Atrophy (12 page)

“Officers are requesting we lower the hatch so they can come aboard,” Lianna said, touching the comm piece she had attached to her ear. She had two guns in thigh holsters and another holstered at her lower back, plus a knife. So apparently the ship’s nav and engineer moonlighted as yet another badass.

“Get him in the contraband compartment.” Rian nodded toward the back of the cargo hold where the light didn’t quite reach.

Tannin stared at him, not comprehending. Everyone else looked as confused as he felt.

“Ummm, what about the contraband?” Callan’s voice echoed in the silent space.

“Stack it here with the rest of the cargo.” Rian hooked a thumb through one of his belt loops and looked at him expectantly.

Callan’s brow lowered. “You want us to stack plasma rifles, IPC-marked crystal interfaces, DNA taggers, and your Violaine in plain sight of IPC officers?”

“They’re not looking for contraband. They’re looking for an escaped prisoner. If it’s mixed in with our actual cargo, they won’t notice.” Rian’s tone of voice sharpened, his temper no doubt going the same way.

“Come on, Tannin.” Zahli passed him and hurried toward the back of the ship. As he followed her, Jensen, Lianna, and Callan fell into step behind him. Callan bitched the whole way over, while Jensen and Lianna remained silent.

Zahli stopped in front of what looked to be the far bulkhead, but one swipe of her hand over a small concealed crystal, and a man-sized section of the wall moved, revealing a hidden compartment. The others brushed past him to start pulling crates out, taking them to the middle of the cargo bay floor where the legitimate goods were stacked. Tannin went into the niche and hefted one of the smaller cases. If they were willing to hide him, then he’d damn well help them move their contraband. It took a few trips back and forth, but they got the recess emptied out quick enough.

Zahli stepped to the side of the opening once the boxes were all moved. “It doubles as a panic room. Come on, I’ll show you how to lock it from the inside.”

Tannin backed into the small space, not much bigger than a generous sized cupboard. Zahli followed him in, immediately turning to palm the panel closed. A single light shone down from above, casting soft-lit shadows.

She motioned to the crystal display by the door. “I’ll put my security code in so all you’ll have to do is tab the lock.”

This was the closest he’d let her get since that first hour he’d been aboard. Her warm curves brushed against him, the summer rain scent of her engulfing his senses. He should have been concentrating on the fact that Erebus officers were about to search the ship, or seriously considering what he would do if they found him, or even praying to any deity who might be listening. But his mind had stopped functioning, higher thought process no longer possible. Not when Zahli stood so near and he had nowhere to go, even if he’d wanted to. And he didn’t want to.

“So have you got that?” Zahli turned to look up at him, her face tilting, the light catching her dark blue eyes at an angle that made them look exquisite. “Tannin?”

With a groan, because he knew he was lost and this day would more than likely end in his death, he wrapped one arm around Zahli, dragging her against him. His other hand slid into the soft thickness of her hair. He caught her lips, fusing his mouth against hers in a kiss more desperate than seductive. He drank in the taste of her, the feel of her in his arms and the slight weight of her fingers at the base of his neck. The way she kissed him back without reservation and rocked up against him fired his imagination into the ecstasy of what could be. He pushed her hard against the door, running a swift hand over the shape of her hip, up her arched back, to the swell of her breast, hoping to imprint this fleeting moment, the sensations, and total rapture into his mind for eternity.

“Zahli, hurry up!” Rian’s muffled voice accompanied a sharp banging on the door behind them and they jumped apart. Their breathing sounded harsh in the closeted space and a subtle rose color brushed Zahli’s cheeks. She turned and swiped her hand over the small screen, the door slipping open to reveal Rian’s back as he returned to where the rest of the crew stood ready. Without a word or backward glance, she hurried out, and the panel closed her off from sight a second later.

He reached over and thumbed the lock the way Zahli had shown him. Blowing out a long breath, he leaned an elbow against the wall and rested his forehead on his arm, his mind and body aflame from those few stolen moment of bliss.

He’d like to say if it all ended now he’d die a contented man. But it’d be a complete lie. Zahli made him burn like no one else he’d ever met.

If only…if only…

If only for a different time and place, maybe he could have seen just how hot she could get him. Instead, he could only stand here, wait for his jacked up heart rate to slow down, and hope the IPC officers on the other side of the door didn’t find him.

Z
ahli took a breath and then another. And one more as the loading hatch lowered to reveal a hot wind, shifting sands, and five IPC officers from Erebus standing with weapons ready to search the
Imojenna
.

Lianna elbowed her in the ribs. “Relax, Zahli, or you’ll give us away.”

“I can give her something for that,” Kira muttered from her other side, making Lianna laugh.

If only they knew the real reason her heart pounded and her breath was so short. They couldn’t give her anything that’d help calm those sorts of responses down.

Nothing but Tannin in my bed for a week.

She flushed hotter remembering the feel of all his hard, unyielding muscles pressing her into the wall as he’d kissed her into orbit.

Oh god…
She wanted to melt into a puddle of goo. No. She wanted to march back into the hidden compartment and let Tannin finish what he’d started until her limbs turned to jelly.

That man made her crave things in a way she’d never wanted them before. Sure, she’d had relationships here and there. Nothing serious and nothing very long term. Her brother had gotten good at scaring most potential partners away. But she’d never simply
wanted
a guy on such a primal level, never been overwhelmed by the strength of attraction before. Not until Tannin had burst into her life and then decided to stowaway on this ship.

He’d proven over and over he was willing to sacrifice his own well-being to help her, first by hacking into the building on Erebus, and then by getting Rian’s military records when both her brother and the authorities could easily take his life for doing such a thing. And if it hadn’t been for Tannin and his skills, they more than likely would have frozen to death in no-man’s space before reaching Arleta.

Tannin had ambushed her on every level; she’d never imagined there could be a guy like him in the universe.

One of the officers climbed the ramp toward the ship, the other four falling into formation behind him. As he got closer, she recognized Lieutenant Marshal Raleigh, who’d requested the boarding while they’d been in void-space. He stopped in front of Rian and nodded.

“Major Captain Sherron, thank you for letting us come aboard. This won’t take long. Is this all your crew present here?”

Rian rested a palm on his metium knife. “My crew is all on this level, yes.”

Raleigh’s gaze dropped to Rian’s weapon belt, his posture tightening perceptibly. Maybe that sweat along his hairline wasn’t from the hot Arleta climate. He quickly instructed his men to begin the search and then turned his attention back to Rian. “I’m sorry for the inconvenience, but it has to be done. As I said in our communication, one of our prisoners is unaccounted for.”

Rian began tapping one boot. “And you think he escaped? I thought no one ever escaped from Erebus.”

“To date, no one has. Not successfully anyway. Many have died trying. And in truth, we aren’t sure he did get off-world. It is possible one of the other prisoners killed him and dumped the body somewhere. It wouldn’t be the first time. But, since he disappeared at the same time your ship was in port, we needed to check.”

“I can tell you now, you definitely won’t find an escaped prisoner onboard.” Rian grinned, but the smile had a lethal edge to it.

Disbelief streamed through her.
He’s enjoying this
. For all his bitching and resistance, he was no doubt laughing his ass off on the inside at so blatantly fooling the five officers and the entire IPC justice system.

Raleigh clasped his hands behind his back, shifting his gaze to where one of his men walked the perimeter of the cargo hold. “I’m sure we won’t, Major Captain.”

Rian offered no more small talk, and Raleigh stood rigid as the minutes ticked by while the officers completed their search. One by one, each man returned to report they hadn’t found anything.

“Thank you, Major Captain. I hope we haven’t delayed your plans too significantly.” Raleigh pulled out his commpad and tabbed up a small holograph image. It showed Tannin, though he looked much younger in the rotating representation. “This is the man we’re searching for, in case you happen to see him.”

Rian shook his head. “You know, Lieutenant Marshal, I’m sure if you head back to Erebus and put some effort into a search, you’ll more than likely find your missing prisoner dead somewhere.” He held out a hand toward the open hatchway. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a shipment to take and goods to deliver.”

Raleigh stood to attention and gave Rian a tight nod then marched his men back down the ramp.

“And while he’s at it, maybe he can find someone to pull that stick from his ass,” Lianna muttered as the officers disappeared into the dusty desert heat.

Zahli slouched as anxiety drained from her body like a burst dam. She hadn’t realized how much tension she’d carried. Now that the officers were gone and the ruse all over, it seemed Tannin might actually be in the clear…for the moment anyway.

Rian turned to face them all. “Let’s get this stuff packed away and clear some space. Who knows how much room Rance’s freight is going to take up. Lianna, how far did we set down from Rance’s
Dixie
?”

Lianna pulled her commpad out of her pocket and flicked the screen to life. “About ten clicks north from here. But Rance sent through a transmission a few minutes ago to say he’d bring the cargo to us.”

Rian clapped his hands together. “Well then, it looks like things are starting to go my way.”

Zahli broke away from the rest of the crew and hurried back to the hidden compartment. She banged a fist on the panel. “Tannin? It’s all clear, the officers are gone.”

The door slid open a moment later, revealing Tannin, his black hair disheveled and green-gray gaze warm as it landed on her.

Holy frecking stars.

He shouldn’t be looking at her like that; it made things dangerous for her peace of mind. And if Rian caught Tannin staring at her as though he’d have her naked and begging for mercy in two seconds flat, there would be bloodshed. A lot more blood than had already been spilled.

Besides, now the Erebus officers were gone, he’d be leaving. Rian and she had done what they could for him, now it would be up to him to find his own way in the galaxy. An ache throbbed in her chest in time with her heartbeat. She felt elated things had worked out, that he hadn’t been caught and wouldn’t be returning to the prison planet—today anyway. But the stark reality still remained. Tannin and she existed in entirely different worlds. She had to run the legitimate trading side of things on the ship to make sure they had enough money to keep up with Rian’s revenge quest, plus keep an eye on her brother, while Tannin would have to keep moving if he wanted to stay free.

“Now what?” He stepped out toward her, but she quickly moved back, not trusting herself to be within arm’s reach, even with the threat of Rian standing nearby.

“Now you get out of the way so we can get this stuff stowed.” Callan brushed past her, sharing the weight of one of the larger crates with Jensen.

Tannin flashed her a smile and went to help with the cargo, but Rian cut him off, forcing him to stop. Rian hooked a thumb into his belt and fixed a hard stare on Tannin. “Don’t leave the ship. Not for anything.”

Tannin crossed his arms, not looking the least intimidated. “I thought once the Erebus officers cleared the ship you’d be impatient to get rid of me.”

“I know how the IPC work. Those officers won’t have left yet. They’ve probably stationed themselves somewhere nearby to watch us, just to make sure there’s no sign of you.”

Zahli rubbed her temple. All this up and down, and back and forth had started to make her head ache. “So they’ll still be looking for him. How long will they follow us around for?”

“Until we leave here,” Rian answered, though he didn’t take his gaze off Tannin. “If they’ve got no reason to be suspicious, they’ll more than likely head back to Erebus and leave us alone after we launch. So let’s not give them a reason to get suspicious. Everyone clear?”

It took a few minutes for the remaining contraband to be returned, no one in a great hurry anymore. Rian helped Tannin lift one of the bigger crates, and the sight gave Zahli some hope that maybe her brother didn’t hate Tannin’s guts after all. Maybe letting Tannin stay onboard to make sure the IPC officers didn’t catch him was Rian’s way of repaying him for fixing the ship yesterday. Maybe if they spent more time together, they could find common ground. She didn’t want to think about why it might be important that her brother and Tannin get along. But, keeping Tannin aboard only delayed the inevitable, which carved up any chance she had of exploring a relationship.

“Rance is coming up on our portside,” Lianna reported, silencing what little chatter there’d been.

Rian nodded to Callan and then motioned for Lianna to join him, giving each of them orders as he sauntered down the rampway.

Zahli hung back, glancing up at Tannin, who had an almost relaxed air about him. Well, more relaxed than he’d been up to this point. There was still a fine vibration of alertness to him, almost like an aura around him. She found him fascinating, his different sides, the way he’d handled everything with a firm, calm confidence since coming onboard. That attitude reminded her of Rian. Although her brother was polar opposite in demeanor, deep down, they both had an innate air of strength, resilience, and intensity.