Mary Rosenblum (43 page)

“I’m on my way.” She smiled up at him. “By the way, I’m here as the Huang heir to open a branch of family operations on NYUp. With my father’s blessing. For good, Laif. If you want to grant me permanent residency.”

“Sweet Mohammad, Buddha, and Jesus, the stiff old goat has a brain after all.” Laif grinned. “Never would have guessed it when I was pissing him off in the Arrival Hall.” He clasped her wrist. Hard. “I didn’t grant you a travel visa, sweetheart, I granted you an
immigration
visa. If I thought I could have kidnapped you, I would have. Welcome home and go see Dane.” Laif spun the cart away from the elevator and headed down the hall with a flip of his fingers.

Welcome home. It felt right.

The climb to the hub seemed to take forever. The familiar flood of gold-green light made her squint as she pushed off from the eleevator, towing her bag.

A familiar, slender shape zoomed out of the leafy shadows, missing her by a hair. Koi rebounded off the elevator, somersaulted, and in a second, had wrapped his long limbs around her. “I knew you’d come back up, I told Dane you would.” He released her and pushed off from a tube, darting like a swallow through the leaves. Finally, he halted himself a handspan from her, grinning. “I didn’t tell him I saw you coming.” His grin widened. “You can surprise him.”

“I hear you’re a celebrity, Koi.” Ahni laughed and took his hand. ”You and your family.”

“Yeah, we’ve been going to the park to meet people. Dane asked us to.” Koi snagged her bag and towed it, drifting along with her. “It’s fun. We’re better at scrum than anybody.” He laughed. “Li Zhen took us to Dragon Home after we left that lighthouse thing. They’ve got a really cool garden, too.” Koi plucked a couple of ripe strawberries from a tube, passed her one. “Some of my family stayed there. Ren likes to play with them.” Koi smiled. “I like Ren. He taught me his language,” he said in Mandarin.

“Nice accent,” Ahni said, impressed. “That was fast.”

“It wasn’t hard to learn.”

She barely heard his response. Up ahead, in a clear space among newly planted tubes, Dane was checking plants, a handheld scanner of some sort in his hand. A couple of Koi’s family drifted along with him. Emotion swept over her like a tidal wave.

“I’ll take your stuff to Dane’s place,” Koi said, radiating a smile.

“He has your stuff from the hotel there, too. And that ugly pot. He said it’s so old and ugly it has to be valuable. How come ‘old’ is valuable downside, Ahni? Old is just old.”

“I’ll explain about history,” Ahni said absently. “Another time.”

He had felt her. Turned. Let the scanner drift.

They met in the bright light of the open space, spilling momentum against each other, his arms going around her, the heat of his body warming her clear to the center of her being.

“What happened?” He pulled back to look at her, concern in his eyes.

“A lot. I’ll tell you later.” She laid her cheek against his chest, drifting with him. Koi’s relatives zipped around them radiating happiness and welcome, finally zoomed away. “I’m up here to stay, Dane. For good.” She pulled back a bit. ”You got room up here?”

His mouth met hers and he answered that question with his body. It took a long time. Eventually, they drifted among blooming pea vines. Ahni plucked a white blossom and tucked it behind his ear. “Koi says they play scrum now.”

Dane’s deep chuckle carried happiness. “And they’re all talking now … English. That helps.”

“Koi’s speaking Mandarin, too. Courtesy of Ren. That’s amazzingly fast, to pick up Chinese.”

“Quite a few stayed on Dragon Home,” Dane said thoughtfully. “They learn very fast, Ahni. When they want to. It seems that … living with us more openly … they want to. They mix really well with folk at the park.”

“How’s Kyros?” Ahni pushed back so that she could see his face. Touched his cheek lightly. “Did he run for the Belt now that I’ve totally exposed his businesses?”

“Nah, he’s catching rocks.” Dane chuckled again. “He’s an expert after all. He’s using my ship.”

“I need to get hold of him.” Ahni smiled. “I owe him a rather large debt. I did some research. The best ship outfitter on Darkside seems to be Outsystems, Inc. Is that a good one?”

“Oh, it’s the best. Why?”

“Kyros has a ship waiting for him there. They’ll custom fit it … whatever he wants.”

“I’d say you’ve more than repaid any debt.” Dane laughed and pulled her close, sending them drifting into the leafy shadows of the mature tubes. “He’ll bankrupt you. Kyros is going to want every upgrade they have.”

“I owe him that.” Ahni smiled at him. “We’re going to make this work, up here.”

”You say that we with conviction.” His pewter eyes held hers as he brushed a fingertip along her cheek.

“Don’t start again.” Koi popped out of the leafy shadows. “Li Zhen just showed up with Ren. I think he’s probably looking for one of you.”

“How is that going?” Ahni pushed herself away from Dane, looking for her singlesuit.

“Cautiously. We have different agendas,” Dane said thoughtfully. “He and Laif butt heads. You might be able to smooth things out there. But I think we have the same ultimate goals, so we get along.”

They met Li Zhen at the elevator. Ren had already zipped off to play with Koi and Li Zhen drifted, obviously waiting for them. When they emerged from the leaves, Li Zhen pushed gently away from the elevator, drifted to a stop a meter from Ahni. Bowed. “Welcome home, Little Sister,” he said.

”Thank you,” Ahni murmured, returning his bow.

“I wish to tell you that … I informed my father. That you are his daughter.” Li Zhen’s face gave nothing away, but he radiated only calm. “He will visit Dragon Home in a tenday, to celebrate Ren’s birthday. I hope you will both do us the honor of being my guests.”

“We will be honored.” Ahni bowed again. Watched Ren zip past in pursuit of Koi. “Your son shines,”

she said.

“He is very smart.” Li Zhen smiled. “I thank you … for openning my eyes. And my father’s.” With that he turned away, called the reluctant Ren to him, and returned to the Elevator.

”You are Chou Zhen’s daughter?” Dane’s eyebrows rose. “Is that why he showed up at the hearing?”

”Yes, I am. And I don’t know if he knew, then. I think his arrrival was purely Li Zhen’s doing.” Ahni took his hand. “Do you think we could officially disappear before anyone else comes up here to say hello? The Con has to know that I’m here, by now.”

“Noah will be on his way. And a lot of others most likely. You are a celebrity up here.” Dane laughed and pulled her close. “And Laif is going to want to plan out the next decade of business mattters with you. But it’s a big garden. We can disappear, even from Noah and Laif.” He pushed off a tube and they arrowed down the aisle between tubes of eggplant and peas. He turned to face her as they drifted, his hands on her waist, his eyes on hers. “Welcome home, Ahni,” he said.

She pulled him close. “I
am
home.”

Truth.

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