Safe with Me, page 21
“I appeal to you because of my rough background. And you appeal to me because you represent everything I could never have.”
I stilled, looking at her relaxed form, as though she hadn’t just dropped a bomb of truth on me. “What?”
The dress fell over my thighs, and I crawled onto the bed next to her.
She reached out to touch the silky material with her fingers. “It’s true. I can never have what you have: a stable family, loving siblings, good education, highly respectable job. All of that is out of my reach. But when I’m with you, I feel like it doesn’t matter.”
“Havi,” I started, but didn’t know what to say. The look in her eyes was too honest, too raw. My fingers trembled as I touched her cheek.
“Was that too much?” she asked, catching my fingers and placing a kiss at the indent of my wrist.
I shook my head, feeling my heart swell with love for this woman. She always told me exactly how she felt, keeping us grounded in this relationship. There was no guessing, no what-ifs. She made sure of that.
Ever since that day in the kitchen when she spoke of long-lasting love, it had become a permanent to-do list on our intertwined agendas. Whatever we did—whether it was exercising together, having dinner with my siblings, or simply watching an old movie—everything seemed to further this goal, bringing us closer together with little effort. I’d found myself wanting more and more of her, even going so far as to take long lunch breaks when I thought I could get away with it. No one had noticed thus far, but I simply couldn’t deny the urge anymore.
I needed her in my life.
“What’s going through your mind, angel?”
She sat up, bringing us nose-to-nose. Lip-to-lip.
I couldn’t help but think about how I would’ve hesitated to answer that exact question about a month ago. Now the words tumbled from my lips.
“I’m so lucky to have you.”
“I’m the lucky one.”
I shook my head, brushing her nose. “You can’t win this game, Havi. You have no idea how empty my life was before you.”
“I can hazard a guess. I saw the sad state of your pantry.”
I gathered her in a simple hug, resting my head in the crook of her shoulder. “Everything I have is yours. You know that, right?”
Her breath hitched, and I pressed my fingers into her hair to soothe her.
Her words were just a whisper. “I’ve never wanted anything the way I want you in my life, Fay.”
“Good, ’cause I’m not letting you go anytime soon.”
Her eyes were misty.
“Fay, I—”
A loud, shrill alarm went off between us like an emergency. I sprang apart from her, bounding to my feet.
The chrono on her wrist shone a bright red, squawking loudly in the enclosed bedroom.
“Tap it!” I yelled.
She frantically tapped it with her index finger.
“Location locked,” came a deep male voice before a face was projected in front of us. A young guy, about our age, wearing a patrol uniform. “Kalani Havika, you’re wanted for questioning at the patrol headquarters. A unit has been dispatched to your location. Please do not attempt to flee. This tracker is equipped to immobilize you.”
“Right now?” Havi asked the guy, looking pained. “I’m at a family event. Could it wait a couple hours?”
“Negative. According to your parole agreement, you must report to headquarters immediately if summoned.”
Damnit! I thought Skinny said he’d take care of this!
“What do you need her for?” I asked, frowning at the officer.
“I’m afraid I can’t reveal that to a third party, Miss.”
“She’s my girlfriend,” Havi interjected. “I give you permission to reveal information to her.”
“Very well.” The officer tapped away on his screen. “We’ve been contacted by Old Earth regarding the theft of a ship and we need to ask you some questions.”
Havi cursed but conceded. “All right. When will your unit get here?”
“T-2 minutes.”
“What!” Havi rose swiftly from the bed.
“You’re on the fifty-third floor of the Whittington Building, correct?”
“Ask them to get me downstairs. I’m at a family gathering, damnit!”
“I’m afraid the team is already approaching.”
She turned to me, her hazel eyes spitting fire. “Keep your family in the apartment. I don’t want them to see me being taken away.”
I nodded numbly, taking her by the hand. “Let’s go. It’s probably just routine, you know, maybe they have some questions that they haven’t already asked you...”
I couldn’t seem to stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth.
She stopped me in front of Austy and Fia’s front door. “Go in, angel. I’m sorry I can’t be there for the party.”
“Havi.” My throat was so tight I knew if I said anything more, I would burst into tears. Which was ridiculous, right? She was only going in for questioning.
“It’ll be all right.” She pressed a kiss to my forehead, but her gaze was steely and determined. “Now, go on.”
With a tight nod, I entered the apartment and shut the door, pressing my back to it. No one even noticed my entrance, gathered around the star of the evening. My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure they were all going to turn to me and ask what was wrong.
I couldn’t think—couldn’t breathe.
They’re taking her from me.
It was the only thought that ran through my mind.
Chapter Fifteen
Havi
“You dare!”
There was a roar behind me and I turned to see a fuming Skinny striding toward the docking bay. Except now he didn’t look like Fay’s brother; he looked like an angry businessman who was out for blood.
He seemed taller and completely in charge, as he pulled together the single gold button at his waist.
“You dare siren my house? Do you have any idea of the neighborhood you’re in?”
The officer, a kid with porcelain skin who looked barely out of his teens, let out a babbling noise, clearly not prepared to be reamed by his superior. His partner’s fingers tightened on the magnetic cuffs he was holding.
I’d already stuck my hands out to be restrained, but retracted them in this moment of relief.
“Who sent you? Lilac?” Skinny’s voice was like a whip and I was thankful he was on my side.
I paused, wondering how he’d known the name of the officer in charge of my case. Had Fay told him?
The officer shook his head. “I, uh, some guy from Earth, uh...”
“What was his name?” I asked.
“Jeffries. I think. I don’t know,” he babbled. “We’re just in charge of transport.”
I turned to Skinny with a frown. “That’s my old captain from the air base back on Earth. Why would he be giving out orders about my case?”
“He’s investigating the theft of twelve Earth ships. Patrol is assisting him,” the officer added.
“Oh.” I scratched my scalp. “Well, shit.”
“Would you please come with us?” the officer asked, his tone shifting from hesitant to forceful.
“Do you have a warrant?” Skinny snapped.
“She, uh, she’s on probation. We don’t need a warrant to take her in for questioning,” Officer Porcelain replied.
“I’m sorry, Skinny.” I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I hope I didn’t ruin the party.”
“You didn’t, Havi. Get in the patrol craft. I’ll be right behind you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I insist. We take care of our own.” His eyes pinned the officers down. “And I’m bringing my lawyers.”
He laid an arm on my shoulder and squeezed. “See you in a bit.”
As I ducked into the patrol craft, Skinny’s words replayed in my head.
We take care of our own.
Our own. Like I was already a part of his family. This was the concept of being a family actually playing out in real life. In my life. For once.
I guess I never realized exactly how much I’d craved this sense of belonging. It was why I’d joined the construction crew at fourteen and then the army later at seventeen. All those people were pulled together with a shared sense of purpose, be it building a house or protecting the nation. We were a makeshift family. And I’d wanted to be a part of that.
I suppose I always knew I was drawn to certain groups. My heart felt lighter, and I found comfort in those spaces. But I never knew the reason for that was...well, there was no other way to put it: it was a result of trauma. The abandonment by my parents at such a young age.
I doubted Skinny knew his words would set off such a spiral, but as I stared out the window with the city zipping past dizzyingly fast, I kept glancing at the side mirrors to make sure the gold hovercraft was following behind.
It was unsettling...the amount of pleasure I drew from him following through on his word. Perhaps a part of me expected him not to—the part that still echoed the ridiculous notion that I wasn’t worth the trouble. Wasn’t worth coming back for.
Is this what it would feel like to have a big brother? Or a father figure to take care of me?
Being around Fay and her family was slowly chipping away at the shell I’d created layer by layer through the years. It was usually me, myself and I, with a dream to someday start my own family and become an us.
But over the past few weeks, I’d seen how Fay’s family interacted with each other—the easy teasing, the inside jokes, even the slight elbow jabbing, and I wanted all that. The fact that they accepted me, a nobody pilot from Earth, was unbelievable. And Fay was like the bridge that held it all together.
They docked quickly at the station, leading me down a long corridor that I assumed linked the docking bay to the now-familiar silver-and-blue expanse of the patrol headquarters. Memories of my overnight interrogation were fresh in my mind, and I could only sincerely hope that I wouldn’t face a repeat of that experience.
Detective Lilac had gone round and round with his questions, looping them in a cycle as though trying to catch me in a lie.
Stopping in an empty corridor, one of the officers scanned in some type of code in a circular machine I’d never seen before.
“Here you are,” Porcelain said. “We’ll wait outside in case you need to be transported back.”
I opened my mouth to say thanks but it was cut short by a familiar voice.
“Well, well, well.”
My back stiffened and my fingers rose in a sharp salute. “Captain.”
Jeffries looked me up and down. “Didn’t expect a salute from you, Havi, considering the way you abandoned your country.”
My hand fell back to my side and I took a step forward, letting the door shut behind me.
Jeffries was standing at an unfortunate spot by a small table, the strip lights shining down on his hairless head, making it glow like an oiled beacon. I couldn’t really read his expression—it wasn’t disappointment, as his words implied. It wasn’t anger either.
It was oddly neutral.
He was suited up in our official uniform, with all his badges on display.
“Sir, I’m not going to make any excuses. I wanted a better life—all of us did—so we made a snap decision.”
“In making that decision, you stole a ship from the United States Army. You do realize that, right?”
I swallowed. “Those ships would have been destroyed in the tsunami.”
“Don’t make excuses!” His voice cracked like a whip and I stiffened.
I took a breath. “What would it take to make it right?”
“I’ve been asked to bring back the pilots of all twelve ships to stand trial on Earth.”
My blood ran cold, freezing in my veins. I stared at him, noting his narrowed eyes and jutting chin. He was serious—he had every intention of taking me back to Earth.
And then what? How would I ever get back here? A single ticket to the New World cost as much as a house!
Fay.
I couldn’t leave her like this; abandoning her just like my parents had done to me. I knew the feeling well, to be left behind without hope, and I would rather die than put her through that.
“I’m not leaving Royal One.” I made the sentence a statement. “I’ve claimed asylum here. I’m a temporary resident.”
“You’re forgetting your place. You’re an A3 pilot and you work for the US Army. You signed a contract that is binding, and it’s valid for at least another year. What you’re looking at is theft and dishonorable discharge.”
Those words hit me like a blow. “I will not apologize for wanting a better life. And for saving all those people from certain death.”
He took a step toward me. Physically, he wasn’t an intimidating man. In fact he stood several inches shorter than me. But his aura made up for what he lacked in appearance.
“You will apologize for going AWOL. In court.”
I conceded. “I will admit my mistakes, but I am not leaving this world.”
“Who says you have a choice, pilot?”
I heard my jaw click.
“So be it. I request legal counsel.”
A flash of red exploded across Jeffries’ face. “You can’t just—”
I knocked on the door, knowing the officers were standing on the other side of it.
“Yes?” Porcelain said, peeking in.
“I’d like to request legal counsel.”
His eyes darted to the enraged captain in the room, then back at me.
“They’re already here.”
Skinny. It must be.
“The crime was committed on Earth, so we’ll prosecute you without any interference from New World authorities,” Jeffries insisted.
I turned back to Porcelain. “I’d rather wait for legal counsel.”
He nodded. “My partner just left to bring them here from the lobby. Would you like to wait outside?”
“Yes, please.”
We shut the door on my enraged captain.
I wondered if I was the first pilot he’d made contact with. If so, I needed to find a way to warn the others so they could disappear before he threatened to take their new lives away.
Although, the thing was—I couldn’t fault him. In his position, I would also be furious at twelve of his pilots going AWOL.
“Havi.” There was such relief in Skinny’s eyes when he turned a corner and saw me. “Are you okay? They redirected me to the visitor’s entrance.”
“I know. And I’m all right, don’t worry.”
“These are my attorneys, Lola and Emery Fischel. They’re here for you; anything you need.”
Sisters—they certainly looked like it, with their severely cut brown hair that was loose around their shoulders yet looked like it wouldn’t move. I shook their hands briefly.
“We need a room,” Skinny said, addressing Porcelain.
“Right. Yes. This way.”
He led us two doors down and scanned his code into a small room similar to the one Jeffries had been in.
Before we sat, one of the attorneys pulled something out of her briefcase and covered a round device that was tethered to the table. It looked like some type of silicone cup.
“So they can’t hear or see what we’re doing in here,” one of them—I believe Emery—explained when she saw me watching her. The only difference between them was their attire. Emery was dressed in a sharp pink suit while Lola was in black. I wouldn’t have been able to tell them apart otherwise.
“Fernand has briefed us on the basics of your case but we need more details from you,” Lola said, extracting her e-reader and tapping on it with a manicured finger.
“Sure. I should probably inform you that my old captain is in the next room waiting to take me back to Earth to stand trial.”
I saw Skinny’s eyes widen.
“That won’t happen,” Lola said, not looking up from her tablet. “You’ve sought asylum here on Royal One, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have every right to request a trial here.”
“I do?”
“Yes, according to the Cluster Agreement, which dictates what an asylum seeker is and isn’t allowed to do. You should look through it and familiarize yourself with your rights here.”
I nodded. That sounded like a good idea.
“This has the potential to go sour,” Emery chimed in, sitting back in her chair with her arms crossed. “It could get out of hand very quickly. We’ve seen it happen before when it’s an Earth v. New World–type case. The press likes to blow this up.”
Skinny raised a hand. “No one’s speaking to the press.”
“None of us,” Emery reiterated. “But I can’t speak for the other side.”
“So what’s the plan?” Skinny asked with a sigh.
“This seems straightforward to me. We invoke the Cluster Agreement and deny the need for a trial. From the situation, it seems quite clear that the ships were taken out of base to save...how many people?”
“A hundred and twelve on mine.”
Emery nodded and Lola noted the number on her tablet.
“If you hadn’t done that, they could have been severely injured or dead?”
“Yeah, the base is close to the sea, so they would have undoubtedly been hurt, or worse.”
“I’ll make a note to look into the damage your base suffered,” Lola said.
It was becoming apparent that Lola was the note-taker and researcher whereas Emery was the talker and negotiator.
“At most, we’re looking at a fine for destruction of public property because the ship malfunctioned. But if it comes down to that, we’ll appeal the fine, too, because you’re an asylum seeker.”
She leaned forward, balancing her arms on the table.
