Star Raiders (16 page)

After that, she kept better track of his guests. Each and every one of her crew, even Silky—the traitors—as wel as Brina visited with Greyson, and they never came empty-handed. By the time
Independence
settled into orbit around Uta, Greyson’s cel sported a new bunk and bedding, a MAT unit, an entertainment vid unit (one not connected to the main computer grid, Shy made sure of that) along with fresh clothing.

Now she stood outside his cel . Damn, the cel looked more comfortable and appealing than her quarters. Or was it just the man inside?

For once, Greyson was alone. In the past two days he’d had barely a minute by himself. He’d played cards with Terle and Damon. Discussed politics with Eldin.

Shared meals with Able and Brina. Even Silky and her ever-present entourage had come cal ing, though she hadn’t deigned to enter into any conversations, lounging just close enough to keep an eye on him while appearing indifferent.

He liked this col ection of outcasts and misfits that made up the crew of the
Independence
. Their company had kept him from dwel ing on his predicament. And though they showed their disagreement with Shyanne’s decision to lock him up by spending time with him, they were loyal to her. Now he rested on the bunk, an arm thrown over his eyes, and pretended to sleep.

He felt her presence outside the cel . The subtle scent of the vanil a lotion she used wafted over him, and the soft whisper of her rapid breathing told him of her agitation. Her clothing rustled, and then he heard the clank of metal as she unlocked and opened the door. He lifted his arm to look at her.

He wanted to be angry, but found only disappointment and regret over her lack of trust. But what had he expected? Why should she trust him? Since the moment they’d met, he’d done nothing but lie. And he knew to save Earth he’d continue to lie. He was, unquestionably, a practiced liar.

“We’re here.” Her voice sounded strained.

He swal owed a humorless laugh and sat up. “And just where is here?”

“Uta.”

He shook his head. “Never heard of it.” He stood. “So I can come out of solitary confinement now?”

“Hardly solitary. This place”—she waved her hand at his cel —“has been busier than Earth Central.” She referred to Earth’s largest spaceport.

“Didn’t think you’d notice, busy as you were with the engines.” When she started to turn away, unwil ing to end their conversation, he blurted,

“Damon cheats at cards. I figured it would be Terle.” She laughed. “I’m surprised you noticed. Damon’s good at cheating. He rarely gets caught.”

“And when he does…Let me guess, he charms his way out the consequences.” He couldn’t help grinning.

The spark of anger in her eyes startled him.

“After a few short days you think you know us, know who we are, don’t you?

You think you know why we do what we do,” she accused in a low voice that rose with each word. “You know nothing. Nothing.”

A flush of angry red stained her cheeks and she glared at him. Her chest heaved, her fingers curled into fists at her side. This was the Shyanne he remembered: passionate in her beliefs, wil ing to take on anyone and anything to protect the ones she cared about, the woman who’d come alive in his arms. Not the reserved stranger, the smuggler who masked her fiery emotions beneath a pretense of indifference.

He wasn’t sure why he wanted to shatter her facade. He knew her ability to maintain control was what al owed her to remain alive and free while engaging in the dangerous profession she chose, that if he succeeded in destroying her protection, she’d be left vulnerable in a perilous universe.

Needing to touch her, he caught her arm. “I missed you,” he said softly, moving past her out of the cel . She shook off his hand and ignored his comment.

He fol owed her to the docking bay.

“You’l go planet-side with me,” she said in an even tone. Cool and col ected, as if her passionate outburst had never happened, the stranger had regained control. “I’d ask you to stay aboard
Independence
,” she continued with a sigh, “but then I’m afraid the crew would stay with you and they need some relaxation.

Independence
’s engines are back up and running, but she took a beating in Ramin Five’s atmosphere. We need to shuttle up parts and supplies before we go anywhere else. I intend to refit a few things, especial y since we’l be taking on Dempster.”

“How long wil it take? We’re running short of time,” Greyson reminded her.

“This isn’t a game.”

“I know,” she said. “A couple of days. Three at most. I want off Uta as quickly as possible. Stil , there’s no choice. Without repairs,
Independence
wil be no match for Dempster if we find him.”

“Don’t worry.
He’ll
find
us.
” Greyson had come to that realization while sitting in the cel .

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Shyanne replied.

They took Greyson’s ship down to the surface. Watching Shyanne pilot the craft with effortless expertise reminded him of the hours he’d spent teaching her to fly. Though she’d known the basics, he’d helped her refine her raw talent until her ability actual y rivaled his own. She’d loved flying, and he’d loved watching her fly.

The exhilaration in her eyes. Her whoops of joy as she swooped through the air.

The awe on her face as she broke out of the atmosphere and streaked through the endless void of space. Of course, after she’d escaped him by stealing an ASP

shuttle, he’d had time to rethink the wisdom of teaching her to fly.

The tightening of her lips and the white knuckles told him she also remembered those lessons. Lessons that had continued on the ground. Lessons where the line between teacher and student blurred.

He stroked the ship’s console. “Sweet little bird, isn’t she?”

“Standard ASP-issue?”

“No.” He leaned back in his seat. “But you already know that. You went over her for bugs and tracking devices—and to see how much you could get for her parts on the black market.”

She nodded, smiling. “Where did you get her? I didn’t know ASP deputy directors got paid so wel .”

“Hardly.” He laughed. “She’s a prototype under development for ASP.” He didn’t mention he’d taken her without permission. And though the knowledge was limited to a select few, the design was her father’s. “But when they release the design to the public, I’l get one.”

“That’s right. I forgot you’re heir to Chalmer Dane’s fortune.” At her derisive tone, he squirmed. Dane Enterprises not only control ed the majority of transport in Earth space; it also designed and manufactured most of the ships—private, commercial and military.

“I never did understand what the son of one of the richest and most powerful men on Earth was doing working as an ASP agent,” she continued. “Didn’t like the taste of the silver spoon Daddy stuck in your mouth?” He remembered her shock and disil usionment when she’d discovered not only that he wasn’t a student, but that he worked for ASP and was the son of the man whose money and power were the reason ELF and ASP had spent their time and resources to track down and capture her father. He rubbed the scar hidden by the hair on his scalp and winced at the memory. Confused by his feelings for the target of his investigation, he’d handled the situation badly. When he’d tried to take her into custody that day, she’d bashed him over the head and escaped.

“Chalmer Dane is my foster father.” He felt compel ed to explain, to defend the man. “Chalmer took me in when I was ten, after an attack by your father’s people kil ed my mother and Chalmer’s four-year-old daughter. The Dane fortune isn’t mine and wil never be.”

Though he loved and admired Chalmer, Greyson was ever aware he wasn’t truly Chalmer’s blood. He also recal ed what he’d cost the man. Chalmer’s wife had been unable to bear Greyson’s presence, unable to handle the fact that he lived while her child had died. When Chalmer insisted on adopting Greyson, she’d left him. Until she’d died a few years later in an accident, Greyson knew Chalmer had always hoped she’d come back. Despite his wealth, good looks and charm, Chalmer had never remarried.

“Kedar wasn’t responsible for that attack.”

The lack of heat in Shyanne’s voice told Greyson she defended her father out of loyalty, not certainty.

“Probably not,” he admitted.

Eyebrows raised, she stared at him.

“Evidence points elsewhere—but that doesn’t mean your father is innocent.”

“Never said he was. Kedar has a lot of crimes to answer for.” Shyanne sighed and looked away. “Just not that one.”

“For what it’s worth, Shyanne, I’m sorry.” Greyson wasn’t sure what he was apologizing for, the past, the present or the future.

He barely heard her whispered reply. “Me, too, Greyson. Me, too.”
Chapter Eleven

Dempster’s smile grew as he watched the information scrol across his monitor. He leaned back in his chair. Satisfaction tasted sweeter than the tea he sipped from a delicate porcelain cup. Things were going better than he’d planned. Perhaps he’d been too hasty with Fiske?

No. He’d done the correct thing. The creature had nearly gotten her kil ed. He couldn’t tolerate such incompetence.

The matter resolved in his mind, he turned his attention back to his prey. Her ship damaged, with no idea she was being tracked and fol owed, Shyanne Kedar scurried back to her home base—the base he’d been hunting unsuccessful y for close to a decade.

Ten years. Dempster had intended to snatch Shyanne during Stewart Kedar’s capture, but the clever little bitch had evaded both the authorities and him. When Shyanne first came into Kedar’s life, he’d kept her with him aboard the
Independence
. How Dempster had instinctively hated the clingy little brat with her wispy blonde hair and big blue-green eyes that seemed to see deep into his soul and find him wanting. He couldn’t endure what he’d seen reflected back at him in those guileless eyes. But her most serious crime was that she’d stolen what should have been his, what he deserved, what he’d earned: Kedar’s love.

He doubted Kedar suspected him of orchestrating Shyanne’s several near-fatal accidents—nearly being blown out an air lock, fal ing down a lift shaft and other events he no longer recal ed. Kedar certainly hadn’t realized his second-in-command’s part in his wife being scared away. But the man had nonetheless removed his precious child to a safer location that, throughout the subsequent years, Dempster had never discovered. From then on, Dempster’s contact with the child had been limited, and thus his opportunities to eliminate her.

Considering his hatred for the girl, it surprised him when she grew from an annoying child into a beautiful young woman and his feelings toward her changed.

His unanticipated infatuation had been a shock, and remembering its onset made his fingers tighten on his spoon until it bent under the pressure. He sipped his now-bitter, cooling tea, grimaced, then stirred in more sugar.

Like some pimpled youth, he’d wanted her with a need that outweighed common sense. What enraged him more, he’d wanted
her
to want
him
. He abased himself by courting her with sweet words and gifts. Cruel y and without hesitation, she’d rejected him. Fury had kil ed his tentative tender feelings. If he couldn’t have Kedar’s love or his daughter’s, he’d settle for their anguish and fear.

Recal ing the few brief days she’d been in his possession fil ed Dempster with pleasure. Though he hadn’t had the time to break her spirit, to make her his creature or to get word to Kedar about her capture, the memory of her screams was stil delightful. But she’d managed to slip out of his grasp, and that infuriated him. Those who’d helped her do so would also feel his wrath.

To calm himself, he took another sip of tea. The now oversweetened brew had a cloying taste. Jumping up, he threw the fragile cup across the room. It shattered, and sticky liquid dripped down the wal . Breathing hard, he stood motionless until he brought himself under control.

The road to reaching his goal had been long and hard, fil ed with roadblocks and detours, but now it neared its end. Each day and year she’d evaded him had only intensified his purpose. He was in a better position than ever. He’d watch in satisfaction as everything and everyone she loved was torn away from her. Then he’d own her body and soul.

“Captain, have the ships set a course for Uta.” Growling the corresponding coordinates over the com, he waited for his orders to be carried out.

At the last moment, Shy diverted their trip in Greyson’s ship to the landing pad nearest her old homestead rather than the one abutting her current home in the main compound. Hiding Rian’s existence from Greyson there would be impossible.

The young boy’s photos and personal items fil ed the place.

Using
Spitfire
, Eldin, Terle and Damon were taking Brina into town. Terle and Damon would pick up the supplies needed to repair
Independence
while Eldin got Brina settled and talked with their local doctor—though not formal y trained, Eldin was a skil ed physician and a capable surgeon, and he was always checking up on current medical techniques. Able, Bear and Silky remained on board. None of the three felt comfortable on Uta.

Greyson’s little ship handled sweet and smooth, settling on the pad with a smal thump. If nothing else came out of her encounter with her old lover, possession of this ship put her ahead. Though she’d love to keep it intact, in the end she’d either have to sel it or strip it down for its tech.

Ever since the first time Kedar let her pilot a shuttle to the
Independence
, she’d loved the freedom and control flying gave her. That she’d learned most of what she knew from Greyson was something she didn’t want to think about. She kept the memory of the hours she’d spent aloft with him locked deep in her heart.

Resurrecting them served no purpose. That time and that girl were gone. The man she’d thought him to be had never existed.

As they disembarked, she watched Greyson’s face. What would he think of the planet she cal ed home? And why did his opinion matter? She turned and considered their surroundings, trying to see it through his eyes.