Gareth: The Nova Force: Book 3, page 11
Evie broke away from him and stalked into the shower. He didn’t join her. Normally—at least, what he’d known of her since their first meeting on Ame Station—the woman had a mind like a plasteel trap.
With the untrained, there were always surface murmurs, kind of like standing in a crowded shuttle terminal surrounded by hundreds of people. From her, there’d been nothing but silence.
Last night during their love making, he’d definitely picked out something without even trying, her plea for him to have some sexual endurance shocking him as much as his reaction had startled her. She wasn’t accustomed to anyone skimming her thoughts. Likewise, he wasn’t used to anyone projecting them at him mid-coitus.
Gareth reclaimed his coffee and sipped the steaming drink. Liquid nirvana spilled over his tongue, a dark roast brewed to perfection. There was even a dollop of whipped cream on top, though it was quickly melting.
Somehow, Evie had predicted his coffee preferences. He marveled over it until he recalled their coffee dates in the game. There, he always took it sweet and creamy, flavored with real caramel. Kaiden frequently made fun of him for bingeing on empty, nonexistent calories whenever they played Spellbound together, but it was the perfect item to keep on hand in his inventory since coffee restored magical points in the game.
When Evie emerged from her shower, he had his boots in his hand, prepared to walk of shame from her room in only boxers. She cracked up at the sight of him.
“Leaving like that?”
“I don’t have much of a choice. I meant to stop in for a movie, not to stay over… and someone drenched my suit.”
Her grin didn’t budge. “I can’t believe you forgot to even bring it up.”
“Despite my intentions, I had other things on my mind once I saw you. You in tiny shorts poses a bit of a distraction.”
“No wonder you’re in comms if this is an example of you running a seduce-and-convince mission,” she teased, threading her fingers through his short hair.
“Right? Kaiden’s always been the master manipulator. I only know how to follow orders.”
“Yes, you certainly do.” She traced her finger across his shoulder. “Is this why you plied me with gifts last night?”
“Not entirely. I really did plan to give you that part on Ame.”
“Good to know.”
“You deserve it.” He nuzzled her throat, breathing in the sweet scent of clean skin and floral fragrance without a fucking care in the world that the same smell was on him. “Okay. Gonna shower and shave. Meet you at the bridge?”
“Shower, but don’t shave. You’d look like a teenage boy.”
He grunted. “I would not.” He would. A buff teenager, but a teenager nonetheless. He and Kaiden had the curse of always appearing years younger than their actual physical age.
Evie rubbed her cheek against his stubbled face and sighed, like she’d had another sip of heqet. He’d left the cask on her coffee table to enjoy during the next visit to her stateroom—their next date night. “Leave it, please? I like the scruffy ‘away from duty post’ look. It’s hot.”
“Well…” She kissed him again. “Consider me convinced. Meet you in a few minutes anyway.”
* * *
Feeling like a million credits after a night in Evie’s stateroom, Gareth slid into the empty chair beside Jinx’s workstation. “Your captain cleared the plan.”
“Uh. Yeah. We figured as much when you didn’t return from ‘convincing’ her, so I initiated contact with our buyer.” The green-haired techie smirked. “She usually gives me the go-ahead anyway on my schemes, even when she does think they’re crazy.”
“I have to be the crazy one to even consider letting you guys sell me on the black market.”
“We won’t really be selling you, dude.”
“You’re getting something in exchange for me. I’m calling that a sale.”
“Right, but then we’ll be stealing you back, so, really, we’ll be pulling a double-cross type swindle-thing.”
He chuckled, some of the worry lifting from his chest. Nothing but the best intentions surrounded him, not a single greedy thought emanating from any of the Silver Gryphon’s crew.
Thank fuck. It would have really been awkward if Kaiden had to come rescue his dumb ass a few years down the road.
“I still think you’re all crazy, but apparently no one cares what I think anymore,” Evie said as she strode into the room. She placed one hand on Gareth’s shoulder and leaned forward to read the communication between Jinx and their buyer. “What’s he offering?”
“He began the negotiation with one unit of Hyperion granules,” Jinx said. “I think I can get him to agree to two since there’s mention of a bonus and we have some top-quality product over here.”
Gareth grunted. “Gotta talk about me like I’m a piece of meat?”
“You kinda are,” Evie said. “I’d call you the prime rib of psychics.”
After rolling his eyes, Gareth activated his XenoGear. “If we’re going to sell me, I demand more than two units. I can get more out of him. Watch this, kid.” A subtle glow flared around his left wrist as he initiated a connection with their system. When the holographic interface flashed out, he jumped into the chat and continued to converse with their buyer under Jinx’s login.
Jinx: I know a dude in another system willing to pay three units for a combat psychic. If you can’t meet that, I’ll go elsewhere.
Evie sucked air between her teeth.
“Three units!” Jinx exclaimed, staring at him. “Nobody has that much Hyperion lying around—”
Izik: Very well. We will meet at Jacksonville on the planet Tallulah two days from today at seven p.m. local time. Expect exact coordinates an hour prior to the meeting. Calm the merchandise appropriately.
Gareth grinned at them. “Doubted me? Look, I’ve seen how desperate these people are, and he’s going to be reimbursed anyway. This guy isn’t the boss. He’s just some asswipe taking orders from the big people who matter.”
“You really think he’ll bring three?” Jinx asked.
“If he wants me bad enough, yeah.”
Jinx did a little fist pump, not that Gareth could blame him. A single unit of Hyperion could fuel a ship like the Gryphon for a year, or even two, depending on their engine efficiency. Three units would save them a half-million credits or more depending on how the market value fluctuated.
Morna pursed her lips. “What if he tries to double-cross us and run?”
“Nah. He won’t do that. Unnecessarily burning a bridge puts heat on him and fucks with his rep on the black market.”
“Aye, Jinxie is right. He’ll hope to have made a connection with a new distributor. It’d be a newb move to fuck that up over money that isn’t his.”
“Besides, no one wants to screw over Captain Abbot. Her reputation precedes her,” Jinx added.
“Are they going to buy it that she’d deal in flesh?”
Evie chuckled. “Most people know I loathe the Royal Navy.” When Gareth cocked a brow at her, she added, “Not enough to condemn anyone to slavery, but they don’t know that.”
“Ah.”
“Unless you really piss me off before we get there,” she teased.
* * *
Two days of travel to Talullah meant they had enough down time to log into Spellbound together. Evie materialized first in the middle of downtown San Diego and waited for Gareth to join her.
In the real world, they both reclined on the loveseat in the privacy of Evie’s cabin. Gaming was meant to be a break from the sexual marathon they’d engaged in whenever Evie wasn’t at the command of the ship. Which was often, because Ranulf was the best fucking wingman in the universe to Gareth. Any time Evie emerged to fulfill her duties as captain, he made some dry joke at her expense related to her being a mother hen, and sent her packing from the bridge.
If that’s how he wanted to be, who was she to complain? After all, they ought to have had a whole week together on the beaches of Ame Station, dividing their time between Thai massages, bedroom romps, and soaking up fake sunlight.
Gareth materialized a moment later, his avatar still dressed for battle in tactical armor. He looked down at himself with a sheepish grin and pulled up his HUD to unequip the mage-slaying gear. In the time it took her to blink, his armor swapped to slacks and a button-up shirt.
“You didn’t even repair it,” she chided. “I saw a chink in that dragonscale.”
“I’ll get it next time.”
“You mean you’ll forget until it breaks during a fight, and then you’ll grumble about using all your repair potions.”
He ran his hand through his hair, tousling the blond waves. “Maybe. I’ll just put on my PVP gear.”
Evie rolled her eyes. Like most players with a serious investment in the game, Gareth maintained two sets of armor—one for player versus player matches and wizard hunting, and another for adventures against computer-generated mobs. Though they both offered valuable protection during a fight, the enchantments and bonuses varied, since fighting his fellow players wasn’t the same as completing quest objectives.
The best part was, she’d bet money that he’d neglected to repair the other set. She knew him too well, but it added to his charm. She’s learned a long time ago to craft extra potions for his use. “What should we do? Questing or just exploration?”
“Why don’t we just head out and see where we end up? I mean, I’m not adverse to questing, but I’m not actively looking for a brawl, either. I heard there’s some cool mini-games in the area.”
Their meandering path through the park took them past a playground. Half a dozen kids ran around the structure, laughing and hollering in a game of chase. To her surprise, Gareth came to a stop and watched them.
“Always wished I had the time to visit the original Earth. You know. In the real world. Hard to believe this is how it all really looked back then.”
Evie quirked a brow. “I heard it’s still a shithole.”
“In some places, yeah. Part of why I’ve never bothered trying to find the time. Plus, it doesn’t help that it takes two years to cross the universe to that star cluster.”
“Why the sudden nostalgia?”
He waved his hand to encompass the virtual world around them. “Look at this place. I wonder if this is really how Earth looked. If kids were this happy there.”
“I imagine it must be. Back when this game was just in the planning stages, I donated a couple hundred credits to become a founder. I watched all the developer interviews and saw the photographs they were working from. They had thousands.”
He twisted at the waist to look at her, a brow quirked. “You’re amazing, you know that?”
“I have my moments. But this one is about you. What’s on your mind, Gareth?”
“You remember how I said once that I was married?”
“A pretty bitter divorce, you said.”
“Yeah. What I didn’t tell you, what I couldn’t at the time because it just hurt so damn much, is that we had a daughter. Rosie.” His gaze followed one of the younger children, a little brunette who couldn’t have been much older than five or six.
“I had no idea.”
“I don’t talk about it much, but you deserve to know. That and I want you to know.” He took her by the hand and started walking again. “She died in an accident and that’s when Tara and I started having problems. While I mourned and couldn’t let go of Rosie’s things, my wife decided to grieve by bouncing up and down on other men.”
“I’m so sorry.” The apology felt empty and insufficient on her tongue, when what she really wanted to say was, “That bitch.”
“She was.” Heat flushed her cheeks, but Gareth squeezed her fingers before raising them to his lips. “Don’t ever apologize for your thoughts, Evie.”
“Are you always going to know them?”
He chuckled. “That wasn’t mindreading. We’re in the game, remember? I just know you and when your nose twitches like that, you’re swearing.”
“My nose does not twitch.”
“It does and it’s adorable. Anyway, I wanted you to know exactly how much baggage you were getting with me.”
“It’s not baggage, it’s history. It’s your life. Besides, look at my past. Not exactly without baggage of my own.”
“We’re quite the pair.”
They walked in silence for a time, enjoying the cool autumnal air. Eventually Gareth veered from the path and led her to a bench beneath a maple tree. Vibrant red and orange leaves shaded them from the sun.
“Why didn’t you ever have a family?”
She’d expected the question, given their conversation, but it didn’t make composing her answer any easier. “At the time, I was focused on my career. I opted into the program where they freeze some of my eggs and didn’t really think about it much during my time in the military. I figured there was always time to meet someone, start a family. I wasn’t in a rush.”
“Still, I can’t believe some suave officer didn’t try to swoop you up.”
“Who said they never tried?” She grinned and leaned against him. “Honestly, I never really clicked with anyone. Then my life turned upside down and having a love life wasn’t exactly a priority.”
“So what made you choose me?”
“Your underwhelming in-game cock,” she teased, causing him to scowl. “I’m only partially kidding, though I will admit it was refreshing to finally meet a guy who didn’t have a ridiculous bulge and extra-tight armor.”
“I’m serious. Why’d you take a chance on me?”
“I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I went in thinking I was going to start a relationship with you. You were a good player, fun to team up with. Then we started talking more often, teaming up for things, and I guess you sorta snuck in. And I suppose the relative anonymity of a virtual game made it easier to open up to you.”
He turned his head and kissed her brow. “Same.”
“If we get out of this—”
“When,” he corrected.
“When we get out of this, what’s next? Where do we go from here?”
“You’ll be an exonerated woman. We can do whatever you want.”
“I mean it, Gareth. Where do you see us going?”
The gentle swipe of his thumb back and forth across her knuckles helped quell some of her nerves, but only some. Her stomach still twisted, a nauseating little knot tightening in her chest.
“I love my job in the Royal Navy,” he began. “Before all this happened, I planned to attend the academy after our time on Ame and become an officer. I’d still like to do that.”
“And I have no desire to go back. The Silver Gryphon is my home. My crew is my family. I worked hard to make a name for myself as a legitimate hired mercenary.”
“I know. I’d never ask you to give that up.”
Which still left them exactly where they’d started, and she didn’t know if they would ever be able to find a middle ground.
Chapter Twelve
Izik the Jizzstain, as Gareth had dubbed the slavebuyer in his head, sent them the coordinates an hour ahead of their scheduled meeting as planned.
As they floated in Tallulah’s orbit, he composed a letter to his brother “just in case” everything fell to shit. In that letter, he repeated the usual crap he and Kaiden shared, both for each other and their mother—he loved him, he loved Mum, and there could never be a better brother in all the universe.
The usual sappy stuff.
Gareth sipped a cup of coffee and glanced out the viewport down at the emerald and blue planet surrounded by a haze of white clouds. Decades ago, Tallulah had been terraformed to serve as the perfect substitute for the original Earth, along with a handful of other planets, though its founders were deeply rooted in the old southern traditions belonging to the United States.
One of his close pals on the ground assault squad came from Talullah. Thandie had enlisted the moment she gained adulthood, fleeing the old-fashioned country’s outrageous dress code and expectations of young women.
Good thing, too. Otherwise she’d have never met Xander, the man responsible for saving Kaiden’s life. Gareth owed everything to Xander. The two of them had given him back his brother.
“Gareth?”
His attention snapped from the viewport to Evie’s face. “Hm?”
“If we want this to look legitimate, we need to put you out.”
“I figured that out when we arranged the transaction.”
“Are you okay with it, though? It isn’t too late to back out of this. I’ll understand if you’re—”
“I trust you, Evie. I trust your crew. I mean… it’d be crazy to sign on to help clear your name if I thought for a hot second you wouldn’t recover me. Right?”
She swallowed. He watched her throat work and the hint of self-doubt flash within her eyes. He reached up, ignoring the small audience of crewmen on the bridge, and cupped her chin. “You’ll do everything you can to get me back, right?”
“Right.”
“Then I’m not concerned. Call your medic.”
“Okay.”
“He’s gonna be in safe hands, Captain,” Jinx assured her. “Once you make contact with our buyer, I’ll isolate his Intergalactic Data Address and tag him to our system. We’ll know his location at all times. He won’t be able to wipe his ass without us knowing if he washed his hands or not.”
“Thanks for that visual.”
“You’re welcome.”
A few minutes passed before the medic arrived. Lissa stepped inside with her medical bag. “You ready for me, Evie?”
Evie nodded. “He’s ready.”
“All right. Gimme your arm, big guy.” Despite receiving a thousand inoculations in his lifetime since enlistment, he still tensed at the sight of the old-fashioned syringe and needle. “This is a fast-acting sedative. I did some calculations based on your height, weight, and basic psychic chemistry. You’re an S-class, correct?”
He nodded.
Jinx’s jaw dropped. “I knew it.”
