Captivated (27 page)

He looked adorably confused and she hugged him tight.

“Of course I want you to stay.”

“I know. Now go.”

“Don’t go to town. Not until one of us can accompany you. Please.”

She wanted to go to town to pick up some supplies so she could see to the medical needs of the people living out here on the compound. “I want to help. I need to go get those supplies. I’ll go with several people. I won’t be alone.”

“Hannah, there’s a war on. This place is already dangerous as it is.
The portal city is awash with ruffians and brigands on any given day, but these days it’s particularly bad. Please. I’ll go with you when I return. Or, since I’ll be in the city this morning, if you give me a list, I can pick things up for you.”

She sighed and nodded. She wanted to be independent but that didn’t mean she had to be stupid about it.

“Thank you.”

She dashed a quick list off and relayed it to his comm and he was off to do whatever he did. Vincenz had already headed off an hour before. Piper and Andrei had their own work as well so she got to task.

J
ulian sat across the table from one of his informants. He’d gone straight to the dispensary and ordered Hannah’s supplies, paying extra to have the items delivered by someone Piper knew to be trustworthy. That way she’d have her things to get to work.

And then he’d gone through the private portal to Ceres, ignoring why he was there last. Straight to the tavern he knew would be crawling with mercs, thieves, brigands and all manner of assorted criminals. It was where he most often found out things he needed to know.

She looked him over carefully. “You’ve got a woman now.”

At one time he would have elicited his information from this particular informant horizontally while naked. But that seemed a lifetime ago. Before Vin. Before Hannah. Funny how he tended to forget about that time. It seemed so long ago.

“I do. So tell me what you’ve been hearing lately.”

He’d already passed credits her way. He trusted her enough to tell him without having to wheedle or con her out of the info before she was paid.

“War on. Good for business out here on the Edge. Still, hard to
get around now that Lyons controls most of the private portals. Only so much you can secrete away in a transport when everyone’s being scanned the way they are.”

“Commerce finds a way.”

She laughed. “Yes, and it drives up prices, which is also good for business. But you want to know about what sort of business someone from the other side might have here. Yes?”

He nodded.

“They’re around. Here and there. Less, so I suppose Lyons was right to clamp down the way he has.” She sipped her ale and looked at him over the rim of her mug. “Means something that he refuses to toss us away. You tell him that if you see him. Tell him that because he stands with the Edge, we stand with him.” She paused again and gave him the names of several Imperium lackeys who’d been sniffing around asking questions and attempting to arrange transport of several things she found odd, but Julian understood immediately.

He gave her some extra credits. “Lay low for a while.”

“Heard something interesting about Caelinus,” she said as he stood to leave.

“That so?”

“Just heard from an associate who’d been traveling. Don’t ask and I won’t have to refuse to say where.” She narrowed her gaze and he nodded. “Said when he passed through there had been a lot of troops just away from the main portal city. Said it seemed excessive, even for the Imperium.”

He nodded. It was their capital ’Verse so it wouldn’t be that surprising to have a massive troop buildup there. It was where Fardelle’s home was as well. “Thank you. Be safe.”

On the transport on his way back to Asphodel, he transmitted the info back to Ravena and thought.

* * *

V
incenz had been doing his own work, setting up some contacts with one of the people who’d helped smuggle him out of the Imperium all those years before.

He sat in the same place he had when he’d first seen his sister again after so many years. Vincenz had had no idea that the house they’d used all those months before had been owned by Beamus Scott.

“I suppose you’re here about the war.” Scott handed a mug of tea Vin’s way and sat back to look out the wall of windows to the canyons beyond.

“I’m going to assume you know about the portal-collapsing devices.”

Beamus nodded. “Sure. Been all over the vids on both sides of the line.”

“And you know about Faelene?”

Beamus’s gaze narrowed at the mention of the Imperialist ’Verse where the water had been contaminated, rendering large percentages of the population debilitated, killing the weakest among them, the elderly and children.

“Faelene has no elders anymore. And few children under five. Your father has destroyed a lot of people. He’s going to have to pay for that. I take it that’s why you’re here and I’m happy to help you so let’s get to the point.”

Vincenz took a risk and told him a little about the virus.

“Each time I believe he’s done his worst, he surprises me. I’m the criminal so what does it say that I have more morals than he does?” Beamus pushed up and began to pace in front of the windows.

“We believe he’s been experimenting on our people for some time
now. We don’t know the full extent and even if we did, I wouldn’t tell you. But I can tell you this virus has the power to kill millions.”

“I’ll look into it. Give me a day or two.”

He didn’t have to tell Beamus to be careful about what he revealed. The man was as canny as they came.

“I’ll be back through and in contact. Thank you.”

W
hen Vincenz arrived back in Asphodel it was far after the suns had set, but still hot as seven hells. It didn’t matter. He had a destination. Of course when he got to the compound Julian was still gone, Andrei was helping with repairs and Hannah wasn’t in the main house.

“Where is she?” His pulse kicked higher at the idea of her being missing or harmed.

Shilo, one of the younger women living out there, looked him up and down. “She’s down near the far northern cistern. Arch’s son is with her. No one would let her get into trouble, you know.”

“Thank you,” he said over his shoulder, already moving in that direction.

Where he found her sitting on the ground, a small child across from her, looking up at her with big, curious eyes.

Hannah laughed and used a pen light to shine into the child’s eyes. “I can see in your eyes with this. It shows me all is well. Nothing in there but lots of brains. It must be that you’re very smart. Is that so?”

“Mai says so.” The little boy nodded sagely.

“I gave her some tablets for you. You eat one every morning with your breakfast. She told me your favorite was griddle cakes. I love them too. Just chew the tablet and eat your breakfast and you’ll keep on getting smarter and stronger. Can you do that for me? Your Dai has to take some too. You can be a good example for him.”

The little boy, who’d appeared dubious about the pills, lost that
suspicion and instead nodded eagerly at the idea of helping his father. She was good at this.

She stood and brushed off her delectable bottom.

“Thank you, Miss Hannah.” He hugged her and was off.

She turned to see Vincenz and her smile grew. “Hello there. How long have you been back?”

He hugged her, breathing her in. “Not very long. I came straight to you once I’d tracked you down. Are you finished?”

“For now, yes. Oh!” She grinned and he did too because how could he not? “I think the program broke through. At least a few layers. I thought of something while I was out earlier and went back. I added some commands to the secondary encryption program; it might work.”

“Let’s go see then. Didn’t you come out here with someone? I got scolded for assuming you’d be alone.”

“They’re quite nice to me here.” He knew she blushed even without seeing it in the dark blue of evening. “Carel, that’s one of Arch’s sons, came out with me. He and his family live just there.” She pointed. “Let me tell him I’m going back with an escort.”

As they walked back to the main house he held her close, his arm around her shoulder, her medical bag slung over his free shoulder. “What all did you do today?”

“I’d planned to go to town to get supplies so I could see some of the people here. They lack basic health care and traveling to the portal city is hard on the elderly and the sick. But Julian did it for me and had things sent back here. Even that bag.” She rested her head against his shoulder. “He’s very thoughtful. I got Arch his medication. A several months’ supply. I spoke with Carel so he knows the name of the pills and will go into town every few months to get it for him. And then I just went from building to building and talked with people.”

“A medical doctor making house calls. I heard that was a myth of Earth,” he teased.

“I never really envisioned myself as a family doctor, the door-to-door type especially. But I find I like it. It doesn’t have to be forever. But it gives me a purpose while you are all out doing big, important deeds. It makes me happy to use my skills.”

“There you are, Hannah! Come inside for the evening meal.” Piper waved to them from the front steps.

“I’ll be right in. I just want to check on something.” Hannah squeezed Piper’s hand as they passed, and Vincenz liked that she was making friends.

“O
h, well, hello there. I remember you.”

Julian had stopped at a stall near the portal station. He wanted to bring some sweets back for Hannah. He turned to the woman standing on the steps of the partially reputable tavern just two doors down.

“Evening.”

“Where’s your friend?”

He looked at the package in his hand and thought of Hannah. And then realized two things. First, that he hadn’t brought Hannah here so this woman wouldn’t know her, and that the woman meant Marame.

“Dead.” That simmering rage roiled through him at the thought that a woman half a world away from Ravena would remember Marame and that Marame wasn’t alive anymore.

The woman sighed. “I’m sorry. Lots of that going around.”

He began to walk toward where he’d left the conveyance he’d driven out from the compound.

* * *

H
annah woke up from a very deep sleep. She reached out to find Julian’s space empty. Vincenz had worked on the encryption for hours until he’d dropped into bed to get a few hours’ kip. She’d given him a massage until he’d finally fallen asleep and then curled into him, safe and warm.

But it was so late and Julian was gone. Careful not to wake Vincenz, she rolled from bed and pulled a shirt and pants on and stepped into shoes.

There’d been three small storms earlier that day and the air still felt jittery. That it was jittery for a reason totally made sense to her in ways she couldn’t understand.

The house was quiet as she made her way outside to stand and look up into the star-filled sky.

She was sure Julian was off doing his secret spy business, and she’d been the one to tell him to go and not worry about her. She hoped he was all right and sleeping, maybe even dreaming of her on some far-off ’Verse.

That’s when she turned to go back inside and saw him off in the distance. She knew it was him without seeing his face or his features. Knew the way he held himself, the way he walked. And he walked with anger.

So she found herself moving to him, wanting to fix whatever it was that’d made him this way.

“Julian?”

He spun, hands fisted, mouth set in a grim line. “Oh, beautiful Hannah, are you a dream?”

Not worrying about those fists, she embraced him, hugging tight. “No, I’m real. And here. I missed you today.”

He set himself away from her. “I’m not fit company right now. You should go back inside. You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

“I’m not alone. I’m with you. Tell me.”

“No. Go inside and let me be, Hannah.”

“Oh, I see. You can push me and poke around in my head and with my emotions to help me get over something, but I’m not allowed to do the same for you?”

Eyes narrowed, he huffed out a frustrated breath. “This isn’t the same and I don’t need to go over it.”

“It’s difficult, you know. To compete with the ghost of a woman you won’t talk about.”

“Don’t.”

“Don’t what? You are in every part of me. Poking. Demanding. I give to you. But there’s a part of you I can’t get to because it belongs to Marame and you won’t even discuss her with me.”

“It wasn’t that way. You know it. I can’t believe you’re jealous of a dead woman.”

“I can’t believe it either, but it exists just the same.”

“I’m fucking another man and you don’t care about that, but you’re going to throw a fit over a dead woman I never touched romantically. That’s beneath you.”

She tried not to let him see how much that hurt. Knew he did it to keep her back.

“A fit? Is that what this is? I suppose I must have misunderstood the meaning of the word all these years. I can throw one if you like. Maybe that’s what you need. As for you
fucking
another man, I know Vincenz. I see the love you two have. You let me share in. But Marame—”

He spun. “Stop saying her name!”

That hurt more than the slap he’d made just moments before. “Why?”

“Just leave me the fuck alone, okay? She and I had something special and I won’t apologize for it. You don’t need it to have other
parts of me. When you back off and want to be left alone, I leave you alone.”

She shook her head. “Balderdash. You poke and poke and poke. I’d never ask you to apologize for loving someone. Share with me, damn you.”

“She’s dead. There’s nothing to share other than that. Now go back inside, Hannah; I’m not feeling romantic and I’m not the man to give you soft words. Not tonight.”

“Did I ask you for soft words, Julian? Have I ever asked you for anything you didn’t offer first? I’m asking you now. I’m asking you to share with me. You say I’m important to you and how you want me around in your life. Tell me about her.”

“Go back to bed. I’ll be in shortly.”