Reavers (Book 3) (13 page)

“Of course you could stop me, if you could see the attack coming.  From the quiver in your voice, that you are trying
so
hard to hide, I’m guessing I took you by surprise.  By the time you put your manipulations to work on me your blood would already cover the ground.”

“You’ve made your point.”

With a sinister grin, the bony man pulled his blade back.  In an instant the blade was concealed from view and the man was back on the far end of the rooftop.

“So that’s it,” Connor said with a sneer.  “I’m just supposed to jump to whatever orders you give.”

“Don’t pretend you’re not enjoying this.  Revenge on your dear little brother is something you’ve wanted for a great long while.”

“You can only hold that carrot in front of me for so long,” Connor said as he rubbed his neck.  “Besides, I don’t see why you even need me.”

“Oh come now, don’t tell me you haven’t seen the glory of this.”

Connor raised an eyebrow.

“So much foolish arrogance without a single drop of brainpower behind it.  Our arrangement is perfect.  Sure, I could have slit the throat of those two, but what would be the point?”

“What’s the point?” Connor asked exasperated.  “Obviously to inflict as much pain on my little brother as possible.”

“Ah yes, but would my hand cause that?  Would he even know he was the target of the attack?  My attack would appear as just a random crime of passion.”

“While mine is one he’s personally experienced,” Connor said, grinning with understanding.

“Exactly!” the old man said with unbridled delight.  “He’ll know instantly he’s to blame for the assaults.  What’s more, he’ll know exactly how much pain and suffering his friends went through before meeting their untimely end.”

“I apologize,” Connor said mockingly.  “You may be an annoying skeleton of a man, but I like your thinking.”

“All unpleasantness aside, there is a single mitigating fact to your failure.  I had dismissed it at first, but perhaps there is something to his last name after all.”

The Weaver raised an eyebrow as he returned his gaze to the pad.

“It can’t be.”  His voice trailed off in disbelief.

“Looks like your little brother is keeping some interesting company.”

“A Jepsen.  I just attacked a
Jepsen
.”

“Attacked and
failed
.  Perhaps your godhood is a bit premature.”

“I won’t fail again.”

Connor tossed the pad back and started walking off.

“Forget it,” the bony man said.  “You wasted your chance.”

“Don’t underestimate me.  Just because they are hiding in some medical facility hardly means they are out of my reach.”

“A Protectorate squad is already on its way.  We’ve lost our opportunity.”

“Those glorified crossing guards?  Child’s play.”

“Your arrogance is amazing.”  The bony old man chuckled to himself.  “Try thinking this one out with me.  On a world of this size, there are countless crimes that warrant attention, several of them possibly involving a Weaver.”

“Your point?” Connor asked, irritated.

“The point is the government can’t possibly keep track of them all.  After all, most are false alarms.  Anytime someone has a fit of rage or depression they naturally assume a Weaver is working on them.  Our attempt will get lost in the background noise.  However, if you go down there and finish the job, taking down an entire Protectorate squad along the way, we’ll be on every news feed throughout the Commonwealth.”

“Your point?” Connor repeated.

“Death by a thousand cuts.” The old man said in contempt.  “Even if you believe yourself a god, you are a mortal one.  With all of the Commonwealth bearing down on you, eventually they would overwhelm you.”

“So that’s it?  We just give up on them?”  Connor grunted in annoyance.

“For
now
.  We have bigger fish to fry.”

“Oh?” he asked, trying to hide his interest.

“Your dear little brother apparently made a great many friends.  We’ll give those two a reprieve for now.  However, rest assured that before this is over, every single person your dear brother cares for will be taken from him.  Oh yes. 
Every last one
.”

Nestled deep within the churning green fog, a planet spun silently.  The citizens working for Core Industries happily went about their daily lives, trusting completely in the safety the nebula provided.  That deadly nebula feared by others wrapped their world in a protective buffer, one that prohibited all jump drives but their own.  A single voice broke the calm of the central offices of the mighty corporation.

“Cain!” Angela shouted.

There was no answer.  He was hiding
again
.  Probing with her Weaver abilities wouldn’t do any good either.  She wouldn’t be able to find his melody.  He had learned how to shield himself from her since before they had been married.  That left yet another long search.  That trickster had an affinity for disappearing.  It had taken over three hours to find him last time.

Pondering where to search next, a single thought hit Angela.  Pulling out her pad, she searched the container network.  Originally developed as a system for transporting goods, Cain liked to hide with the goods every now and then.  Nothing.  Everything was completely normal, with every last container accounted for.  That meant he still had to be in Central.  He couldn’t risk using the mass transit system; he’d be noticed instantly.  A smirk edged over Angela’s mouth.  She knew where he was hiding. 

Quickly rushing off, she ran down the colorful hallways.  Unlike those in the countless trade ships used by the corporation, the hallways were bright and cheerful.  An elaborate network of lighting systems ensured no two meeting hallways were ever the same color.  Normally a waste of energy, it did serve a singular purpose.  In an emergency the lights would guide personnel through the maze of offices and corridors.  However, in her entire time on Eos only once had such an emergency happened. 

Finally reaching her destination, Angela came to a stop and calmed her breath.  Silently sneaking into the room, she spotted her quarry fully disposed in his own business.  He was hunched over his pad, no doubt working on one of his 3Ps.  Slowly edging closer, she reached the back of his chair without alerting him.  With a single motion, she swung his chair around and grabbed the collar of her prey.  As a triumphant grin filled her face, she realized he hadn’t reacted at all.  Pulling him closer, Angela studied his face.

Without warning, the head fell forward and dislodged itself from the rest of the body.  Jumping back, she watched as the dismembered head rolled around on the ground.  Her heart nearly stopped as her legs were knocked out from under her.  As she fell to the ground, a pair of hands swooped in and caught her.  In a broad motion, the hands guided her fall and brought her face to face with a figure hiding in the shadows behind her.  Leaning over her, the man pulled in close and stole a single kiss.

“Playing with your toys again?” she asked, the annoyance oozing from her voice.

“Oh come on!” Cain said with a wide grin.  “Even
you
have to admit that was perfect.”

Placing her back on the ground, he stared expectantly with a slowly expanding grin.

“You got lucky,” Angela said as she folded her arms.

Abruptly, he lunged at her.  She easily avoided him, but tripped over his double’s head.  As she struggled to regain her balance, Cain circled her.  Infuriated, she dove at the smirking man, who thrust himself into the occupied seat, sending his headless double flying at her.  Too late to change course, she grabbed the dummy with her outstretched arms.  Annoyed at the dirty trick, Angela tossed the double violently aside.  Channeling her rage into her fist, she struck at the calmly sitting Cain.  Just as she was about to make contact, he slid down into the seat.  Her fist impacted cleanly against the headrest, creating a dull thud against the padding.

In the perfect position under her outstretched arm, he reached out and started tickling her.  Instinctively, Angela’s arms pulled back to protect her sides as she fidgeted against the unpleasant sensation.  Her focus lost, Cain easily thrust his leg between hers and knocked her off balance again.  Pushing off the chair, he wrapped his arms around Angela’s chest.  Pulling her down with him, he twisted himself to hit the ground first.  Unable to react in time, she fell gracelessly on top of the still grinning idiot.  She knew she had been beaten completely.  Her face was flush with anger as she panted for breath.

“That’s cheating!” she protested between breaths.

“It worked, didn’t it?” Cain asked with his ever-present grin.

“You know how I hate to be tickled!”

He put his hands around her ears and focused on purging emotions.  Just as the cool fog that blocked her abilities started to spread, Angela knocked his hands away.

“You’re not getting out of this
that
easy,” she said.

Before he could talk his way out of things, she forcefully pressed her lips to his.  Her anger smoldering, Angela held him tightly.  Cain didn’t try to escape.  She could feel his arms wrapping around her as he returned her embrace.  Pulling back slightly, she rested her forehead on his as she stared into his eyes.

“You did that on purpose,” she said panting.

“Don’t pretend you don’t enjoy this,” he said with a smirk.

“Talk about playing dirty.  Most couples try to
avoid
fighting.”

“Don’t blame me.  You’re the one who gets turned on when she’s mad.  Who would have guessed bickering is your version of flirting!”

Cain laughed openly.  As a flash of anger swept over Angela, she fought to suppress it.

“You think you can manipulate me that easily?” she asked as she tried to steady her breathing.

“Manipulate?  Still pretending you detest this?  Need I remind you that
you
tried to ambush
me
?  Admit it.  You love this.”

With a sudden surge, he pushed her over and pinned her.  He carefully immobilized her arms and legs and his smirk expanded as he waited for her response.  His smug face enraged her to the point she wanted to scream.  Calmly looming over her, he continued to smirk as she struggled to break free.  Thrusting with all her might, Angela couldn’t dislodge him.  He had her pinned perfectly.

As she recognized his posture, it dawned on her that Cain had planned all this too.  He had no doubt pinned her in such a way that it would take only a fraction more strength than she possessed to break free.  His widening grin confirmed it.  Being toyed with so openly was more than she could take.  Struggling wildly, she pushed and pulled at her limbs as her breathing grew increasingly rapid.

Suddenly, the smug look on his face disappeared.  Releasing his emotional control, Cain’s emotions washed over her.  Before she could react, he gently kissed her.  Taken completely by surprise, she lost herself in the melody of emotions surrounding her.  The fast-paced rhythm of her unbridled anger clashed against his smooth and calm tones.  The two separate melodies churned and crashed against one another in a brilliant symphony. 

As the two melodies merged into a single fluid song, Angela’s pent up emotions ignited.  The smoldering fire of rage burning within her exploded and flooded her entire body with warmth as her husband’s emotions mixed with her own.  She lost herself in the blend as the melody of their combined passion engulfed her.  After savoring the sensation for as long as possible, Angela slowly opened her eyes.  He was holding her softly, a gentle expression on his face.  As she rested her hand against his cheek, she let a warm smile fill her face.

“You win,” she said softly. “I admit it.”

“I love you too,” he said as he kissed her again.

As Angela rested her head on his shoulder, a tiny disharmony in the melody started to emerge.  Slowly but surely the tiny break grew louder and louder.  As she focused on it, she realized it was a unique whole.

“Someone is coming.”  She sighed in annoyance.

“How do you . . . right, Weaver,” Cain said as he put an arm around her.

“Aren’t you the tiniest bit worried about the impression we’ll give?”

“You’re my wife.  That’s all there is to it - end of story.  I don’t care if marketing feels I set a better public image as a single man.”

“You know their logic.”

“I don’t care.”  He smiled and kissed her forehead.  “I’m not stupid enough to let anything get between us.  So what if we lose some support?  Anyone who’d make their purchasing decisions based on if I’m married to a Weaver is an idiot anyway.”

Angela couldn’t help but smile as she snuggled up to him.  He was a trickster, a manipulator and even a liar, but she could feel beyond that.  Buried deep beneath all the intelligence and subterfuge was a pure love for her, one stronger than anything she had encountered - even what she felt from her own parents paled in comparison.

“Master Hooten?” a weak voice asked from just outside the room.