destiny soon? Take over the family business of sticking it to the miners?" He said it all so bitingly. Arden could taste the fear. His little sister was way in over her head.
"I can do what I want," Carnes finally said, with the brashness of youth and a blush of guilt on his face.
Arden scoffed. "Please, you're no more free to do anything than any of Alecsar's slaves. It's just hard to see it from your gilded cage."
Ari's gasp as she moved close to Caden was clear in a pause of the breeze blowing over the trio. She stood with her hands on his chest and young, innocent eyes wide and looking up at the other man with such trust that Arden almost relented. Almost.
"Caden," she said to him. "Look at me. Remember? It doesn't matter."
With hooded eyes, Caden Carnes clutched one of Aricka's hands on his chest. "It's okay, Ari. Arden just got home. He's gonna have to wait and see. Right, Badu? You haven't seen what I'll do. I might surprise you."
Arden would give the kid points for sincerity. He truly believed his Alec Carnes wasn't wholly capable of wiping the floor with his own son. "I've been watching men like you all my life, Carnes. You won't be any different. Now, you need to stay away from my sister." He put the hint of menace in his voice.
Carnes nodded, kissed his sister sweetly on her mouth and squeezed her hand before walking away down one of the dirtiest, poorest streets in Taarken City. He watched the boy go thoughtfully, until something whacked his arm, hard.
"Why would you do that, you idiot? He's got enough to deal with. He didn't need that from you."
"What's the little prince got to deal with?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "How would you like Alec Carnes for a father?"
Arden shrugged a shoulder. "Point taken. But, you gotta leave that one alone, Ari. He will take you to a place of pain you didn't think existed."
"Caden is a good man!" With that, she whirled and slammed her way into the tenement behind them and up the stairs. Arden sighed.
"Welcome home," he grumbled beneath his breath, adjusting his pack again before opening the building door himself.
*
B rinn stared at the data pad all the way down the stairs. She stared at the reports from the office in a kind of terrified shock. It was proof that the missing inventory of the Bolavon was being sold off by someone. Crew was selling percentages of their inventory and pocketing the funds, and she was holding the proof, a bill of sale carelessly left in with the others. This was just the tip of the mountain, she suspected.
She didn't want to be the one holding it. That was her last thought before she ran face first into a mountain of her own, a solid, hefty male who dropped his travel bag on the stairs, so he could stop her fall.
She watched the, thankfully, indestructible pad tumble to the bottom of the stairway. "Watch where you're going." She growled at whoever she'd walked straight into as she scowled, her foul mood growing fouler.
"Brinn?"
Oh, dear stars. It couldn't be. She closed her eyes tightly, then peeked up. It was. The hands on her arms holding her upright, stopping her fall, belonged to Arden Badu.
"Arden, I'm sorry," she whispered. "When did you get back?"
He smiled that smile that made her knees wobble like she’d gotten caught in a sandstorm. "I'm not, and just now."
Oh, none of that now. She wasn't falling for that again. "Flirt all you want, Badu. It's not going to help. I don't have a thing to do with the hiring."
She watched his face tighten, and her stomach dropped a bit like she was riding in the lift that never worked anymore. But, maybe she'd made her point. Women like her couldn’t trust men like Arden Badu. He was a good looking, tough talking son of a miner and far too charming for her own good.
She'd wondered why Arden Badu had suddenly shown an interest in her all those months ago, and then she'd learned that he was off to the Carnes pilot program, and the pieces fell into place.
Brinn was a mousy, spinster type,
"I can do what I want," Carnes finally said, with the brashness of youth and a blush of guilt on his face.
Arden scoffed. "Please, you're no more free to do anything than any of Alecsar's slaves. It's just hard to see it from your gilded cage."
Ari's gasp as she moved close to Caden was clear in a pause of the breeze blowing over the trio. She stood with her hands on his chest and young, innocent eyes wide and looking up at the other man with such trust that Arden almost relented. Almost.
"Caden," she said to him. "Look at me. Remember? It doesn't matter."
With hooded eyes, Caden Carnes clutched one of Aricka's hands on his chest. "It's okay, Ari. Arden just got home. He's gonna have to wait and see. Right, Badu? You haven't seen what I'll do. I might surprise you."
Arden would give the kid points for sincerity. He truly believed his Alec Carnes wasn't wholly capable of wiping the floor with his own son. "I've been watching men like you all my life, Carnes. You won't be any different. Now, you need to stay away from my sister." He put the hint of menace in his voice.
Carnes nodded, kissed his sister sweetly on her mouth and squeezed her hand before walking away down one of the dirtiest, poorest streets in Taarken City. He watched the boy go thoughtfully, until something whacked his arm, hard.
"Why would you do that, you idiot? He's got enough to deal with. He didn't need that from you."
"What's the little prince got to deal with?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "How would you like Alec Carnes for a father?"
Arden shrugged a shoulder. "Point taken. But, you gotta leave that one alone, Ari. He will take you to a place of pain you didn't think existed."
"Caden is a good man!" With that, she whirled and slammed her way into the tenement behind them and up the stairs. Arden sighed.
"Welcome home," he grumbled beneath his breath, adjusting his pack again before opening the building door himself.
*
B rinn stared at the data pad all the way down the stairs. She stared at the reports from the office in a kind of terrified shock. It was proof that the missing inventory of the Bolavon was being sold off by someone. Crew was selling percentages of their inventory and pocketing the funds, and she was holding the proof, a bill of sale carelessly left in with the others. This was just the tip of the mountain, she suspected.
She didn't want to be the one holding it. That was her last thought before she ran face first into a mountain of her own, a solid, hefty male who dropped his travel bag on the stairs, so he could stop her fall.
She watched the, thankfully, indestructible pad tumble to the bottom of the stairway. "Watch where you're going." She growled at whoever she'd walked straight into as she scowled, her foul mood growing fouler.
"Brinn?"
Oh, dear stars. It couldn't be. She closed her eyes tightly, then peeked up. It was. The hands on her arms holding her upright, stopping her fall, belonged to Arden Badu.
"Arden, I'm sorry," she whispered. "When did you get back?"
He smiled that smile that made her knees wobble like she’d gotten caught in a sandstorm. "I'm not, and just now."
Oh, none of that now. She wasn't falling for that again. "Flirt all you want, Badu. It's not going to help. I don't have a thing to do with the hiring."
She watched his face tighten, and her stomach dropped a bit like she was riding in the lift that never worked anymore. But, maybe she'd made her point. Women like her couldn’t trust men like Arden Badu. He was a good looking, tough talking son of a miner and far too charming for her own good.
She'd wondered why Arden Badu had suddenly shown an interest in her all those months ago, and then she'd learned that he was off to the Carnes pilot program, and the pieces fell into place.
Brinn was a mousy, spinster type,
Similar Books
The Time Travel Chronicles
Robert J. Sawyer, Stefan Bolz, Ann Christy, Samuel Peralta, Rysa Walker, Lucas Bale, Anthony Vicino, Ernie Lindsey, Carol Davis, Tracy Banghart, Michael Holden, Daniel Arthur Smith, Ernie Luis, Erik Wecks
