Kaiden Read online

  Evangeline furrowed her brow. From what she could tell, and from the things Gareth had admitted to her, he lived with his brother and a few of their guy friends. He had little to no privacy and spent all of his time working as the technical expert for a big company.

  Gareth was so much younger than her. She sighed out loud, then found herself on the receiving end of another dubious stare from Ranulf. She ignored him and typed her response.

  I had to return to work. Hope your brother is okay.

  He’ll live. Is everything all right?

  Perfectly fine. Get some sleep, Gareth. We’ll finish the dungeon when you’re home from work.

  Stay safe out there.

  I always do.

  Evie closed the messenger and logged out, but Gareth remained on her mind long after she resumed trolling the cold case archives. Stale bounties always had a twenty-five percent bonus, and right now they needed every credit they could earn. She needed every credit.

  Because if she was going to stay on the run from the military, she had to have the money to keep ahead. With one more surgery, she’d feel safe again. Evie had no plans to go back to prison.

  She’d die before she returned.

  Chapter Five

  Nisrine tossed her handbag onto the bed and flopped to the mattress soon after. She’d never thought she would miss her bunk on the ship, but after so many years living aboard the Jemison, her bed at home had seemed foreign and uncomfortable. She rolled to her back and released a long sigh.

  “Tough vacation with the family?” Thandie asked from her desk across the room.

  “Tough doesn’t begin to describe it.”

  “Come on, it can’t be worse than my trip. My folks tried to nitpick any flaw they could find with Xander. His ‘lack of proper parentage’ was a huge tick in his disfavor.”

  “He’s a bloody cybernetic physician. Was that not enough to let him slide with a pass?” Nisrine sat up and unwound her gold-trimmed shayla from around her shoulders.

  “Yeah, well, in the end they decided he was an acceptable suitor. So spill it, what happened on your leave?”

  “While your parents sought out flaws with your boyfriend, mine bemoaned my lack of one. All of my brothers and sisters are married now with little kids.” She set the silky scarf aside and ran her fingers through her hair.

  “Ah.” Thandie grimaced. “If it makes you feel any better, my mother constantly grilled me about becoming Thandie Vargas and luring Xander into marriage. Apparently, I haven’t yet used all of my tricks and I’m failing in my duty as a woman to be fruitful and multiply.” She rolled her eyes. “Anyway, we did discuss it briefly and he offered to scandalize my folks by becoming Xander Kruger instead.”

  “You could always compromise and use both,” Nisrine said, grinning.

  “Thandie Kruger Vargas,” Thandie repeated. “I guess he’d have to propose first…” She sighed. “Or I would have to. He’s been married once before. I could be reading too heavily into his feelings by assuming he’s even interested in doing it again, and I don’t want to make it awkward between us.”

  “I don’t need to be an empath to know how much he cares for you.” Nisrine tossed a package to her roommate. “I brought your favorite tea, and there’s a second for Xander.”

  Thandie’s expression perked up. “Thanks! I was lamenting the fact that I was down to my last few teaspoons.

  “So, what have I missed? Catch me up on the drama.”

  “I’ll tell you about it on the way to the gym. We could both benefit from blowing off a little steam,” Thandie encouraged by pulling her roommate off the bed with one hand.

  It didn’t take them long to change into the form-fitting protective gear issued for phase sword matches. Nisrine used her authorization codes to check two weapons out from the secured gym locker, and then they prepared the arena for training.

  “Have you continued your lessons with Gareth?” Nisrine asked as she brandished the black hilt. The harmless, retractable blade was weightless in her grip, and at the push of a button, a comforting hum filled the air prior to the sword pulsing with emerald light.

  “Some. When he’s had time, which isn’t much lately. Not that I can blame him. Having his brother back on board has swallowed up a lot of his free hours.”

  “How does Kaiden seem?” Nisrine asked as they faced each other across the mats. She didn’t wait for a reply, leading with a series of standard, testing strikes. Thandie threw up her sword to block, and the blades clashed together with a vibrating hum. With one shove, Nisrine sent her stumbling off balance across the mat.

  “More confident than he was six months ago. He played one hell of a prank on everyone in the crew lounge. I overheard O’Reilly bragging like he’d planned the joke himself.”

  Nisrine laughed. “Wish I’d seen it.”

  “From what Gareth says, we’ll all experience it eventually. Anyway, speaking of Gareth, what happens if the blade really hits me? He only snickered when I asked him, and Xander wouldn’t answer. I think they were having a laugh at me.”

  “This is a novice blade.”

  “And?” Thandie prompted as she climbed to her feet.

  “While nonlethal, it’ll sting, and you’ll briefly lose motor function in the affected limb.”

  “Guess I should be glad Gareth’s gone easy on me so far. Why are we always doing the same attacks anyway? Gareth calls them kata.”

  “We’re developing your muscle memory, Thandie. Over time, you’ll come to predict what I do; it’ll become second nature. Remember when you went through hand-to-hand training in boot?”

  “And we had to do the same boring punching and dodging drills for days.”

  “Same principle.”

  They repeated the same pattern across the floor, high then low, up and down again. They moved back and forth, lapsing into silence when Nisrine picked up the speed and pushed Thandie to the limits of her reflexes.

  Gareth had been soft on the junior officer, but Nisrine had no qualms about laying her bunkmate on her ass. She devoted herself to the task of tossing Thandie off balance, until at the end, when she lunged forward and slid an additional low sweep toward the woman’s knees, without hesitation, Thandie’s sword flashed out for the riposte.

  “Good, very good. You anticipated my attack.”

  “I anticipated you whooping my butt,” Thandie quipped back. Sweat dripped down her temples. As she wiped her forearm across her brow, temporarily abandoning her on-guard stance, Nisrine’s blade swept through the air and into Thandie’s hip. A yelp preceded her graceless fall to the floor.

  “Never lower your guard before an armed opponent. Wasn’t that Gareth’s first rule?”

  “Ugh, yes, yes. God, that felt like the shock baton they force us to take during training, only worse.” She glanced down at her hip and kneaded the spot with her palm, groaning in discomfort. “Every time I look down I expect to see burns. It’s like my skin is on fire.”

  “The real thing is worse, it cauterizes as it cuts. You know, back in the day, they once issued actual steel swords to officers. These are a vast improvement. Doesn’t rust, so little maintenance cost, and they’ll cut through practically any material once activated.” Their suits, while resistant to the energy emitted from the blades, weren’t foolproof protection and were expensive to manufacture. The military only issued them to highly trained enlisted members skilled with the weapon, as well as officers with the intent to learn.

  “But when do you ever need one of these in the field?” Thandie asked. “They’re fun to twirl around, but isn’t it easier to shoot someone?”

  “True. But sometimes you need stealth. And some planets, like your own, have strict laws against firearms, don’t they?”

  Thandie groaned. “God, yes. They still have old-fashioned duels with rapiers. I was honestly afraid someone was going to challenge Xander at one point.”

  “I’ve seen Xander hold his own against Viljoen on the training mats. He may have surprise
d you.”

  “It wasn’t Xander I was worried about,” Thandie said with a laugh. She rose shakily to her feet and tested her weight on the affected leg. “I had this vision of him killing half of my ex-suitors in honorable combat.”

  Nisrine laughed. “He’d have happily done so, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah. Okay, so can we do that again? I want to avoid future maimings, since you show no mercy.”

  Nisrine guided Thandie through the routine until their chests heaved and perspiration stuck clothing against their bodies. Her friend had a quick capacity for learning, adapting over time to the gradual changes in the exercise.

  By the time they checked in their training weapons and left the gym, Nisrine sensed that Thandie’s confidence had soared. Which was the entire point of training with her.

  “You did good today, Thandie.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be going up against Gareth or Xander anytime soon, but I’m less concerned about chopping off my arm and having to pay a visit to Xander to become a double-amputee cyborg.”

  They shared a laugh and headed back to their room. Her friend had been right, this was exactly the distraction Nisrine had needed.

  And then another distraction wandered right into their path, coming around the corner so fast she nearly collided with a broad chest. A strong hand cupped her elbow to steady her as she stumbled back.

  “Sorry, Lieutenant, I didn’t see you two,” Kaiden said, his soft voice contrasting with his size.

  “I’m fine.” Unless she counted the tingles zipping straight down to her toes from the point of contact between them.

  “Hey, Kaiden, how’s it going?” Thandie asked.

  “Good. Was gonna go work out and blow off some steam. Doc says exercise keeps all the organic parts and machinery in harmony,” he replied, dropping his hand from Nisrine’s arm. He didn’t step back, leaving less than an arm’s length of distance between them. “You?”

  Thandie pointed with her thumb to Nisrine. “Getting my ass whooped by this one in training. Your brother goes way easier on me.”

  “Yeah? I’ve never been that great with the phase sword. Guns are my preferred weapon. You ladies ever want a race on the obstacle course, I’m down.” He glanced at Nisrine and held eye contact with her, gorgeous green eyes too pretty to be real. Though, they had to be, because she’d seen the same lovely emerald in Gareth’s face a thousand times. “Heard you’ve been holding the record for the past three years. Maybe it’s time for someone to break it.”

  “Many have tried.”

  “Guess we’ll have to see.” Kaiden winked then moved past them with a confident swagger.

  Once he was out of sight, Thandie nudged her. “Well?”

  “Well, what?”

  “Lockhart is totally single. And a good guy. And he was totally eye-fucking you.”

  “I didn’t pick up any of that from him.” But she had sensed the determination behind his challenge.

  “For a psychic, you miss a lot.”

  Nisrine scowled and bumped Thandie’s hip. “I don’t invade other people’s feelings and minds unless I have to.”

  “Well, trust me when I say Kaiden Lockhart is down for some invasion, and it has nothing to do with your thoughts.”

  Chapter Six

  Ethan Bishop, Commanding Officer of the Jemison, led the way down the wide corridor winding through the palace. Kaiden hadn’t paid a visit to the queen since she’d bestowed personal commendations to the crew for their role in rooting out the source behind several colony attacks.

  Without the encouraging voice of Jem in his head, Kaiden felt more awkward than ever. The stiff, restrictive dress uniform chafed against his skin, and Ethan barely had a word to say to him.

  Did I piss him off already? What the fuck is going on?

  Six admirals and the queen herself waited for them in the council chamber. Kaiden snapped into a perfect salute.

  “Welcome, both of you,” Queen Catherine greeted them. “Please take your seats, gentlemen. I believe you are already familiar with the Admiralty Board.”

  “Yes, Your Highness, I am,” Kaiden answered. Ethan set his hand against his shoulder and directed him to a seat at the rectangular table.

  “Now that we are all here, let us begin. Commodore, the floor is yours.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty. I have requested this meeting on behalf of Senior Chief Lockhart. Two years have passed since his rescue, and the Royal Navy has come no closer to discovering the culprit.”

  Admiral Scarot, a thin woman with gray-streaked brown hair, leaned forward in her seat. “Our review of Doctor Campbell’s facility turned up very few leads and countless bodies. All of them with control chips implanted in their skulls. Whoever is pulling the strings in the background, they’re not above killing their own, which has made finding them difficult.”

  The man to Scarot’s left, Admiral Bristow, voiced his agreement with her sentiments. “Former Sergeant DuPrie has been less than forthcoming with information. How do you plan to move forward with the problem, Ethan?”

  “I propose sending Senior Chief Lockhart to investigate his own abduction. If anyone should be looking into this matter, then it should be him.”

  “Absolutely not,” Admiral Palmer objected. He punctuated his point by slapping his hand against the table.

  “Would that be safe?” Scarot asked. “I’m aware of his background as an agent in the field, but he’s known to them.”

  “How are we to remain certain that he is no longer under their control?” Admiral Bristow asked.

  Ethan straightened in his seat. “One of the Royal Navy’s best cyberneticists is aboard the Jemison. You’re all familiar with Doctor Xander Vargas, correct? He has monitored Kaiden since his rescue, using the intelligence gathered from the facility discovered on planet Azura. Xander has verified that Kaiden is a free-thinking being, and able to undertake this mission.”

  They’re just talking about me as if I’m not even here.

  “You’ll have to excuse my own reluctance,” Scarot said. “We haven’t asked the senior chief how he feels about this.”

  All eyes turned to Kaiden. He resisted the urge to fidget and locked gazes with each admiral in turn without flinching. He had to treat them like predatory animals. Admirals always sensed weakness, and then they went in for blood. “I’m in full support of the Commodore’s plan.”

  “Still,” Scarot murmured, rubbing her chin. She steepled her fingers beneath it then leaned forward. “Do you truly understand the risk involved?”

  “I do,” Kaiden said. “No one is more motivated to solving this than me.”

  “I want to solve this, but it is wise to assume DuPrie was not the only spy in our midst,” Admiral Himura said.

  “I’m aware,” Ethan replied. “Due to the sensitive nature of the investigation, I propose for all findings to remain confidential, reported only to the queen and her chosen agents.”

  The older woman nodded. “In that case, he has my support,” Scarot said.

  “Mine as well,” Bristow said. “Excellent idea.”

  Admiral Ogden sighed, her lips pressed in a thin line. “I’ll recuse myself from the vote.”

  Coward, Kaiden thought.

  Palmer shook his head. “No.”

  Admiral Walden’s shoulders dropped. “This is a miserable idea. The lad was the property of them once, and it’ll only happen again if we allow him to fall into their hands. It’s an unnecessary risk. I won’t approve of it.”

  “Agreed. By all rights, he should be military property. It was a terrible mistake to allow him to return to the Royal Navy in the first place, trusting him with classified information,” Admiral Palmer said.

  Beneath the table, Kaiden’s fists clenched while his face remained impassive. I’m not a piece of property.

  “I must side with them,” Himura said. “Too much remains unknown at this time. Perhaps in the future, we may allow Senior Chief Lockhart some—”

  “Pardon m
e, but Kaiden isn’t a machine. He has loyally served our Navy and tossing him in the brig would have been a grave injustice.” Queen Catherine scoffed. “I made the choice, and I stand by this decision, too. He will investigate the matter and one unnamed intelligence officer shall join him on the mission. I will personally deploy several of my finest, but only one will receive orders to accompany him.”

  “Your Majesty, I must disagree. Failure to disclose the identity of the agent charged with his care could jeopardize the entire mission,” Palmer argued.

  Ethan settled back in his chair and grinned at Kaiden. Once the queen made up her mind, convincing her of anything else became an exercise in futility.

  “You’re welcome to disagree,” Catherine said. “And I’m welcome to tell you I don’t give a damn. As my vote counts for three, the majority lies in our favor and pushes this motion forward. Kaiden, your commanding officer will make arrangements to provide you with the necessary equipment and travel accommodations. Good luck.”

  The queen shook his hand again and excused herself from the chambers. While professional on the outside, the displeased, judgmental gazes of the admirals burned into Kaiden as they left. He and Ethan filed out of the room last, quiet until they returned to the Jemison’s port.

  “Why didn’t you tell me what was happening? I thought you were pissed at me,” Kaiden said.

  “I was bloody furious, but not at you. My request for a private meeting was passed to Admiral Palmer’s office,” Ethan explained. “The queen’s secretary wouldn’t allow me to speak with Her Majesty alone.”

  “So, what now?”

  “Exactly what our queen said. We’ll get you outfitted for a two-man task force. It’ll be like old times, and I’m confident you’ll handle the situation to the best of your abilities.”

  Nisrine slid into the seat behind her terminal and sipped her coffee. The morning remained peaceful until a subtle blip and blinking red light drew her attention to the lower right corner, indicating an urgent transmission in progress.