The Harder They Fall (7 page)

Blaine
was handsome, charming, fun, and the best lover she’d ever had, but he was
still only a man. She wasn’t going to do anything stupid like fall in love with
him. No matter how blue his eyes were, how great he smelled, or how incredibly
he made love.

No
way. Wasn’t going to happen.

Chapter
Nine

Blaine
spent the rest of Monday brooding about his situation. He almost called or
texted Colleen at least once an hour, asking when he could see her again. Since
that made no sense in light of his current dilemma, his desire to go out with
her again was frustrating. He’d never had such conflicting emotions where a
woman was concerned.

If
he broke up with her after one weekend, she’d believe he’d only used her. She
had already emailed to let him know the permits had passed her desk, and she’d
given them a priority rating. She’d kept her word. Technically, he didn’t owe
her anything for that, but he’d feel like a giant shit if he decided never to
see her again.

And
the simple truth was that he
did
want
to see her again. In the worst way. He hadn’t stopped thinking about her all
day. That wasn’t like him, either. But he had to tell her that he knew her
aunt. She’d find out and then would wonder why he’d never mentioned it. And if
Charlene told her niece exactly
how
she knew Blaine, it would be over and Colleen would be hurt.

Fuck this
. Either way, he was screwed, and
Colleen would end up feeling betrayed. All because he hadn’t taken a few
moments to find out who she was before he asked her out.

No,
that wasn’t quite true. This was all because he’d made up his mind to fuck her as
soon as she walked away from the site of his project on the surface, moving her
curvy ass in that flowered skirt. This was a done deal from the moment he’d
looked into those deep green eyes.

He
didn’t like being so rattled. And why the
hell
hadn’t Ace returned his call by now? It was almost six. Blaine shut off his
computer and left the office, his mind racing all the way home. He had decided
to order takeout for dinner when his damn phone finally rang.

“Hey,
sorry I couldn’t call you back before now. It’s been a crazy day.”

“I
need your advice.”

“On
what?”

“A
woman.”

“Seriously?
Did hell finally freeze over? Are there pictures on the Internet yet?”

“Hysterical,
Ace. Really. Shut the fuck up and listen.” Blaine outlined his dilemma, sparing
no details of the weekend, or of his past with the VP of the USA.

“Holy
shit. Why did I never hear about you and Charlene before?”

“Because
I never told anyone. What do I do now?”

“Well,
fuck if I know, but one thing is clear. You need to come clean to Colleen if
you intend to see her again.”

“That’s
what I was afraid you’d say.”

“How
can you not? If she finds out from anyone but you, she’ll be very upset and
rightly so.”

“That’s
my conclusion as well.”

“It’s
a solid one. Just tell her the truth. And then convince her you didn’t know who
she was related to when you spent the weekend with her.”

“She’ll
never buy that.”

“You
have to make her believe it, Blaine.”

“No,
you don’t understand. Saying that to her won’t work.” Blaine reiterated the
conversation at dinner where he’d discovered Charlene was Colleen’s aunt, but
hadn’t said anything.

He
heard Ace sigh and knew he was fucked. “Well, then you’ll have to give her a
damn good reason why you didn’t clear that up right then and there.”

“I
don’t have one.”

“You
mean you don’t have one that doesn’t involve thinking with your dick.”

“Exactly.”

“Well
my friend, I don’t have any magical words of advice for you. Tell the truth and
take the consequences. Trust me on this one. You hold something this big back
for too long, and nothing you say will matter.”

He
knew Ace was right. He’d reached the same conclusions already. After they
disconnected the call, Blaine stared at his phone until his eyes grew tired. He
needed a place to tell Colleen about him and her aunt that wasn’t his apartment.
There were already too many memories inside it. And he didn’t want to tell her
with others around, so a restaurant was out.

Blaine
read the email from her again, and then an idea came to him. It was risky, but
if she forgave him for not telling her about his past with her aunt,
and
if she wasn’t upset about it, his
idea would afford them a very romantic night. Before he lost his nerve, he
called Colleen. After thanking her for pushing through the permits, he asked if
she’d like to go out again on Friday.

“Sure.
I’d love to. What did you have in mind?”

“I
have a plan, but it involves going up on the surface. Are you game?”

“Oh,
how intriguing. I’m game if you are.”

“Great.
I’ll see you Friday at six.”

After
he disconnected the call, he called his favorite takeout place and ordered
dinner for himself, plus the food he’d need for Friday. For a conversation this
monumental, involving the worst relationship disaster of his past, he needed to
be out in the open, under the stars.

Chicken shit.

Yeah.
Exactly. He
was
a chicken shit, but
he would make her believe his sincerity. He would own up to the fact he should
have said something as soon as he realized who her aunt was. She’d have to walk
back and descend through the airlock if she wanted to get away from him before
morning. He hoped he had guessed right about her reaction. If he hadn’t, he’d
have a second relationship to place in the total disaster category.

****

Colleen
was way too excited about her date with Blaine on Friday. It bothered her
because she wasn’t the giddy type when it came to men. Then again, Blaine was
unlike any man she’d ever known. But still, she was acting like a lovesick
schoolgirl.

Her
concentration at work all week had been shit. She’d even ignored a follow up
email from her aunt, warning her that the Weathermen were all bad news. And
worst of all, she caught herself humming at various times throughout each day.
Next thing she knew, she’d be twirling in front of a mirror as she tried on
outfits for Friday, like a freaking fairytale princess! What the hell was wrong
with her?

She
emailed him Friday morning to ask if she needed to bring anything along, like
camping gear. There were no structures up there, and she assumed it might still
be cold, especially at night. It was March, and the weather patterns had almost
returned to normal. If you believed the Internet news, that was.

He
emailed back to tell her he had everything covered, but if she wanted to bring
anything she’d need to spend the night, like personal items, that might be a
good idea. He was assuming a lot, but she didn’t mind. Again, she found his
confidence sexy. It was part of his charm.

She
wore jeans and a sweater, plus thick socks and hiking boots. She’d brought
along a ski jacket, gloves, and a bag filled with travel-sized personal items.
When he arrived at six, he carried a large backpack and two duffle bags. She
laughed. “You weren’t kidding about having everything covered, were you?”

“Not
at all. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”
Colleen reached up to kiss him, but it was awkward with his hands full. And she
couldn’t be sure, but he seemed hesitant, which confused her. Should she have
called him or texted him during the week? Did he usually do that, and hadn’t
for some reason with her? Was he waiting for a sign from her? He obviously wanted
to see her again or he wouldn’t have asked, right?

These
were exactly the kinds of things she didn’t like about relationships,
especially new ones. She hated all the uncertainty and second-guessing, and she
definitely did not like feeling insecure. Colleen preferred to be on solid
footing, especially with people.

They
walked along making small talk about work, and then ascended through the
nearest airlock. It was almost dark on the surface, but Blaine had thought of
that as well. He retrieved a powerful flashlight from the backpack. It cast a
strong beam, but everything it illuminated had an eerie quality. Colleen
wondered when they’d all get used to being topside again.

“It’s
still odd when I come up here and know I don’t have to worry about storms,” he
said.

“What
about rain or snow? I mean, I’m assuming it now does both, like it used to?”

“It
does, but I have that covered, too. Enough of the weather satellites are still
functional that we’re able to get forecasts once more. They’re spotty, but I
made sure it wasn’t supposed to do either tonight.”

She
glanced up at the sky, sighing loudly at the sight of the moon and real stars.
“I’d forgotten how truly beautiful it is.”

“Yes.
I will never again take these sights for granted.”

“We
all did. I mean who would have thought such a thing could happen?”

“Plenty
of people, including the ones who worked on The Madeline Project.”

She
gave him a quick glance. “You mean like Dave Perry?”

“Among
others.”

Colleen
had heard some news about Dave from her aunt this week, but wasn’t sure if she
should say anything to Blaine. Aunt Charlene hadn’t told her not to tell
another person, but it had been Colleen’s experience that her aunt assumed by
now Colleen wouldn’t blab about things she was told in confidence.

Maybe
Blaine had heard? He knew people in high places, too. Only one way to find out.
“What do you think will happen to Dave?”

“I
don’t know.”

He
hadn’t heard yet. If he had, he’d have no reason to keep it from her. “He’s not
getting his pardon.”

Blaine
stopped walking and faced her, but she couldn’t see his face. It was too dark.
“What?”

“I’m
sorry. I thought you might have heard by now. The President won’t pardon him.
He’s going to stand trial.”

“That’s
unfortunate.”

“You
have to understand why.”

He
shook his head. “What happened to his family has nothing to do with Dave.”

“He
lost his daughter and her family in a massive storm surge, on the day they were
all ready to move underground to Central. Now that he has the man he holds
responsible in custody, he won’t let him go. He won’t let any of them go. Dave
will stand trial along with the hackers and the others you all picked up,
including Rob Marin.”

She
felt rather than saw Blaine’s disappointment. “Can’t say I agree with him on
having Dave stand trial along with the others. It was never his intention to
send the program on a course of destruction. He told us that. We have it on
tape. Can’t believe I’m saying this but even Rob Marin isn’t responsible in the
same way as the others are. He knew about all this and didn’t say anything, but
he didn’t fuck up the code.”

“I
realize that, but Harrison will never see it that way.” President Blake
Harrison was a vindictive man. Her aunt had said so many times over the course
of her term in office.

“That
makes me very sad to hear. Thank you for letting me know.”

She
had the feeling he wanted to say something else, but after a few seconds he
continued walking in silence. When they reached the site of his future project,
she helped Blaine set up a tent, and then he pulled out containers of food, a
bottle of wine, two glasses, and a corkscrew. He lit two lanterns that cast a
soft glow, and they sat on a thick blanket he had brought along as well.

“How
did you fit all this in only three bags?”

He
grinned. “I had plenty of practice as a kid. My parents loved to go camping and
were experts at cramming necessities into tight places.”

“I
can see that.” They feasted on cold chicken, raw veggies, and oysters. Colleen
loved oysters, but hadn’t had them in years before last Friday. “I can’t believe
you found these. Twice yet.”

“They’re
not easy to come by, even in a restaurant, but I know a place that specializes
in rare foods.”

She
glanced out over the dark landscape. “Do you think anything else survived
besides some of the sea life?”

“I
don’t know. I doubt it, to be honest.” He poured them each a third glass of
wine. “Colleen, I brought you up here not only so we could have this time
alone, but to talk to you. There’s something I should have told you last week,
while we were at the restaurant.”

A
cold chill settled over her, but she wasn’t sure if it was due to his words or
the cool night air.

“I
told you I knew your aunt a long time ago, but I didn’t tell you how I knew
her.”

“You
said you grew up in a town close to hers, right?”

“Yes,
but we didn’t actually meet until college.”

Colleen
didn’t like the tone of his voice. Exactly how well did he know her aunt? She
drained her wine glass and repositioned herself on the blanket.

“I
was a freshman when she was a senior.”

Colleen
said nothing. She merely watched his face.

“We
dated briefly that year.”