I’d grow up to be another pampered asshole corporate prince. I knew a lot of guys like that and I didn’t want to be any of them.”
His mother grimaced. “Yes, but you didn’t have to become a merc, damn it.”
“You told me enlisting in Randal’s Raiders was the making of you.”
“Well, yeah,” she admitted. “But that was me. You were my baby boy, and I didn’t want anybody shooting at you.”
“Getting shot at did me good. Knocked all the asshole out.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Zara murmured.
Adela laughed. “Oh, I do like her. She’ll keep you humble.”
“Would you stop?”
“But I’m having such fun…” To Zara she added, “He must have done something right -- he grew up to be a hell of a man.”
Rand grinned, obviously pleased at the compliment. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“I could use you in the company, you know.” Adela grimaced. “I just had to sack my Chief Operations Officer for being a pampered asshole corporate prince.”
Rand flicked a look at Zara. “I’ll think about it.”
“Really?” Adela looked startled. “The last time we talked about this, you refused to even consider quitting.”
“Getting shot at is losing its appeal.”
“It has appeal?”
He laughed. “I love you, Mom. Tell those bodyguards they better not let you get hurt, or corporate prince or not, they’ll find out just how big an asshole I can be.”
“I’ll be sure to pass the message along.” Her gaze grew serious. Weighted. “Take care of yourself, son.”
“You do the same.” His expression went equally grim. “I hear Godsson’s a tough negotiator.”
Her jaw flexed. “So am I. I love you, Nick.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Adela’s image disappeared.
Rand stared at the empty air left behind by his mother’s vanished image. Anxiety lashed him like a dominant’s neurostim whip until he wanted to steal one of the camp’s pulse fighters, fly to Godsson’s base, and blow hell out of anyone who threatened Adela Rand.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be a good idea.
Oh, he could steal one of the flyers without much trouble, but he’d have to endanger Zara to do it. Without armor she’d be vulnerable as hell, and the Godssonists wouldn’t hesitate to blow her pretty blonde head off.
Too, once he was in the air, his vampire advantages disappeared. He was a good pilot, but only that. The mercenary pulse pilots defending Godsson’s headquarters were the best money could buy. They were literally jacked into their machines, and their reaction time was even faster than his. To make matters worse, Godsson had been able to hire a lot of them because all the other mercs were as desperate for work as Rand had been when he’d taken this Godawful job.
Luckily, Mom had a small army of skilled and nasty bodyguards to keep her safe.
Zara was another story. She was now in far more danger than his mother, and her only protection was Rand. So he needed to get his head out of his ass and take care of her, because the shit was about to hit the turbos.
It was time to put his contingency plan into operation.
Chapter Five
Rand, Zara thought, looked incredibly pissed off. Worried as hell, too. It was obvious he loved his mother a great deal, and was convinced she was in some kind of danger.
Well, Adela did plan to meet the invasion leader, who was the target of more than one Falaran assassination plot. What kind of business deal was worth that sort of risk?
Still, why was he so convinced she was in imminent danger, as if someone was actively gunning for her?
Maybe he was just intensely protective. Zara felt that way about her parents too, which is one reason she’d gone to war to begin with. The Godssonists were a threat to the whole planet, including her family. She’d felt driven to do something about it, even if that meant becoming a Vampire Support Specialist in order to maximize her effectiveness in combat.
At least she hadn’t blindsided her mother with that decision
His mother grimaced. “Yes, but you didn’t have to become a merc, damn it.”
“You told me enlisting in Randal’s Raiders was the making of you.”
“Well, yeah,” she admitted. “But that was me. You were my baby boy, and I didn’t want anybody shooting at you.”
“Getting shot at did me good. Knocked all the asshole out.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Zara murmured.
Adela laughed. “Oh, I do like her. She’ll keep you humble.”
“Would you stop?”
“But I’m having such fun…” To Zara she added, “He must have done something right -- he grew up to be a hell of a man.”
Rand grinned, obviously pleased at the compliment. “Thank you, ma’am.”
“I could use you in the company, you know.” Adela grimaced. “I just had to sack my Chief Operations Officer for being a pampered asshole corporate prince.”
Rand flicked a look at Zara. “I’ll think about it.”
“Really?” Adela looked startled. “The last time we talked about this, you refused to even consider quitting.”
“Getting shot at is losing its appeal.”
“It has appeal?”
He laughed. “I love you, Mom. Tell those bodyguards they better not let you get hurt, or corporate prince or not, they’ll find out just how big an asshole I can be.”
“I’ll be sure to pass the message along.” Her gaze grew serious. Weighted. “Take care of yourself, son.”
“You do the same.” His expression went equally grim. “I hear Godsson’s a tough negotiator.”
Her jaw flexed. “So am I. I love you, Nick.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
Adela’s image disappeared.
Rand stared at the empty air left behind by his mother’s vanished image. Anxiety lashed him like a dominant’s neurostim whip until he wanted to steal one of the camp’s pulse fighters, fly to Godsson’s base, and blow hell out of anyone who threatened Adela Rand.
Unfortunately, that wouldn’t be a good idea.
Oh, he could steal one of the flyers without much trouble, but he’d have to endanger Zara to do it. Without armor she’d be vulnerable as hell, and the Godssonists wouldn’t hesitate to blow her pretty blonde head off.
Too, once he was in the air, his vampire advantages disappeared. He was a good pilot, but only that. The mercenary pulse pilots defending Godsson’s headquarters were the best money could buy. They were literally jacked into their machines, and their reaction time was even faster than his. To make matters worse, Godsson had been able to hire a lot of them because all the other mercs were as desperate for work as Rand had been when he’d taken this Godawful job.
Luckily, Mom had a small army of skilled and nasty bodyguards to keep her safe.
Zara was another story. She was now in far more danger than his mother, and her only protection was Rand. So he needed to get his head out of his ass and take care of her, because the shit was about to hit the turbos.
It was time to put his contingency plan into operation.
Chapter Five
Rand, Zara thought, looked incredibly pissed off. Worried as hell, too. It was obvious he loved his mother a great deal, and was convinced she was in some kind of danger.
Well, Adela did plan to meet the invasion leader, who was the target of more than one Falaran assassination plot. What kind of business deal was worth that sort of risk?
Still, why was he so convinced she was in imminent danger, as if someone was actively gunning for her?
Maybe he was just intensely protective. Zara felt that way about her parents too, which is one reason she’d gone to war to begin with. The Godssonists were a threat to the whole planet, including her family. She’d felt driven to do something about it, even if that meant becoming a Vampire Support Specialist in order to maximize her effectiveness in combat.
At least she hadn’t blindsided her mother with that decision
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