Skyport Virgo 1 - Refuge (21 page)

To grovel at her father's feet and essentially beg forgiveness? Pike doubted that would be easy for her to stomach. The man had abused Laleh and her mother for years.

Pike hated to even consider asking her to mince principles, but was there any alternative?

If Laleh wanted freedom from her past, this was likely her only chance.

But the choice, ultimately, was hers. If Laleh refused to meet her father's demands, Pike would support her without question. For her safety, though, he hoped she'd see reason.

* * * *

Tired but content, she buckled her lap belt and leaned back against the head rest. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the noise of her fellow passengers settling onto the Sunday evening shuttle. The last forty-eight hours blurred through her mind.

She'd arrived late on Friday night at Leo and had been whisked away to her hotel room by one of the travel agency liaisons. Ginger and Hassan met her in the lobby and gave her just enough time to drop off her luggage before dragging her out for dinner.

They'd spent half the night knocking back drinks and chatting away in a booth at the twenty-four hour diner.

Sleeping on a bed had seemed like such a novelty after camping out in her office. For some reason, Laleh missed Pike even more when curled up in her hotel bed than she did on her office couch. She'd woken that Saturday morning clutching a pillow, her cheek pressed against the fluffy softness in the same way she often woke cuddled against Pike's chest.

Although she'd tried her best to enjoy her carefree weekend, Laleh found it impossible to keep thoughts of Pike from intruding. Sometimes she'd see something interesting and automatically turn to point it out to Pike, only to remember at the last second he was still on Virgo. Every glimpse of a couple wrapped in a loving embrace sent a spike through her heart.

Laleh missed Pike's gentle touches more than anything. The way he'd hold her hand when they sat together in the evenings. His idle caresses as they clung together in the dark. His fingers sweeping her bangs from her eyes before he moved in for a kiss.

She touched her lips, trying desperately to remember the heat of Pike's mouth on hers. Fear gripped her belly at the thought she might never feel his lips again. The stark reality slammed down upon her. He'd made no attempts to reconcile. And he'd sent her travel pass to her via interoffice courier. He couldn't have been clearer about his feelings.

He could have asked her to stay, to try to work things out, but no. He obviously wanted her as far away from him as possible.

With a heavy sigh, Laleh resigned herself to another night on her office couch. She realized she'd need to look for new lodgings on Monday. She couldn't live out of her office forever. Apartment space was at a premium on Virgo. Laleh hoped she could get on a short list.

Another ugly thought penetrated. Once she permanently moved out of Pike's quarters, Laleh was required to notify Immigration. But she couldn't stand to think of that now.

Laleh rubbed her face and glanced at the seat next to her. Selfishly, she hoped no one would sit there. The idea of being smashed up against the window or enduring hours of endless chattering didn't appeal at the moment. Peace and quiet and a chance to unwind after a busy weekend did though.

"This seat taken?"

Laleh's heart stilled at the sound of Quinn's voice. Her gaze snapped to the aisle where he now stood. Seeing him in civilian clothing was a bit surprising. The bruises on his face had begun to fade and turn a sallow shade of yellow.

She gaped up at him as he stowed his bag in the overhead compartment. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nice to see you, too, Laleh," he dryly replied and slid into the seat next to her.

"You can't sit here!" Laleh's sharp protest drew glances from nearby passengers.

"Actually I can." Quinn flashed his transmitter, his electronic boarding pass clearly evident. "Seems rather twisted of the universe."

Laleh issued a loud humph and moved closer to the wall. She wanted as much space between them as possible. Quinn looked pointedly at the gap. He frowned. "I'm not going to try to kiss you again, Laleh."

"Yeah, well, you once told me we could just be friends, that you respected my marital status." She crossly reminded him. "We know how well that worked out."

Quinn exhaled roughly. "I meant it. At the time," he added. "I thought we could be friends."

"But?"

Quinn caught her gaze. He suddenly looked so serious. "You're not like any other woman I've ever met. I just couldn't help myself."

Laleh heard the regret in his voice. She didn't quite know what to say. It wasn't every day that a man confessed his infatuation. "I'm sorry."

Quinn snorted and laughed harshly. "Thanks." A grave expression hardened his face as he turned in his seat to better face her. "I really am sorry, Laleh. I crossed a line between us that never should have been crossed."

"I appreciate that."

Chuckling, he touched his bruised jaw. "Your old man has one helluva right cross."

Laleh stiffened. "I'm not sure he's my old man anymore," she said finally. "Pike hasn't spoken to me since that night. I've been living out of my office."

Quinn went silent as he processed what she'd said. "I didn't know. They booted me off ship for a few days, ostensibly for R and R, but I think the brass just wasn't sure what they were going to do with me or him." He seemed suddenly uncomfortable. Uncertainty tinged his voice when he spoke again. "Do you … do you love him?"

Laleh's stomach dropped. She'd never admitted her feelings aloud to anyone, not even to herself. She met Quinn's unwavering stair. "Yes."

Quinn nodded slowly. "Well, he definitely loves you."

Although that was Laleh's greatest hope, she denied it. "I'm not so sure."

"I am. He risked his career to kick my ass, Laleh. If he didn't love you, he wouldn't have gone that far."

"Maybe."

"No maybe," Quinn firmly countered. "Look, I'm being generous when I say he's not my favorite person, but even I can accept he made a mistake yelling at you that day. I saw his face when I insinuated he might be cruel to you. He looked sick at the thought. I don't for one second believe Grayson ever meant to snap out at you like that." He made a face.

"And defending him makes me practically sick, Laleh."

She smiled. "I can tell."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but damn it, Laleh, if you love him, you can't just let him walk away from you."

Gobsmacked, Laleh stared at him. For a trained killer and hardened soldier he gave rather useful love advice. "You're in the wrong field."

"Yeah?"

"You should go into relationship counseling."

Quinn barked with laughter. "This is a one-off, Laleh. Take it or leave it."

"I'll take it," she said seriously.

"Good." Quinn leaned back and made himself comfortable. "So what were you doing on Leo?"

"Visiting friends and going to a Vega concert."

He wrinkled his nose. "That girl with the hot pink hair and bikini made of bubbles?"

Laleh nodded. "She's amazing."

Quinn shrugged. "I guess."

"And you? What were you doing at Leo?"

He shook his head. "I wasn't at Leo. I was at
Hedonisma
. I just couldn't get a one way ticket back to Virgo."

Laleh shifted uncomfortably. She really didn't want to hear about his antics on the pleasure ship. "You sister contacted me on Wednesday. Between the two of us, we worked out the kinks for moving Salida from her home planet to one of your sister's ships. Salida arrived on Friday. Her husband was waiting for her."

A satisfied smile curved his mouth. "I'm glad to hear it all worked out for them."

"I can't thank you enough."

Quinn smiled at her. "You forgave me for making a complete ass of myself. That's all I want." Sadness tugged at his features. "I wish we could still be friends."

"We still are, Quinn. It's just…" Laleh sighed. "We can't be friends right now. Not until I figure things out with Pike. If they can be salvaged," she added. "Maybe in the future…"

Quinn grinned sardonically. "Hope springs eternal."

They sat in companionable silence as the vessel left the dock and rocketed into open space. A few minutes into the flight, Quinn pulled down the game table mounted on the seat back in front of them and challenged her to a game of holographic chess. He proved to be a worthy opponent, beating Laleh three out of five games. When they tired of chess, they sat back and sipped drinks—a beer for Quinn, an iced green tea for Laleh—and talked about random things. It was nice and exactly what their friendship needed to heal.

At the captain's announcement they were nearing Virgo, Laleh's pulse quickened.

Her tummy swooped with anticipation. She sensed tonight would make or break her marriage to Pike. There was enough blame to go around. Hopefully he'd see that and not grow defensive. She prayed he wanted to reconcile as badly as she did.

"Fuck me!" Quinn's breathless exclamation interrupted her thoughts. He leaned across her to stare out the window.

Annoyed, she frowned. "What?"

He gestured to a rather battered looking ship docked at the main gates of Virgo. "The
Magellan
," Quinn said, his voice tinged with awe. "It left on a deep space exploration nearly five years ago. Last I heard the entire crew was assumed dead."

"Obviously not," Laleh murmured as she gazed out the window. The ship looked as if it had been to hell and back. Large swatches of the outer shell were missing. Crude patches had been hammered into place. How the ship remained in one piece now befuddled her. She expected it to explode or crumble at any second.

As their vessel docked, Laleh heard the other passengers discussing the
Magellan
.

She and Quinn stayed in their seats as others rushed to depart the ship. He took down her one suitcase and slung the strap of his bag over his shoulder. She took hold of her suitcase's handle and followed him down the aisle and out the exit.

"I guess I'll see you around," Quinn said as they walked down the tunnel connecting the ship to Virgo's launch deck. "It won't hurt my feelings if you turn and run the other way though."

Laleh laughed and rolled her eyes. "That's childish. Obviously we can't have lunch or hang out together, but I'm not going to run away from you as if you had the Narwadian plague."

"Good to know." Quinn paused as they neared the humming crowd of travelers. He regarded her carefully. Then with a boyish grin, he extended his hand. "Good luck."

She shook his hand. "Thanks."

They parted, Quinn heading off to the left and Laleh to the right. As she moved through the crowd, she quickly realized almost the entire throng of travelers was concentrated in one spot. Motionless except for the occasional rise on tiptoes, they gawked at some spectacle Laleh couldn't yet see. Unable to squash her curiosity, Laleh joined the ring of bodies. She could just hear what sounded like a fight of some kind. The crowd reacted in unison, gasping and oohing simultaneously.

Laleh lifted high on her toes and peered over the shoulder of the woman in front of her.

Her heart stuttered at the sight of Pike trying to fend off a knife wielding vagrant.

She quickly realized the other man wasn't a vagrant at all but a filthy, bearded Spacefleet member. His flight suit was ripped and stained. There were no boots on his grime caked feet. Even so thin and emaciated, he obviously possessed tremendous strength. Vaguely, Laleh remembered reading about space psychosis. If this man didn't fit the criteria, she didn't know who would.

Wild-eyed, he shouted like a feral beast and lunged at Pike. Laleh screamed, her voice drowned out in the crowd. Pike jumped back just in time. The man stumbled forward but quickly regained his footing and rounded on Pike. Laleh frantically searched the crowd for safety officers. Where were they? Why was Pike the only one doing anything?

Elbows out, Laleh abandoned her luggage and shoved through the crowd. Jostled side to side, she managed to stay upright despite the numerous feet tripping her. She had to get closer. She had to make sure Pike was all right.

The man charged Pike. Entangled, they fell to the ground. Laleh's terrified gaze moved over the men, desperate to find the knife. Her eyes zeroed in on the gleaming blade. Pike held tight to the man's wrist, keeping the knife from plunging into his neck.

Laleh couldn't breathe. Bile rose in her throat as she watched them struggle.

And then the psychotic man jerked. The knife clattered to the floor just beside Pike's ear.

Dr. Karp emerged from the crowd, arm raised and a dart gun clamped in his hand.

The crazy man slumped forward as the sedative took effect. Pike's hand flew to the man's chest, steadying the limp body as he rolled the man onto his back and then to his left side.

Pike kicked aside the knife and raked a shaky hand through his hair.

Security officers rushed to the scene. The crowd dispersed around her, but Laleh remained rooted to the spot. Soon she was the only non-essential person lingering on the perimeter of the scene. She could hardly breathe let alone move. Relief flooded her body, but the fear of losing Pike was stronger. Nausea bubbled in the pit of her tummy. Her limbs shook wildly. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

When Pike looked in her direction, shock registered on his face. Their gazes clashed.

A desperate need to hold him seized her chest. Pike took a hesitant step forward but stopped, seemingly uncertain. Laleh wasn't nearly as restrained.

She bolted from her spot, sneakers squeaking on the polished floor, and sprinted the distance between them. Without a care for propriety, Laleh flung herself at Pike. Her legs wound round his waist, her arms curling around his shoulders. She clung tightly as she claimed his lips in a fervent, nearly frantic, kiss. The salt of her tears mixed on their mouths. The scent of his sweat and soap invaded her senses.

Pike's arms tightened around her body as he took a step back and to the side to keep his balance. He groaned against her mouth, the vibrations driving her wild. His fingers bit into her skin as he gripped her so tightly.