The Bond That Consumes Us (20 page)

134

Both Davin and Kamran pulled out their communicators and tried to locate him.

Fallon watched them work as her body slowly started to unravel. Her hands began to shake and her chest tightened.

“He’s hurt. Or dead,” she whispered.

“Don’t think that. Whoever it is wouldn’t be able to take him out that easily. The killer isn’t in his own territory, so it will be harder for him to remain undetected. And Taber knows this place like the back of his hand. We’ll find him.”

It then hit her why Sean was so tense. “It’s one of the three, isn’t it? Jenny, Tony or Zane.”

“I’m sorry, yes.”

“He’s not on the grid and not responding to any calls.” Davin said, cursing in a language Fallon didn’t understand.

Kamran let out a frustrated wail and threw his communicator against the wall. The small device smashed into a thousand pieces. The men all stared at the damage, both Sean and Davin with shocked expressions on their faces. Fallon watched Kamran run his hands down over his face, his eyes screwed shut.

Fallon got up and slowly walked over to him. She placed her hands on his, pulling them down so she could look him in the eye.

“I feel the same way,” she whispered.

“Do you? Taber has saved my life more times than I can count over the past thirteen years. Now when he needs me, I can’t seem to help him.”

Fallon squeezed his hands and took a deep breath. “I haven’t known him as long as you, but I love him just as much.”

Kamran stared at her, reaching up to caress her cheek. Tears welled up when she saw the approval in his eyes. “Yes, I believe you do.”

“And he feels the same about you, Fallon,” Davin said quietly. “I could feel that the last time I touched him.”

“Is there any way I can help you find him? I’ll do anything to make him safe,” she pleaded, even though she knew they were as helpless as she.

Kamran looked up at the other men, and after a moment, came to a decision. “We’ll do everything in our power to protect you, but this will be dangerous.”

“I know.”

“Then I think it’s time to really make you the bait.”

135

Fallon felt odd wearing the short black, sleeveless dress as she stood in a bar that wasn’t her own. What made matters worse was the fact she needed to flirt with every miner, engineer or crewman who came by and offered her a drink.

“Where the hell is Jenny?” she muttered.

“Zane is still with Kamran and Tony hasn’t left his quarters,” Sean’s voice said softly in her ear.

The tiny communicator they’d placed below the surface of her skin still itched and it took a lot of concentration not to reach up and scratch it.

“And you’re sure Jenny is here?”

“She came in with Bobby, one of our junior security guards. He’s not answering any of his calls.”

Fallon nodded her head and got ready to suck back another drink when she saw Jenny emerge from a hall near the back of the bar.

“Sara won’t be pleased to learn someone discovered our spot,” Davin said in her other ear. “Now we’ll have to limit our activities to the observation room.

Fallon brought her drink to her lips quickly to hide her smile. “Okay, I’m going to make contact.”

She slid from the barstool and made her way to the dance floor where Jenny was flirting with one of the security soldiers. The man’s attention immediately shifted from Jenny to Fallon and he gave her a bright smile.

“Now I know I haven’t seen you on the station before.”

Fallon would have played the game for Jenny’s benefit, but it was at that moment she noticed the look of frustration on the other woman’s face.

“You know, I hate to tear Jenny away from you, but I need her for a moment.”

Without giving her any chance to refuse, Fallon slipped her arm around Jenny’s and half led, half dragged her to the hallway she’d come from only moments ago.

“There isn’t a camera in that hall, so we won’t be able to watch. Say my name if things go badly,” Davin said softly to her.

She looked up at the security camera in the corner of the ceiling as they walked past and winked at it. Her heart pounded a little bit faster when she pulled Jenny inside and shut the door behind them.

“What the fuck are you doing?” Jenny screeched at her. “Even on a colony where no one knows us, you have to come along and fuck up my chances at having a little fun.”

136

“Jenny, I’m sorry, I never intended—”

“I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re sorry.” Jenny jerked her arm away, crossed her hands across her chest and glared at Fallon. “Do you know how sick I am of hearing about you? Fuck! Nate talked about you obsessively. Fallon did this. Fallon’s so sweet.

You make me sick.”

Jenny was panting by the end of her rant. Her eyes were filled with tears and her normally pale face was beet red. Fallon felt her world spinning and was forced to lean back against the opposite wall so she wouldn’t lose her balance.

“I’m sorry,” Fallon whispered. “I had no idea.”

“Fallon, you need to focus,” Sean’s steady voice reassured her. “Jenny could be a killer.”

But standing there looking at the other woman, Fallon didn’t see a killer. What she did see was a broken heart.

“How could you not have known? Men on the
Damara
practically threw themselves at your feet.”

“Maybe because I wasn’t interested.”

“You weren’t interested in Nate? Or Lukas? How could you walk away from men like that?”

She knew Jenny didn’t understand and she wasn’t about to explain her need to be dominated in bed by a man she could trust. While Nate was handsome, she knew he could never take charge the way she wanted. And Lukas, there was no way she’d ever trust a man like him. He was too much like her ex, fuck them and leave if they don’t live up to expectations.

A stream of tears rolled down Jenny’s face and Fallon finally realized what was wrong with her. She pushed away from the wall and went over Jenny, wrapping her arms around her in a hug.

“Leave me alone, bitch.”

“You were in love with Nate.”

Jenny sucked in a breath and she stared at Fallon. “How did…I didn’t tell anyone.”

Fallon pushed a strand of Jenny’s black hair behind her ear and smiled. “There was never anything between us. He was just a friend.”

“I know,” Jenny said quietly after a minute. “He talked about you all the time. I just never felt like I had a chance with him because you were there.”

“I’m so sorry.”

Jenny let out a bitter laugh. “I guess it doesn’t matter now. He’s gone, we’re here and his killer is still running around on the ship.”

Fallon held her breath for a second and prayed she was doing the right thing.

“Jenny, I’ve been trying to find Taber for hours now. Have you seen him?”

“Careful. We still don’t know if she’s the one,” Davin buzzed in her ear.

137

Jenny shook her head. “The last time I saw him was back on the shuttle. The security crew had just finished a sweep of the ship and was leaving with me when he’d gotten a communication. He stayed behind to answer it.”

“That would have been my call,” said Sean.

“You didn’t see him after that?” Fallon felt her own frustration building.

“To be honest, I figured he was off fucking you. God knows he wasn’t interested in me at all.”

Fallon wasn’t sure why she was so surprised. Jenny had made no secret of her attraction toward Taber. But the fact that she had been so blatant about it, and that he’d rejected her, set Fallon at ease.

“I wish he had been,” she gave Jenny a small smile. “Well, back to my barstool, I guess, to wait.”

She turned to leave when Jenny caught her by the arm. “Hey, I’m sorry too. I know I was being a complete bitch.”

“Just don’t be alone tonight, okay. And be careful.”

“Hey, I work security. Careful is my middle name.”

Jenny straightened, pulling her self confidence around her like a shield, and marched back out to the bar. Rather than follow, Fallon sighed and pressed her back against the wall.

“This isn’t going to work,” she muttered.

“You’ve been flirting with men all night. Our killer has to be out there watching you,” Sean said, sounding just as frustrated as her. “Maybe someone did manage to sneak on the ship. Took Taber by surprise.”

“We’ll find him, you two. Let’s focus on—”

Davin’s voice was drowned out when the door to the bar opened up and Tony walked through. He was wearing a black buttoned shirt, and pants that clung to his thighs suggestively. For the first time, Fallon saw how attractive he was. She also saw something in his eyes that scared the shit out of her.

“Tony?”

“He’s there?” Sean asked, a quiet urgency in his voice. “Our readings still show him in his quarters.”

“What are you doing here?” Fallon continued, ignoring Sean as best she could.

“I saw you and Jenny come back here and only Jenny leave. I wanted to make sure you were still standing.”

He smiled and took a step forward, reaching her side before she had a chance to react. Fallon couldn’t stop the shiver when he got close. He was somehow different than he’d been back on the
Damara
—colder. The smile on his face didn’t reach his eyes and she was forced to not react when he let his gaze roam over her body.

138

“You don’t look any worse for wear,” he said and reached out to touch her chin briefly. “I was at least expecting a few cat scratches.”

“Yeah, she wasn’t very pleased with me. But we’ve come to an understanding.”

Tony reached up and caught a lock of her hair and brought it to his lips. “She’s finally realized she isn’t your equal. That no one can be.”

“Fallon, stay right there,” Sean practically shouted. “The security team will be there in under a minute. Just stay there.”

Fallon’s heart began to pound and she knew if she were to hold her hands up, they’d be shaking. She had to swallow hard to get her voice to work again.

“I had no idea you were interested in me,” she managed to whisper.

“I couldn’t let you know. It was against the rules. We always have to follow the rules.”

The way he said the last part, like he was far away remembering something someone had told him, scared Fallon more than anything. But when he looked back into her eyes and smiled, she wanted to scream.

“I think we should continue our conversation someplace else. I believe your friends are about to arrive.”

“What do you mean?”

Davin burst through the bar door with five security officers behind him. All their weapons were drawn and pointed at Tony. Before she was able to move away, he had his arm around her neck, using her as a protective shield.

“Well, I have to say, the Eurus security force is efficient if nothing else. I really wish I could stay and chat, but I have a date.”

Fallon felt her skin tingle everywhere. She suddenly found it difficult to breath and her vision blurred. She was about to scream when Tony pulled her in the direction of the wall—and then passed straight through.

* * * * *

Pain sliced through Taber’s head, making it nearly impossible for him to open his eyes. His arms had been secured to a metal pipe, and from the sounds he was hearing, he must be on the lower level of the newer section of the station. Every time he tried to shift his weight, tried to move his body to be able to actually see something if he were able to get his eyes to cooperate, he couldn’t. The substance Tony had used on him had long lasting effects.

Even his anger at knowing he’d let Fallon down wasn’t enough to force his body into action.

There was a low humming noise and something that sounded like a crackling pop, forcing him to lift his head and once more try to open his eyes.

“I brought you a friend, Taber.”

139

“Taber!”

Fallon!
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words couldn’t slip past the dry expanse of his throat. Soft hands were caressing his cheeks and neck while her moist lips pressed kisses against his temple. He heard her sniff and could feel her tears on his face.

“My god, what did he do to you?”

“Well, I couldn’t have him too healthy and strong now,” Tony’s amused voice came from somewhere behind Fallon. “It’s not like that would make it a fair fight.”

“Sean knows he has me,” Fallon quickly whispered in his ear.

Fighting past the pain and the effects of the drugs, Taber finally managed to get his eyes open. He blinked several times to clear the blurry haze that had formed there until he was able to see Fallon.

Her hair was cascading down over her shoulders and she was wearing a tight black dress that did little to conceal the curves of her body. When she saw what he was looking at, she gave him a small smile and shrugged.

“They needed to draw him out so we could find you.”

“How did…” He stopped to swallow, trying to get his voice to work once more.

“How?”

“He has some sort of device that lets him walk through walls. What the hell is that thing, Tony?”

Taber turned his head as Tony pushed up the sleeve of his shirt to reveal a micro thin sensor pad that appeared to be grafted to his skin. It was so small no one would notice the device unless they physically saw it on his arm. He looked, but Taber had no idea which race would have developed such an item.

“Why?” Taber managed to croak.

Tony raced across the small space that separated them, grabbed Fallon by the shoulder and yanked her away. She let out a startled scream as she struggled against him, punching and kicking him for all she was worth. When he slapped her across the face, Taber’s body surged to life. He roared, twisting and jerking his body against the restraints so hard the metal of the pipe groaned.

“
Cha tabie kra gremera, mi shalla!
”

“I don’t know what the fuck you just said, Briel, but I suggest you shut your yap if you want her to live past the next three seconds.”

Tony secured Fallon to what looked like a computer console that hadn’t been installed. Taber quickly looked around and realized they were in the unfinished section of the new building. They were currently using the bottom two levels as storage until the next group of colonists from Earth arrived. They were completely isolated with no hope of anyone stumbling on them.

140

When Tony was done securing Fallon, he reached up and held her face with his hand. Turing his body so Taber could see what he was doing to her, Tony looked back and grinned.

“You asked why? Because those fuckers on the ship are stupid. Drunks, pirates, fucking anyone and anything that moved. I use this,” he held up his arm, “to steal what I want when I want it. It’s made me fucking rich.”

“Why did you kill Nate?” Fallon whispered, her eyes wide, fixed on Tony.

Taber surged forward against his restraints again when Tony bent forward and kissed Fallon roughly on the lips. All he could do was watch, frustration and anger eating away at him, fueling his strength.

He was touching Fallon.