Between Two Tiron (8 page)

knowing. She knew from her scans and forays near here that not far from the camp a surrounding

array of perimeter alarms had been placed. They were passable with the right equipment, but

they had taken her belt which had held the necessary items.

She spent the time deciding which site to go to first and then next. She‟d never expected

to have to use even a quarter of the packs, but had placed them to be prepared. Experience had

taught her that, when dealing with shifters, being over-prepared didn‟t hurt. She would rather

have to gather the unused packs before leaving than need one and not have it.

“Jaksen just told us that none of the packs he found had any weapons.” Kaleb raised an

eyebrow. “Were you expecting to run around the planet for a time?”

“I hardly ever put weapons in my packs unless I know I‟m walking into a very dangerous

situation. Weapons are easy enough to acquire as I go along if I should need them. For instance,

one of your guards has a habit of placing his
traser
rifle on that crate over there as he does guard duty at night. If I had wanted it, it would have been an easy pick.” She smiled and indicated a

crate near one of the shuttles at the end of the row of large tents.

“He what?” Shard‟s eyes narrowed and a low growl rumbled in his throat.

She hid her smile. That probably wouldn‟t be happening again. “As well, I knew that I

would be dealing with shifters and I really wanted no contact at all. If there had been a way to

know if Nerisa had been truly claimed and the change begun without meeting her, I wouldn‟t

have stayed on the planet this long,” she rushed to add.

“How did you get involved with Central Command?” Kaleb took her hand to turn her

attention to him.

“Some time ago I stumbled onto one of their missions and helped them out. They pay

well and at the time, I needed the money,” Lina answered honestly with a shrug.

“You can begin to lead us to your stashes now. We‟ll continue our questions as we go.”

Shard stepped up beside her.

She nodded and led them to the first pack which was hidden not far from their camp.

Shard and Kaleb stayed near her and three of their men followed, collecting the packs as she

handed them to Shard or Kaleb. It wasn‟t long before the way they hovered and their mere

intimidating presence began to make her nervous.

“One of our women says that the lingerie that was found in your packs is from an

exclusive store and probably cost around three hundred Common Credits for one set.” Kaleb

took the pack from her. “Is there a reason you would waste so much money on underwear?”

“Well, it doesn‟t cost me that much and I like to wear pretty, silky things.” She frowned

at his accusing tone. Didn‟t he have a weakness, a secret vice? “Most of the time, I wear ordinary

one-piece jumpsuits. The underwear makes me feel good, feminine.”

“Why doesn‟t it cost you as much as most people would pay to get the underwear?”

Shard tugged on her arm, stopping her and turning her to him. A smile kicked up his lips. “I can

assure you that we will make you feel very good and very much our woman. Is that your secret

passion?”

“I own the stores.” She grimaced. It was true that she had a sort of obsession for pretty

underwear. It was why she‟d bought the first store and then expanded when it became popular. “I

pay for material and labor. I don‟t like taking away from my own profits.”

“What else do you do?” Shard allowed her to continue to the next pack.

“I invent and design things for the most part.” She shrugged, kneeling and moving some

branches of a thorny bush to get to one of her packs.

“You design things? Like your underwear?” Kaleb raised a brow as he waited for her

answer.

“No, that I pay designers to do. My talents run more to the mechanical and graphic.” She

turned toward the location of the next pack.

“Explain.” Shard paced beside her, casting glances at her face.

“I designed and modified the shields and stealth capabilities on my ship. I have yet to

find anyone who can detect it.” She smiled at that and raised her brows. Then a grimace twisted

her lips. It had been her overconfidence and complacency which had led to her capture. “As well,

I‟ve designed a few sim-games that have been successful…in spite of litigation from paranoid

people.” She grimaced at the memory.

“What games and what litigation are you talking about?” Kaleb barked the question.

“I have several ongoing series, Ardin. One is called
Quest for Origin
—”

“Cadianco makes those. You‟re the L.C. Cadian behind that company?” Shard‟s hand

landed on her shoulder and spun her around to face him.

Lina was stunned to see how ferocious his frown was. He glowered down at her and

seemed to be waiting for something, as if he expected something from her. He also looked as if

he‟d grown bigger, taller than when she‟d last seen him.

“Is there something wrong, Ardin?” She looked up into Shard‟s hard, dark brown eyes. A

shiver trickled down her spine. She‟d never seen brown eyes appear cold before now.

“You allowed Santir to sue you. You allowed the trial to end without trying to take the

time to explain the situation or make reparation to Jalan Tavis and Lido Orsal.” Kaleb‟s deep

voice was curt and the expression on his face demanded an explanation of her actions. His jaw

was clenched and there was a slight tic near the corner of his left eye.

“I didn‟t know that they were Santir until the trial was nearly complete. When I found

out, I tried to arrange a meeting with them. All I got back from them was a response that they

were confident of their case and would wait for the verdict.” She didn‟t see how she could have

done more. She hadn‟t started that situation.

“Where did you meet them? How did you get their images?” Shard‟s leaned close and his

face was only a breath away from hers. His eyes were so dark and fierce they were nearly black.

“Are we going to have to start this marriage with a punishment? The images in that game

mirrored Lido and Jalan, yet you have taken no responsibility for that.”

“I‟ve never even met them. The first time that I saw them was at court. I only briefly saw

them one day during the trial.” What could she say to make them believe? She hadn‟t used those

two men‟s images in her game. She didn‟t know why, but their trust was important to her.

“I‟ve seen the characters they speak of. They might as well be vid-footage.” Kaleb‟s

green eyes narrowed. “So you never actually spoke to them?” He frowned.

“You should have made direct contact with them. You know enough about Santir custom

and law to know that you should have done everything possible to stop that trial.” Shard‟s hand

sliced the air.

She could see the determination, the censure in his eyes. The situation was either black or

white to him. To him, there would be no room for discussion about that. She‟d worried and

agonized over what to do after she‟d received that reply.

“In their note, they implied that I was trying to buy their silence. I was going to explain,

try to keep my own secrets and show them that I hadn‟t used their images.” She glared at them.

She looked from one man to the other. They looked just as accusing as the two men had

in court and she hadn‟t done anything wrong. She hadn‟t used those men‟s images as models. By

the Hells, even she‟d seen the resemblance, but it had been mere coincidence.

“Show them…you had proof of some kind?” Shard asked.

“I still have it.” She smiled. That proof was her guarantee against lawsuit. She had made

certain that she had documented the invention process. It seemed that she would need it again to

soothe their tempers. “I kept it because some of the characters and buildings are ongoing

concepts in the series.”

“You didn‟t try to show it to them after their refusal to see you.” Kaleb raised a brow and

the doubt in his expression could be clearly seen.

“I was busy at that time of the trial. That‟s why I didn‟t know until almost the end that

they were Santir. I was working on something for Central Command that took me away from the

planet for days at a time.” Lina‟s mouth twisted wryly. “I let my advocate handle most of the

details. By the time I discovered that they were Santir, the trial was almost over and they

wouldn‟t see me.”

“You are going to need watching,
rah’ki
. You seem to have a penchant for creating

situations.” Kaleb put his hand on the back of her neck and gave a gentle squeeze.

“Jalan said that their suit was the fifth suit in two years.” Shard touched her cheek and

then trailed his finger down to the dipping neckline of her altered flight suit. “You didn‟t lose

any of the cases.”

“I didn‟t buy the judges. There are hundreds of judges that rule on lawsuits in Galactic

Civil Court. I never used anyone as a model for my games. I can‟t help it if some of my

characters resemble living people.” She felt a wave of arousal wash through her from that simple

touch. “Are you friends with those two men?”

“Very good friends,” Kaleb whispered. His smile sent chills racing down her spine. “Get

moving. We still have a few packs to pick up and you have to show us your ship.”

“You don‟t need the money from Central Command now. You have more than one

woman could ever hope to spend. Why are you still working for them?” Shard kept pace beside

her as she moved swiftly through the forest.

“How would you know what my financial situation is?” She shot a perplexed look over at

them. He was right, but he shouldn‟t have any information about her assets. “You just learned

who I was.”

“We‟ve been looking at L.C. Cadian‟s finances for proof of the payoffs.” Kaleb

shrugged. “Most of the Santir Confederation has been conducting an unofficial boycott of your

games.”

She rolled her eyes. Keeping the balance of justice was a basic part of Santir and shifter

culture. It didn‟t surprise her that they‟d been trying to gain some form of vengeance, even if it

was economic. “I was…bored, just doing my designing and such. I liked the challenge of

completing a difficult assignment.”

“We‟ll ensure that you don‟t find yourself bored. You‟ll have to learn to live without the

extra income, because you won‟t be working for Central Command again.” Shard‟s hand stroked

over her ass in a lingering caress.

She finally picked up the last pack and began leading the men to her shuttle. She walked

into the clearing where her Sendar 4 was cloaked. She asked for the equipment taken from her

pocket. She selected a thin, flat, square device and entered a code. A ripple pulsed across the

clearing and the Sendar 4 shimmered into visibility.

“A Sendar.” Kaleb‟s eyes ran covetously over the large, advanced shuttlecraft. “You own

this?”

“Yes.” Lina resisted an impulse to snap out a sarcastic reply. She‟d brought them here as

they had asked.

“You‟re the only one who uses this shuttle? You came alone?” Suspicion heavily laced

Shard‟s deep voice.

“Yes, I came alone.” She tapped her foot. The arrogant demands were getting old. “The

single- and even the double-occupant shuttles were so cramped—little more than just the seats in

a cockpit. It felt too crowded in them, even with only me. I did sometimes have to rescue people

for Central Command. Getting the Sendar gave me room to relax and work and space for more

than one extra person.”

At a touch on the little pad in her hand, stairs descended from the large, gray shuttle, and

a hatch opened along its side. She took a step forward, but Shard held her back with a restraining

hand on her shoulder.

“Jaksen and Marit will search it and secure it before you step back on board.” Shard

instructed with a hard glance down at her.

He waited tensely to see if she had told the truth. She could practically feel the
tiron

within him pacing and snarling at the thought of her working with someone else, of her lying to

him.

“It‟s all clear, Ardin. Her scent and her belongings are the only ones on this ship.” Jaksen

appeared at the hatch as he gave his report. “This is nice. It‟s easily apparent that she has been

living on the ship.”

Shard nodded and urged her toward the ship. “Don‟t think that we‟ve finished discussing

your lawsuit penchant. You still have much to explain and you owe Lido and Jalan an apology.”

“An apology!” She was astonished at this demand. “But they sued me. I didn‟t go after

them or even ask any damages from them.”

Kaleb climbed the stairs in front of her. Shard was right behind her, his hand at the small

of her back. She walked over to one side of the shuttle and sat down on a lowered bunk as they

began investigating the interior of the ship. Clean clothes tumbled out of a bag on the bunk

beside her and she pushed them back into the bag.

The Sendar 4 was known for the space and versatility it offered to the user. She used the

auto-prep for food for the most part, but there were appliances for manual preparation. The bunk

she was sitting on could fold up into the wall as the others were. She had four seats set up in the

shuttle, but up to five rows of four seats could be raised and unfolded from the compartments

beneath the floor. Stations could be constructed in moments when needed. Near the back, a small

closet enclosed a cleansing area.