Space Invaders (29 page)

He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

* * * *

“Sela, please show your cousin to a bunk. I’ll take the bridge.”

“Ra—”

“No, Kain. Go with Sela.”

Kain got up from the pilot seat. He glanced over his shoulder at Rave before he followed Sela down the corridor to the sleeping cabins. His shoulders slumped. He shouldn’t get discouraged, but the wall around Rave seemed too strong to break through. If the man would give him a small sign, it would make Kain feel better, but Rave showed no signs of cracking.

“You really fucked up this time, Kain.” Sela stated the obvious.

“You think I don’t know that, Se?”

“What happened? You could have at least contacted me. I’m family.”

“I couldn’t risk it. The Alliance had me by the balls. They would have hurt you both if I didn’t fall in line. Don’t you think I
wanted
to talk to you? Hell, I couldn’t even tell my parents. I was shipped off to the other side of the universe. Communications were a joke anyway.”

“What happened that day? Did you watch while the port guard carted Rave off in handcuffs? What about the trial?”

Kain wanted to yell at Sela, but the hurt look on her face made him pause. Her green eyes held unspent tears. Plus he was angrier with himself. She was the innocent party, just like Rave. Kain had ruined so many relationships for nothing. The Alliance could kiss his ass.

The rage he felt built up and seeped out.

“I was at the fucking trial, okay? But I wasn’t there to watch the prisoners board the ship. The minute the sentence passed down, a member of the Alliance dragged me to headquarters. They told me to play along or Rave would die then they sent me back to an out of reach planet.”

He flashed back to that day, remembering the anxiety of standing there, helpless to help the man he loved.

“Damn it, Kain.” Sela hit him upside the head, shaking him out of his memories.

“
Shit
, Sela. What was that for?”

“Being an idiot. We could have taken a stand or something. You betrayed him. He won’t forgive you.”

That’s what he was afraid of. Fear and anger warred within him. The fear taking the lead with her words.

Kain looked over at Sela. They’d stopped at a cabin door.

“I need your help.”

“No.”

“You aren’t going to hear me out?”

“You haven’t convinced me that I should hear you out. That you didn’t just abandon him. Hell, that you didn’t walk out on me, too. You were like my big brother. I would have done anything for you.”

Kain pulled Sela into a hug and kissed the top of her head.

“That mushy shit won’t win me over either.”

He squeezed her tighter. “I’ve missed you, squirt.”

Sela pulled away and hit the back of his head again.

“Enough already!”

“I owe you a lifetime of pain, mister. Now settle in. I’ll get you for dinner.”

“I want to talk to him, Sela. There’s more he has to know.”

“Not tonight, stud. He has to cool off first.”

“We don’t have much time.”

“Two years. You left us for two years.” Sela glared at him, pointing her finger for emphasis. “You were the love of that man’s life, and you put him through hell. Do you even know what happened to him while on Devil’s? Did the good old Alliance give you a report on that? He was only gone a month. One month. And he returned a different man. He waited for a year for you to come back then he shut down further. It’s going to take more than a talk to get back into his good graces.”

Sela turned and left him to his thoughts. He wanted to cry, but he deserved every bit of it. He should have broken free of the Alliance before now.

Kain opened the door to his quarters and entered the room. He knew it wouldn’t be easy. Rave took betrayal seriously. Kain hoped he’d be able to prove to Rave that he hadn’t betrayed him and they belonged together. Once the mission ended, he’d be free. His resignation already sat on his superior’s desk. Now he had to convince the man he loved to spend his retirement with him.

He would explain things to Rave, even if Rave didn’t want to hear it. They weren’t the only ones affected by the stance the Alliance had taken on the Royalists. Innocent people were dying in the war between the two powerhouses. Maybe they could shake things up a little. Was there a third option that would take the Alliance and the Royalist out of power? Did he even care?

Chapter Three

Rave looked over his shoulder, half-expecting to see Kain behind him. He should have known the man wouldn’t be there when he needed him. Hell, if the man couldn’t show up for his trial, what made Rave think he would show up now? Insecurity welled up inside him, replacing by anger at wanting Kain beside him.

“Hey, Rave. You want me to stay topside with you?”

Sela. She would always be there for him. Why couldn’t he have fallen for her?

“No, Se. You go get some rest. We should be on Seid II before long.”

“Um…I don’t think so.”

“What do you mean?” He looked over to see Sela leaning over at the control panel. She patched into the autopilot and put navigation on the screen.

“See here?” She pointed at the display. “Who keyed in the route?”

Rave jumped from his chair. “Damn it! Kain did. Where is he taking us?”Was he being taken for a fool? Could Kain betray him again? Doubt weighed heavily on his heart.

“New Moon. What’s on New Moon? Oh…hey, Mel is on that planet. Why would he take us there?”

With a thud, Rave dropped back to his seat. What game did Kain play now? Did the Alliance put him up to this? If they did, why? It made no sense.

“To get Mel off planet.”

“Why would we do that?”

“The cargo from Seid II?”

“Yeah, what about it?”

“It’s a planet-killing laser. The Royalists are using us to smuggle it into New Moon so they can deploy it. We’ll get our cargo manifest showing the destination when we get there.”

“So why go to New Moon first? Why not pick up the cargo and not deliver it?”

Rave ran a hand through his hair and released a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know.”

“Maybe you should ask Kain.”

He glared at Sela. “No fucking way.” He couldn’t trust Kain. Scratch that, he didn’t want to trust Kain. Rave didn’t know if his heart could take a beating again. The first time he ached enough for a lifetime. He’d closed that part of himself off and just because Kain had appeared in his life again didn’t mean he had to open his life back up.

“You don’t have to forgive him, you know? Of course, you could redirect the ship and kick him off.”

“I can’t.”

Se arched an eyebrow at him. “Forgive him or kick him off?”

“I can’t throw him off the ship.”

“And why not? I’d like to see it.” Se grinned.

Rave snorted. “He’s family, you shouldn’t talk about him that way.”

“You’re family. He’s the pig who left us.”

“Yeah, well, I guess there is more to that than I knew. Than any of us knew,” he whispered.

“He told me he was in the courtroom that day,” Sela interjected.

“Goddamn it. Why did he have to turn up now? Things were settling down. I was forgetting him.”

“No. you weren’t.”

“Shut it, Sela.” He’d turned his feeling off, and now wasn’t the time for freeing them, no matter what Se thought she was doing. He could hear the hope in her voice, but it would be easier for her to forgive. Kain was family after all, no matter what she tried to say.

“Not going to happen, and you know it. Talk to him. If there are things you don’t know, make him explain,” she pleaded with him.

“Did he tell you I went to prison for no reason? Did he tell you it was a setup so I could go undercover, but nobody fuckin’ told me? One day in that place was a day too long.”

“Tell
him
that,” she insisted.

“Stop butting in. I thought you hated him, too.” He couldn’t look at her, or he’d take his frustration out on her. It wasn’t her fault he didn’t know which was up.

“I don’t hate him, and neither do you.”

“Fuck you, Se. Just…fuck you.” He knew confusion colour his words. He ran an impatient hand through his already ruffled hair.

Rave rose from his chair and stormed off the bridge.

I’m
not
still in love with that asshole.

When Rave arrived at the living quarters, he slowed down. Kain could be in only one of two rooms. The other living areas were assigned. He stopped in front of the one he thought was Kain’s door. He pressed his palm against it. He would like nothing more than to forgive the man inside, but his heart couldn’t take another break. They had to talk, but not tonight. Not when Rave still had the taste of Kain on his lips.

The doors slid open, and Rave looked down to see his hand now rested against Kain’s chest. He stumbled back and turned to leave.

“Rave, wait.”

“No. I can’t do this. Not now, maybe never.” A pain in his chest caused him to clutch a fist over his heart. Rave shook his head, he’d cried too many tears over Kain, he couldn’t go through this again, it would destroy him.

“Rave—”

“You don’t know what it was like. What I’ve been through,” he choked out.

“I do know.”

“The fuck you do! Were you sent to DI? Did you spend a month in that hellhole hiding out because someone wanted to rape you or kill you? I don’t think so. How about wondering if your lover was dead or alive? No, because according to Se, you were there when they hauled me off planet.

“And did they give you updates on me? Did you know I spent a week in the med hall because I couldn’t walk after five prisoners jumped me? How about the days I went without food? Did they give you vids to watch so you could laugh at my predicament?”

He paused to regain his composure. Rave couldn’t allow himself to fall apart in front of Kain.

“I didn’t know the whole of it. Still don’t. After I left the ship and the Alliance detained me, they took me to the other side of the planet. They brought me back when your trial started. They wanted to prove to me that they’d kill you if I stepped out of line. What you didn’t see was the sniper ready to shoot if I didn’t go along with it.”

“Enough!”

“No, it isn’t enough. I want you to hear my side, too. I have to tell you—”

Rave couldn’t take any more. He pulled back his fist and slugged Kain in the face. Satisfaction raced through him when Kain stumbled against the wall, clutching his chin.

“This isn’t about what
you
want.” Rave pulled his arm back again and hit Kain in his gut. “This isn’t about what
you
need.” Rave panted. “You are here on
my
terms.

Rave opened and closed his fist to loosen his hand. Kain fell to the floor and curled into a ball. Doubt tried to ease into Rave’s consciousness. Rave turned and walked away. He felt like shit, but hitting Kain made him feel better than he had in a while.

* * * *

Kain didn’t recognise the man who’d just left. Rave had never been a violent man, but rage poured out of him now. The first hit had knocked against the wall, stunned he’d stood there and taken the next one that put him on the floor. He hadn’t seen it coming.

He crawled to his bed. He hadn’t tried to stop Rave. Hell, Kain deserved the punches and much worse. He shuddered at the anguish on Rave’s face when he’d spoken of DI. Damn the Alliance. Who did they think they were? No one should be treated the way the two of them had been.

Maybe he should let Rave go. He’d do his duty, get Mel off New Moon and stop the Royalists. He’s finish this mission and walk out of Rave’s life for good. A dull ache spread through his chest at the thought. The hope of being with Rave had kept him alive and focused when they’d been apart. Now, it looked as if all his work might have been in vain.

Explaining himself wasn’t working. He couldn’t get the man to stand still and listen to him. Kain had to get Sela on his side. Those two were inseparable. She could talk Rave into listening to him. Maybe then he could convince Rave to go with him, to give up his new life. It was a long shot, but Kain would try. Hell, maybe he could join Rave’s crew.

Kain couldn’t sleep. When he’d opened his door, he’d planned on going to find Sela. Maybe he should do that. Holding his stomach, Kain made his way to the bridge. Damn, Rave had a hell of a right hook. He’d have a black eye tomorrow for sure.

When he made it to the deck, Sela wasn’t there. He checked the equipment and noticed the autopilot still engaged. She must be in her room.

“Computer, locate Sela.”

“Biometric signature unrecognised.”

Shit, his DNA wasn’t locked into the computer, and it wouldn’t give him any information. He’d have to do this the hard way. He started a door-by-door search. The third door he knocked on was yanked open.

“What!”

Rave stood before him, naked except for a towel wrapped around his waist. His skin glistened in the dim light of the room. Steam billowed out. A bead of water pebbled and rolled down Rave’s chest.

“Fuck,” Kain whispered and ran his tongue over his lips.

His gaze travelled the length of Rave’s finely honed body. Rave’s muscles rippled, and his body had changed as well in their time apart. Rave had always had a hard body, but it was harder, stronger now. His six pack more defined and solid. Scars crisscrossed his chest and stomach, but it only made Rave look sexier.

Kain gave a start when strong arms pulled him into the room. Lips pressed to his.

He opened himself to Rave. The kiss was rough and raw. Rave bit his lip, drawing blood and slammed him against the door. Kain would take what he could get. He loved this man.

The towel Rave wore dropped to his feet, fluttering down Kain’s legs. He wanted to be naked, too, to feel Rave’s body pressed to his. He got his wish when Rave attacked his clothes, removing his shirt. Rave broke away from him, panting. Kain stood still. He didn’t want to move in case it caused Rave to stop. He looked into his lover’s eyes and saw the passion reflected there.

Neither of them spoke as Rave dragged Kain to his bed. Kain still had his pants on since Rave had only managed to rip his shirt off. Rave turned them and backed Kain up to the bed. Kain stopped when the his legs touched the mattress, and he made quick work of the rest of his clothes before Rave pushed him onto the bed.