3013: MENDED (16 page)

“You lied the night you put me on the cruiser.”

“I didn’t,” he argued as he tapped the end of her nose. “I just…embellished the truth a little.”

“Right.” He could spin it any way he wanted, but Cami didn’t buy it. “You lied.”

“If that’s how you want to look at it. I will say that I didn’t intend for you to end up here, though. You were supposed to go to Alpha Station: X4, and Garrett was going to keep you safe until I could get there.” Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked down at her and shook his head. “Only you could have ended up on the far side of Alliance territory with just one word.”

“I don’t know. It’s not so bad.” She could feel Tariq’s eyes on her from across the room like a warm caress against her skin. “Maybe fate just had other plans for me.”

“It would seem so, chipmunk. You’re not really planning to stay here, are you? I mean, you and Tariq will go back to Helix, right?”

“I don’t know where we’ll go.” She knew she wouldn’t be returning to Earth, not permanently anyway. They could return to Helix, but she doubted Tariq had any desire to go back to his home planet. “It doesn’t really matter, as long as we’re together.”

“You’re all grown up, chipmunk, and I’m proud to be your brother.” Pulling her into his arms, he hugged her tightly as he poked at her ribs, making her giggle. “Out of curiosity, why didn’t you leave for X4 when you found out your mistake?”

Cami bit her bottom lip and wrinkled her nose. “I broke the ship’s navigation, or I guess I should say I erased the entire program. Then the station’s electrical engineer kind of got murdered, and I lost the data chips you gave me down a ventilation shaft.” She looked down at her toes and shrugged. “So, yeah.”

“Damn it, Cami.” Groaning, Lucas closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tomorrow, we’ll set you up with a bank account and see about getting you a wrist unit.”

“Oh, I have a wrist unit.” Good to his word, Commander Cain had come through for her. “It didn’t really go with my dress, so I left it in the room.”

Lucas groaned again. “Tariq has his work cut out for him. I hope he knows what he’s gotten himself into.”

A warm tingle spread through her neck and down her right shoulder as Tariq crept up behind her and encircled her waist with his muscular arms. “I know,” he answered, “and I’m well up to the challenge.”

“I’m really not that bad.” She had a few mishaps, sure, but they acted as though she couldn’t tie her shoes without assistance.

“I can’t believe that asshole hung me out to dry. I don’t care what he has to do to get it, he’s going to give me my fucking credits so I get the hell out of his shithole.”

“Cami? Cami, are you listening to me?”

She blinked up at Tariq. “No, I wasn’t.” A cold shiver worked his way down her spine, and her stomach tightened with nausea. “He’s here. The guy that killed Dennison is in the atrium, and he’s close.”

“Wait a damn minute.” Lucas grabbed her elbow, preventing her from darting out of the restaurant. “Cami, what’s going on? Who is Dennison and why in the blue moon are you going chasing after a killer?”

“Because I’m the only one who heard him. I’m the only one who can find him.” Really, she’d have thought this would be obvious. “I don’t have time to explain, Luke. Either help me or get out of my way.”

Lucas debated for half a second and nodded. “I’m not letting my baby sister go chasing after a killer on her own, so I guess I’m in. Let’s go.”

Placing his trust in Lucas, Tariq watched him follow Cami out of Starscape before turning to Sion. “Si, alert Commander Cain that we’ve found our killer.”

Sion had already begun pressing buttons on his wrist unit. “I’m on it.” A moment later Commander Maverick Cain’s face appeared on the display. “Commander, I think Cami has something. She’s in the atrium, headed toward the Rusty Spigot.”

“I’m on my way. Keep him in sight, but don’t approach,” the commander instructed. “I would tell you I’m sending backup, but right now, I don’t know who to trust.”

“There are two Helios and two Alliance Commanders after this guy.” Tariq snorted as he jerked his head for Sion to follow him. “I don’t think we need backup.”

They might need a med tech on hand, though. If the asshole went anywhere near Cami, Tariq wouldn’t be held responsible for his actions. He’d watched Lucas with Cami, had seen the way the elite had subtly scanned the crowd, always looking for a threat. Tariq had no doubt he’d protect his baby sister with his life, and for that reason alone, he already liked the guy.

Sion ended the call and pointed out into the atrium. “There she is. Come on.”

The crowd parted for them easily as everyone hurried to get out of their way. Tariq barely noticed. His eyes trained on Cami’s back, and everything else disappeared as he jogged across the court to catch up to her. Sion kept pace with him, snarling at anyone stupid enough to get too close, and it took less than half a minute for them to reach Cami and Lucas in front of the Rusty Spigot.

“He’s in there,” Cami said when he touched her on the shoulder. “I can’t…I don’t know which…hold on.”

As usual, the bar was filled to capacity with all kinds of nefarious sorts. Three Reema huddled in the corner at a square table, their tails flicking lazily under their chairs. A Krytos female Tariq knew to deal in the black market trade of exotic animals leaned against the stained and battered bar, yelling obscenities at the bartender. Various human males, a handful of other Krytos, and even a few D’Aire defectors shouted over the loud bass of music.

He could see why Cami had a hard time pinpointing the source of the voice. While most of the smugglers and traders had been implanted with a language converter, the bandits and pirates rejected such technology. They didn’t need to be able to negotiate when they could simply take what they wanted. There was a better than average chance the man they sought wouldn’t have a converter, and Tariq hoped Cami hadn’t exaggerated her linguistic capabilities.

Sion and Lucas bent their heads together, pretending to be in conversation about some imaginary female. Cami leaned into Tariq and began toying with the zipper on his jacket, but her gaze skipped over the patrons of the bar.

“No, not female. I think that’s a female anyway. No, too hissy, definitely not Reema. Maybe a Krytos? Come on, I hear you. Where are you?”

Cami’s frustrated thoughts drilled into his mind. Tariq stroked her back to calm her, and leaned closer as though he meant to whisper something in her ear. Over her shoulder, he searched the packed bar, but no one stood out to him. Half of the patrons looked pissed about something, while the other half appeared too drunk to know their own names.

“Navarra, I need to speak with you.” Commander Cain had foregone his uniform for a pair of jeans and a dark T-shirt. With his military-short hair and his broad, muscular frame, no one would guess him to be anything except an elite, though. “Has she found him?” he asked in a lowered voice when he reached them.

“He’s in there,” Cami answered. “I just…there.” With all the subtlety of a kick to the groin, she pointed at the end of the curving bar. “Behind the Krytos female. I didn’t see him at first, but that’s him.”

“Angel, we’re need to work on your sense of discretion.”

Sure enough, the moment she’d pointed, the guy they’d been trailing slid off his barstool and bolted for the exit. He could move, Tariq would give him that, but he couldn’t outrun all of them. His long legs ate up the floor while his greasy black hair bounced against this back. Still, he made it an impressive distance, almost to the mouth of the hallway before Sion caught up to him and tackled him to the ground.

“What the fuck? Get off me. I didn’t do anything.”

“Maybe I just like you,” Sion teased, though the knee he pressed against the male’s throat said otherwise. “We’re going to get up and take a little walk. If you try to run, I won’t be so gentle next time.”

Commander Cain arched an eyebrow when Sion jerked their suspect to his feet. “Remind me not to piss you off, Jabari.”

“Commander,” Sion answered in a sticky sweet tone, “don’t piss me off.”

“Where do you want him?” Lucas asked, taking the Tarin’s right arm while Sion held the left.

“We’ll take him to my office.” Commander Cain made an entry in his wrist unit and jerked his thumb toward the corridor. “This way.”

“What’s your name?” Lucas demanded.

He received no response, but that didn’t matter when Cami could pick the name right out of his mind. “Fajorn,” she said with a cute twist of her lips. “He won’t tell you anything, though. He says Jahara will have his head.”

“We don’t need him to tell us,” Tariq her. “We just need him to think it.”

“So, it’s true?” the commander asked. “You’re really a telepath?”

“As I live and breathe,” Cami answered distractedly, her eyes boring into Fajorn’s back.

“What’s he doing here?” Tariq jerked his head toward the end of the hall where General Holden Whitmore waited outside the commander’s office. “Did you call him?”

Maverick looked just as perplexed as Tariq felt. “No. I don’t know why he’s here, but it’s too late now.”

“Is this the guy?” General Whitmore asked as Sion led him into the office. “There were several reports of a fight in the atrium,” he explained. “When I couldn’t reach Maverick, I guessed you’d be bringing the suspect here.”

It sounded like a logical, even plausible reason for him to be there. Tariq still didn’t trust the guy.

Inside the commander’s office, Lucas shoved Fajorn into a seat and secured his hands to the arms of the dented, metal chair. “Don’t move.”

The air felt thick and hot with so many people gathered in the small office. Tariq couldn’t even shift his weight without bumping into someone. The lights flickered, adding an ominous atmosphere to the already tense situation. The males in the room looked strung tight with flexed muscles and narrowed eyes, ready to fight if it came to it.

Then all eyes turned to Cami.

“Okay. Let’s do this. How hard can it be?”

Though Tariq could sense her nervousness through their connection, he wouldn’t have known it by looking at her. No longer the shy, meek girl he’d first met, she had transformed into a fierce, confident woman. Given the chance to grow, to blossom, she’d surpassed even his expectations.

Sliding the commander’s chair around the desk, Cami placed it in front of Fajorn and settled into it. “Do you work for Jahara?”

Every instinct in Tariq wanted to drag her away from the slime, but he held his position. Even if the asshole tried to lunge for her, five highly-trained and pissed off men would be on him before he ever reached her.

“Yes,” Fajorn answered through clenched teeth, his black eyes filled with a burning, ruthless rage.

“Yes and no.” Cami squinted at him. “He smuggles pharmaceuticals and illegal drugs for Jahara, but there’s something else. Someone else who owes him credits.”

“We know you murdered the electrical engineer in the docking bays.” Commander Whitmore spoke in a deep, booming voice that reverberated through the office. “Why did you kill him? What did he see?”

“Something he wasn’t supposed to,” Fajorn answered with a nasty curl of his lip.

“There are women missing from the station.” In contrast to the hostility pouring off the males in the room, Cami spoke with a calm grace Tariq could only envy. “Do you know anything about that?”

“Some of them were Tarin females,” Tariq added, hoping to either appeal to his sense of loyalty or trap him into a confession.

“No, they weren’t.”

“So, you do know something about the missing women.” Cami grinned up at Tariq. “How many? Where are is Jahara taking them?”

“Not everything he is saying makes sense to me. I’m going to try something.”

“What are you up to, angel?”

“Just hold on. This might hurt a little.”

A dull, aching throb started at the base of Tariq’s skull and quickly spread to encompass his entire head. Gritting his teeth against the pain that erupted in his temples, Tariq placed a hand against the wall to hold himself up when he swayed. He didn’t know what he’d done to piss Cami off, but it must have been something bad for her to inflict this kind of torture on him.

“Don’t fight it,”
she said, whispering into his overtaxed brain.
“Breathe, Tariq. Don’t fight.”

Breathing in deeply through his nose, Tariq closed his eyes and tried to do as she asked. Instead of fighting the pain that lanced through his skull, he focused on his heartbeat, his breathing, the scent of lavender and fresh rain—anything except how his head would likely explode.

After several agonizing moments, the throbbing finally subsided, and the tension melted from his neck and shoulders. His head continued to spin—or maybe that was the room—but at least he could stand up straight again.

“…the harem. They’ll never catch Jahara. He should already be nearing the drop point.”

Tariq blinked. Hearing Fajorn through his mental link with Cami ranked close to the top of the list of the weirdest shit that had ever happened to him. The voice came through muffled and a little distorted, but he had no problem making out the hybrid’s words.

“Ten thousand credits per concubine. That asshole better cough up the extra twenty percent he promised, too. My silence doesn’t come cheap.”

“Tartarus,” Tariq announced to the room. “Jahara is selling the females into harems on Tartarus. He should be close, almost into Tarin airspace by now.”

“Alliance Sentinels are in the area and available to intercept the craft if Jahara hasn’t already crossed out of our airspace.” Lucas looked up from his wrist unit to Commander Cain.

“Go,” Maverick demanded.

Nodding, Lucas hurried out of the office, barking orders into his wrist unit as he went.

“Who the hell is this guy?” Sion asked to the room at large. “Where did he come from, and how did he stay hidden?”

“He’s working with someone,” Cami answered. “Someone’s been helping him hide out on the station, and my guess is it’s the same person who has been altering the docking reports.”

“She must think I’m stupid. I like my head right where it is. I’m not telling this stupid bitch anything.”

Tariq growled, but Cami shook her head.

“Let it go. If you kill him, we won’t find out who he’s working with.”

“I’ll play nice. For now. If he insults you again, I’m going to make him bleed.”

Cami rolled her eyes, but let the subject drop. “Who are you working with?” she demanded of Fajorn. “Who’s altering the reports for Jahara?”

“You can ask me until you’re blue in the face, sweetheart, but I’m not telling you anything.”

“Let me try.” Stepping forward, Commander Cain motioned for Cami to vacate his seat. He didn’t sit, though. Kicking the chair to the side, he stood in front of Fajorn with a nasty smirk. “I’ll ask you one more time. Who is altering the records on the station?”

“Angel, step back. I have a feeling this is going to get physical.”

Scrambling backward, Cami pressed herself against the far wall near the office door. When she looked at him, Tariq shook his head and held a hand up for her to stay put. He would have preferred to have her close to him, but if things did turn ugly, he didn’t want her caught in the crossfire. More importantly, she’d positioned herself near the exit for a hasty retreat, which was exactly where Tariq wanted her.

“This is going to hurt,”
Fajorn thought a split second before Sion punched him square in the jaw.

“What?” Sion shook his hand out and grinned at the commander. “I’m not Alliance. You are. I was just saving you some paperwork.”

“I know who it is!” Cami yelled, her voice echoing around the room.

Unless she was psychic along with being telepathic, she couldn’t know.
“What are you doing?”

“Just trust me.”

Her expression turned pitying as she shuffled toward the prisoner. Tariq nodded his thanks at Maverick when the commander stopped her from moving to close.

“You know he’s going to double cross you, right? He’s going to hang you out to dry, and you’re never going to see a single credit.”

Fajorn’s eyes flickered to a spot beyond Cami’s left shoulder, just as the image of a familiar face flashed inside Tariq’s mind. Before he could even call Cami’s name, General Holden Whitmore grabbed her from behind and placed the business end of a blaster against her temple.

“Back off!” he yelled. “Everyone stay back!”

Tariq didn’t move, but his hands clenched into fists at his sides as a vicious growl rolled up from his diaphragm. “I’m going to enjoy killing you.”