[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
No one would say anything. That s the law here.
Tal drummed his fingers on the console. That s not what I asked.
Fine. Yes, once. He made a face, nose wrinkled. I had something to drop off. It was three hours of
eternity. I didn t really expect to come back. Actually, I had hoped to never come back.
Oh dear, and here you are. Vanya laughed, ruffling Frey s hair with such easy familiarity that Tal
felt a jolt somewhere deep in his gut. Not jealousy, that would have been logical. This was something
darker and decidedly more enjoyable.
Tal got to his feet, shaking off the emotion he wasn t quite ready to put a name to yet. The hopper
will be here in five minutes. I think the sooner we get going, the less time it leaves Heston to change his
mind, and that s good. He offered Vanya his hand, pulling her to her feet before making the same
unthinking gesture to Frey. On your feet, there s a likely lad.
I hate you. For all the tired annoyance in the words, Frey still took the help, and Tal hid a smile.
The walk to the holding cells was slower than it should have been, all of them acclimating to Corve s
demanding nature.
Vanya waved them on as she ducked into their quarters. I ll be ready in a few minutes. I just want to
slip into something more suitable.
Tal pushed Frey down the hall when it looked like he was going to offer to help her. Knowing that
keeping him in line was going to require vigilance, Tal didn t feel too bad about taking a few more minutes
to acclimate to the heavy grav. Eventually rousting himself enough to get back to work, he went searching
through the supply cabinets. Frey actually looked hurt when Tal pulled out the restraints. Seriously?
You re going to parade me around cuffed to you? Why not just put me on a collar and leash?
Well, now that you mention it& Tal smirked, head tipped to the side as he gave the idea some
thought. Kellen Frey on a leash. It was an idea that held some definite merit. It would be hotter if it were
Van holding the other end though.
No. Absolutely not. No.
What are you boys fighting about this time? Vanya s voice came drifting down the corridor.
Frey says we can t parade him around in a collar and leash. Tal started to turn around, and then
stopped, whistling softly. Damn, woman, you know what that getup does to me.
46 www.samhainpublishing.com
The Slipstream Con
Reminds you that I could kill you in your sleep? she asked, raising an eyebrow. She reached up to
adjust the crossed sticks holding her hair in a bun, and he tried not to gape too obviously when it pulled the
hem of her shirt up, leaving a pale band of skin visible over the waist of her pants. One gun was strapped to
her thigh, the second at the base of her spine, tucked into a holster in the small of her back.
That, he agreed, elbowing Frey, who was shaking his head and laughing silently. You re no help at
all. Now hold out your arm.
Aren t those Jenoban hair sticks? The ones with blades inside them? Frey ignored him as usual,
leaning in to inspect Vanya s hair accessories rather too closely.
Someone gave them to me after a job years ago. She touched one with a small smile. Now kindly
give my husband your arm, and we ll get this show on the road.
Tal d already settled the cuff on his own left wrist, accounting for both the need to use his free hand
and the unhealed injuries on Frey s left. With his favorite convict fallen silent, and Vanya looking every bit
the hired muscle, they set off. Tal tried very hard not to think of the things that might happen to their ship
while they were away, even though they d set all the alarms and lock-outs.
The hopper ride was short but uncomfortable, and Vanya didn t bother to haggle the price down once
they arrived at Heston s place. They waited on the porch like sheepish children until the man of the hour
yanked the door open, standing aside to let them file in and locking it again once they had.
Lab s back here. He gave them a narrow-eyed look, irritation in every line of his body as he walked
away. They followed him through the house to a door tucked under a staircase that took them down a steep
set of steps that might have tripped Tal more than once if not for the steadying tug of the cuffs between him
and Frey. Once in the lab, Heston spun an exam chair around and waved vaguely in its direction, before
ignoring them all in favor of digging in a cabinet set into the wall.
Cuff him to the chair, Heston ordered without looking up.
Tal bent to unlock the restraints. Frey was wearing his usual easy smile, but his eyes flicked to the
chair and back to Tal for just a second, the flash of disquiet easy to miss if he hadn t been expecting it. Tal
felt his own lips press into a thin line as he took the cuff off Frey s arm and set it on the edge of a nearby
worktable. It may have been Heston s lab, but Frey was still their prisoner and damned if he was going to
take orders about that prisoner from Heston.
Vanya gave him a small, understanding smile, pulling out one of the stools and perching there, chin in
her hand as she yawned.
Here we go. Heston turned around with a small black box just in time to catch the tail end of
Vanya s yawn. Shaggy eyebrows shot up as he smirked. Sorry if my company s that dull. Don t expect I
can compete with golden boy and the new toy. They keeping you up too late?
She made a choked sound before recovering. In case you ve forgotten, it s rather difficult to keep
Frey here contained. We took turns watching to keep him from hijacking our ship last night.
www.samhainpublishing.com 47
S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
If anything, his eyebrows rose even higher. Why didn t you just knock him out? There s drugs for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl fopke.keep.pl
No one would say anything. That s the law here.
Tal drummed his fingers on the console. That s not what I asked.
Fine. Yes, once. He made a face, nose wrinkled. I had something to drop off. It was three hours of
eternity. I didn t really expect to come back. Actually, I had hoped to never come back.
Oh dear, and here you are. Vanya laughed, ruffling Frey s hair with such easy familiarity that Tal
felt a jolt somewhere deep in his gut. Not jealousy, that would have been logical. This was something
darker and decidedly more enjoyable.
Tal got to his feet, shaking off the emotion he wasn t quite ready to put a name to yet. The hopper
will be here in five minutes. I think the sooner we get going, the less time it leaves Heston to change his
mind, and that s good. He offered Vanya his hand, pulling her to her feet before making the same
unthinking gesture to Frey. On your feet, there s a likely lad.
I hate you. For all the tired annoyance in the words, Frey still took the help, and Tal hid a smile.
The walk to the holding cells was slower than it should have been, all of them acclimating to Corve s
demanding nature.
Vanya waved them on as she ducked into their quarters. I ll be ready in a few minutes. I just want to
slip into something more suitable.
Tal pushed Frey down the hall when it looked like he was going to offer to help her. Knowing that
keeping him in line was going to require vigilance, Tal didn t feel too bad about taking a few more minutes
to acclimate to the heavy grav. Eventually rousting himself enough to get back to work, he went searching
through the supply cabinets. Frey actually looked hurt when Tal pulled out the restraints. Seriously?
You re going to parade me around cuffed to you? Why not just put me on a collar and leash?
Well, now that you mention it& Tal smirked, head tipped to the side as he gave the idea some
thought. Kellen Frey on a leash. It was an idea that held some definite merit. It would be hotter if it were
Van holding the other end though.
No. Absolutely not. No.
What are you boys fighting about this time? Vanya s voice came drifting down the corridor.
Frey says we can t parade him around in a collar and leash. Tal started to turn around, and then
stopped, whistling softly. Damn, woman, you know what that getup does to me.
46 www.samhainpublishing.com
The Slipstream Con
Reminds you that I could kill you in your sleep? she asked, raising an eyebrow. She reached up to
adjust the crossed sticks holding her hair in a bun, and he tried not to gape too obviously when it pulled the
hem of her shirt up, leaving a pale band of skin visible over the waist of her pants. One gun was strapped to
her thigh, the second at the base of her spine, tucked into a holster in the small of her back.
That, he agreed, elbowing Frey, who was shaking his head and laughing silently. You re no help at
all. Now hold out your arm.
Aren t those Jenoban hair sticks? The ones with blades inside them? Frey ignored him as usual,
leaning in to inspect Vanya s hair accessories rather too closely.
Someone gave them to me after a job years ago. She touched one with a small smile. Now kindly
give my husband your arm, and we ll get this show on the road.
Tal d already settled the cuff on his own left wrist, accounting for both the need to use his free hand
and the unhealed injuries on Frey s left. With his favorite convict fallen silent, and Vanya looking every bit
the hired muscle, they set off. Tal tried very hard not to think of the things that might happen to their ship
while they were away, even though they d set all the alarms and lock-outs.
The hopper ride was short but uncomfortable, and Vanya didn t bother to haggle the price down once
they arrived at Heston s place. They waited on the porch like sheepish children until the man of the hour
yanked the door open, standing aside to let them file in and locking it again once they had.
Lab s back here. He gave them a narrow-eyed look, irritation in every line of his body as he walked
away. They followed him through the house to a door tucked under a staircase that took them down a steep
set of steps that might have tripped Tal more than once if not for the steadying tug of the cuffs between him
and Frey. Once in the lab, Heston spun an exam chair around and waved vaguely in its direction, before
ignoring them all in favor of digging in a cabinet set into the wall.
Cuff him to the chair, Heston ordered without looking up.
Tal bent to unlock the restraints. Frey was wearing his usual easy smile, but his eyes flicked to the
chair and back to Tal for just a second, the flash of disquiet easy to miss if he hadn t been expecting it. Tal
felt his own lips press into a thin line as he took the cuff off Frey s arm and set it on the edge of a nearby
worktable. It may have been Heston s lab, but Frey was still their prisoner and damned if he was going to
take orders about that prisoner from Heston.
Vanya gave him a small, understanding smile, pulling out one of the stools and perching there, chin in
her hand as she yawned.
Here we go. Heston turned around with a small black box just in time to catch the tail end of
Vanya s yawn. Shaggy eyebrows shot up as he smirked. Sorry if my company s that dull. Don t expect I
can compete with golden boy and the new toy. They keeping you up too late?
She made a choked sound before recovering. In case you ve forgotten, it s rather difficult to keep
Frey here contained. We took turns watching to keep him from hijacking our ship last night.
www.samhainpublishing.com 47
S. Reesa Herberth and Michelle Moore
If anything, his eyebrows rose even higher. Why didn t you just knock him out? There s drugs for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]