him. It wasn’t an easy thing to let another person take control like that, even if that other person was one fantastic lover. What could he say that wouldn’t sound like a pathetic attempt to woo the younger man? Not a whole hell of a lot.

A change in his tactics was required.

When a direct attack didn’t work, often the best course of action was to avoid the situation and work with more subtle undertones. Gar was scared. Gar wasn’t used to someone else being in control. Gar was a stuck-up ass who needed to relax before his head exploded.

Faolan wanted to be the one to help him.

Which was why he had to be smart about his next move. Too much and Gar would shoot him. Too little and he would simply ignore the offer Faolan was waving in front of his face. Maybe he could split the difference and hit Gar over the head.

“Pass me the transceiver.” Faolan held out his hand and waited for Gar to respond. He didn’t look at him, no matter how much he wanted to stare at the way the muscles moved in the young man’s forearm.

“How much longer?” Gar’s voice was soft, the words the most he’d spoken since their earlier blowup.

Faolan had no idea he’d miss the sound of the other man’s voice, but Gods that was the sweetest sound he’d heard all day. “I’ll be done once I get this put in. Then off it goes.”

“Then off we go.”

The unspoken
you
wasn’t lost on Faolan. Gods, it pissed him off he couldn’t break through Gar’s protective shell. He
liked
the Zeten. Faolan had
never
met a Zeten he could tolerate for more than ten minutes, let alone want to fuck his brains out. With the exception of Mace, but she was a completely different scenario. Hell, she didn’t even have the accent anymore. The silent ticking of time flying forward wasn’t helping matters. He had less than two days to win Gar over before the
Belle Kurve
arrived to whisk him away, allowing Gar to disappear forever into the black of space.

Slapping his hands on his thighs, Faolan stood up to crack the vertebrae in his back. “Done. Guaranteed you won’t find a better quality job or your credits back.”

Gar nodded and moved to the escape pod. Faolan didn’t shift away from the computer panel, wanting Gar to either make him move or brush up against him. He almost laughed out loud at the look of annoyed frustration when Gar realized what he was doing. Instead of saying anything at all, Gar walked around to the other side and accessed the secondary navigation system.
Mark one for the bounty hunter.

“What sector would be the best to send the pod?” Gar quirked an eyebrow. “We don’t want to set it too close to your ship.”

“Don’t you worry about my ship. My crew can more than handle anything Jason throws at them.” Sauntering around the pod, Faolan shoved his hands in his pants pockets and tried to keep his casual air. “Where would you hide your ship if you were looking for a safe harbor?”

Faolan watched as Gar chew his bottom lip.
Another glimpse of Gar the man.
“Why?”

“Well, this is supposed to be you, right? Only makes sense you should pick a spot where you’d normally hide, considering Jason would try to anticipate what you would do. Anything less will look suspicious.”

Gar considered this, all while his fingers beat out a nervous tattoo against the escape pod. “Tridan Nebula. It’s a conceivable place for me to hide and it has lots of debris I would be able to use as weapons. Plus there are several sensor blackout areas I would use to my advantage.”

Faolan stopped a generous foot away from Gar’s back, nodding his head in agreement even though he knew he wasn’t completely visible. “Then the Tridan Nebula it is.”

Without waiting for Gar to respond, Faolan strode out of the workroom and made his way toward the kitchen. Pleased he’d sufficiently unnerved Gar, Faolan planned to make the most of his strategic retreat. There was a particularly comfortable chair he’d spotted earlier he wanted to test out and he really needed to rest if he didn’t want to alert Gar to the fact he really
wasn’t
completely all right.

The door to the kitchen was in sight before Gar’s footsteps finally echoed behind him. “Hey!”

Faolan slowed but didn’t stop. “Problem?”

“Where are you going?” Gar stopped him with a hand on Faolan’s shoulder.

He let the young man hold him, ignoring the rush of blood down to his cock. “Kitchen. Thought I’d grab something quick to eat, unless you’re plan on starving me for the next two days.”

“Don’t you need to contact your ship?” Gar had lowered his voice, gently squeezing Faolan. “Let them know about the danger?”

Gods, his touch was perfect.
Before he realized what he was doing Faolan covered Gar’s hand with his own and returned the squeeze. “We have a plan worked out. They will wait for me only so long then they’ll head to our backup rendezvous.”

“I…I’m glad. Hate the idea of anyone suffering because of what I’ve done.”

Faolan turned to face Gar, comforted when he didn’t pull his hand away. “How is it your fault? I seem to remember being the one who set himself up as bait in a bar waiting for Jason to send his goons. No offense.”

“None taken. It still doesn’t explain why he’d want to kill me.”

The urge to wrap Gar in a hug was odd but powerful. “Gods only know what is driving that crazy ass at the moment. We’ll figure it out and when we do, I’ll help you disappear for a bit if you want.”

Gar stepped back, his hand floating in the air until gravity kicked in and it drifted down to his side. “Why would you want to help me? After everything, me trying to kill you…why?”

Faolan frowned. “Does it matter?”

“Yes.”

The emphatic way Gar said it sent a shiver through Faolan. “You seem to have gone through an awful lot in your life, and yet you are still your own man. You could have killed me on sight like Jason ordered you to and collected the bounty.”

“How do you know Jason—?”

Faolan moved closer to Gar again, mildly surprised when the young man backed away until he was pressed against the wall. He didn’t touch Gar, but stayed close enough to see the muscles in his neck tighten.