mother had expressed back on Centuris, and it worried her to hear it from her father.
Well, she was committed now. And pirates might break laws with impunity, but as her father would remind her—when he was acting like his normal self—merchants had to build up credit, in terms of both money and reputation.
She turned to the premier. “All right,” she said. “Where should I go to pick up my new cargo?”
He gave her an entry key, designed to be layered over the pad of one finger. “You’ll find them in the moonside wing on the nineteenth level, room K-three.”
“Why didn’t you just have them here for this meeting?”
“We arrived separately and under false identities,” he said. “We took what precautions we could when we came in so we wouldn’t be associated.”
“Thanks for taking the same precautions for me,” she said dryly.
“It’s your job to stay out of reach.”
It was clear it would be dangerous to be caught dealing with the premier. And to actually be him…
“Good luck, sir,” she said.
“And to you, Captain.” Courteously, he rose to see her out.
Grayson had the audacity to smile at her when she entered the outer room. She stalked past him to the door, but he stopped her.
“You look too composed.” He leaned in and ran his fingers through her hair, mussing it slightly. Then he kissed her hard enough to bruise her lips. Which was the point, she supposed. She decided she might as well enjoy it, and gave as good as she got.
He looked a bit unfocussed once she was done with him. “Not bad. Another bar, sometime off-duty…who knows?” He shot her a half-smile.
She returned it in equal measure. “Some of us have more refined tastes.”
He sighed theatrically. “It’s so hard to meet women on the job.”
It was hard to resent someone who made her laugh. That was probably his intention. Or the premier’s.
An in-person meeting with the premier. He must have wanted to assess her personally, despite his fine words about psych evaluations. She remembered the Corps officer telling her that her entry exams had been iffy. What did it mean that she had passed now, with higher stakes at hand?
She decided it reflected poorly on the Corps. In any case, she was done wondering about that fork in her life.
Chapter Four
The station’s monorail-lift took her to the moonside wing and she found the K corridor easily enough. The first door was marked K1, of course. She glanced at her key on her finger to check the room number, only to collide with someone.
“Shay!”
For a moment she didn’t recognize the man who seized her arm. She was already twisting out of his hold, about to kick the side of his knee, when the nickname registered more than anything else. Her jaw dropped. She stared at him, resistance forgotten. “Jayce? Is that you?” Her voice rose incredulously. Of all times and places, she encountered him here and now?
He hadn’t changed much after all, still with the same reddish brown hair and unfair advantage in height. But his bearing was utterly unfamiliar. He moved with meaning and none of the restiveness that had once marked him on Centuris. It was hard to believe this was the same person she’d grown up with.
She wondered what he, in turn, saw in her.
His smile grew uncertain as he released her. “What are you doing here?”
Over the years, she had occasionally indulged in dreams of bumping into him just like this. They would fall into each other’s arms, he would forgive her for leaving him, and she would impress him with her worldliness. But this wasn’t like that at all. She had work to do and had to get rid of him. “I have business.”
“On the Ionia ?”
“My business,” she said, “not yours.”
She moved to go around him, thinking that would end it, but to her mixed chagrin and relief, he sidestepped to block her way, undeterred. “Your mother’s been writing me.”
“What?” She halted, taken aback. The two had been mortal enemies.
His
Well, she was committed now. And pirates might break laws with impunity, but as her father would remind her—when he was acting like his normal self—merchants had to build up credit, in terms of both money and reputation.
She turned to the premier. “All right,” she said. “Where should I go to pick up my new cargo?”
He gave her an entry key, designed to be layered over the pad of one finger. “You’ll find them in the moonside wing on the nineteenth level, room K-three.”
“Why didn’t you just have them here for this meeting?”
“We arrived separately and under false identities,” he said. “We took what precautions we could when we came in so we wouldn’t be associated.”
“Thanks for taking the same precautions for me,” she said dryly.
“It’s your job to stay out of reach.”
It was clear it would be dangerous to be caught dealing with the premier. And to actually be him…
“Good luck, sir,” she said.
“And to you, Captain.” Courteously, he rose to see her out.
Grayson had the audacity to smile at her when she entered the outer room. She stalked past him to the door, but he stopped her.
“You look too composed.” He leaned in and ran his fingers through her hair, mussing it slightly. Then he kissed her hard enough to bruise her lips. Which was the point, she supposed. She decided she might as well enjoy it, and gave as good as she got.
He looked a bit unfocussed once she was done with him. “Not bad. Another bar, sometime off-duty…who knows?” He shot her a half-smile.
She returned it in equal measure. “Some of us have more refined tastes.”
He sighed theatrically. “It’s so hard to meet women on the job.”
It was hard to resent someone who made her laugh. That was probably his intention. Or the premier’s.
An in-person meeting with the premier. He must have wanted to assess her personally, despite his fine words about psych evaluations. She remembered the Corps officer telling her that her entry exams had been iffy. What did it mean that she had passed now, with higher stakes at hand?
She decided it reflected poorly on the Corps. In any case, she was done wondering about that fork in her life.
Chapter Four
The station’s monorail-lift took her to the moonside wing and she found the K corridor easily enough. The first door was marked K1, of course. She glanced at her key on her finger to check the room number, only to collide with someone.
“Shay!”
For a moment she didn’t recognize the man who seized her arm. She was already twisting out of his hold, about to kick the side of his knee, when the nickname registered more than anything else. Her jaw dropped. She stared at him, resistance forgotten. “Jayce? Is that you?” Her voice rose incredulously. Of all times and places, she encountered him here and now?
He hadn’t changed much after all, still with the same reddish brown hair and unfair advantage in height. But his bearing was utterly unfamiliar. He moved with meaning and none of the restiveness that had once marked him on Centuris. It was hard to believe this was the same person she’d grown up with.
She wondered what he, in turn, saw in her.
His smile grew uncertain as he released her. “What are you doing here?”
Over the years, she had occasionally indulged in dreams of bumping into him just like this. They would fall into each other’s arms, he would forgive her for leaving him, and she would impress him with her worldliness. But this wasn’t like that at all. She had work to do and had to get rid of him. “I have business.”
“On the Ionia ?”
“My business,” she said, “not yours.”
She moved to go around him, thinking that would end it, but to her mixed chagrin and relief, he sidestepped to block her way, undeterred. “Your mother’s been writing me.”
“What?” She halted, taken aback. The two had been mortal enemies.
His
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