Space for Growth (Spire Station #3)

Chapter 23

23

I n theory, the job Narem gets back to me with is much better than I expected. When I think about the reality of doing it, though, I can’t tamp down the surge of apprehension.

It’s a hit request. Sixty thousand credits to kill someone.

I read through the information, appreciating the trust that Narem put in me to even send me this. If I wanted to, I could turn around and inform the person the hit was taken out on, and fuck over my contact and their employer.

There’s zero chance I’d go that route though, given who I’m meant to kill—a fa-shar slaver with a penchant for luring in naive or desperate Y’thir with promises of well-paying work at their club. A monster praying on their hope to provide for their loved ones.

No, I won’t inform the person with a price on their life. Void, under different circumstances, I’d consider doing it for free, but chances are, whoever is hiring me is equally bad, if they’re paying this large a sum to take someone out. I have no qualms about taking money away from someone like that.

Besides, if I tried to hunt that person down, too, another would pop up in their place. That’s how the galaxy works. Cruelty and greed is an infinite resource. I can only hope to help individuals when I can, and believe that with enough mysterious deaths, someone will think twice before deciding to turn a person into chattel.

We won’t get a better job. We have to take it. I wouldn’t have hesitated in the past, but now I can’t stop the worst-case scenario playing out in my mind on repeat—our ship gets caught in a trap and Paul is taken.

Everyone on board knows and agrees to the risks of the work we do. If we end up captured or dead, it’s on us. That’s not the case for Paul. He didn’t agree to that. I can’t put him in that danger. But the only alternative I can think of is to leave him behind on Gryxyx with someone, and I sincerely doubt he’ll agree to that after his disastrous experience there.

Vash-ka . Maybe I should let go of the idea of catching whoever set us up. Maybe they’ll leave us alone if we stay away from Spire and keep lying low, like Frea’set suggested. If that doesn’t work, I’m sure my friend can help me find a way to get Paul back to Spire. He’s one of the only people in the galaxy I’d consider trusting with that task.

Consider trusting. Even in hypotheticals, I’m scared to rely on help from someone else. Paul is too important to me to ask anyone else to take responsibility for his safety. And the only way I can be certain Paul is safe is if I stop whoever set us up .

“Well?” Tari’s impatient question tugs me out of my dark ruminations.

“We need to infiltrate a sex club,” I reply calmly, eyes darting over to Paul. It’d be a lot easier to talk about this frankly if he weren’t in the room, but he insisted on sticking around while we have this conversation in case there’s anything he can do to help. I have no problem telling the rest of the crew that it’s an assassination, but I’m worried Paul will freak out if I casually bring up murdering someone.

“I volunteer,” Tari replies immediately, a delighted grin forming on her lips.

Val scoffs and glares at the nexxit across the table from her. “They said infiltrate, not get distracted the minute you get there and botch the mission because you’re too horny to focus.”

Her harsh assessment makes Tari sputter and wrap both sets of arms around herself defensively. “N-no, I wouldn’t!”

I frown at both of them. Whatever is going on between my mechanic and my pilot is coming to a head, and I’ll need to deal with it sooner rather than later. Val would normally never say something that critical to anyone on the crew. That’s practically her version of spitting in Tari’s face in disgust.

“Tari, you need to stay on the ship to monitor our systems in case we’re made and need to get out of there fast,” I say, brushing past the fact that Val was correct that she’d be no help in a club full of aliens fucking.

“I would go, Captain, but I’m afraid I might be recognized if there are any vuloi in attendance,” Val says with an apologetic frown.

I doubt anyone this far out would recognize a former star dancer from her conservatory, but there’s no need to tell Val that. She’s not a great candidate for infiltrating a seedy club to begin with. Besides, she gets woozy at the sight of blood, so if things get violent, having Val there will be a disaster. “Of course. I wouldn’t put you in that situation.”

I glance over at Rema and Bret’u, and catch them exchanging a strange look. Bret’u’s jaw clenches.

“What’s the name of the club?” Rema asks with a slight downturn to her lips.

“Sin Horizon.” The name sounds even more ridiculous when I say it aloud.

“ Esh’et , I don’t know if I can go,” Rema sighs.

“You’re not going,” Bret’u grits out, scowling at her.

“Uh, I can do whatever I want,” she retorts with a flippant grin.

“I won’t allow it,” ze rumbles.

“Excuse me?” Rema looks at zir like ze has grown a second head. “I’ll go if I want to.”

What in the void is going on with them?

Please don’t tell me they’re fucking.

Stars, I thought Rema knew better than to start something with zir. She doesn’t do anything but casual dalliances since she broke up with Frea’set, and Bret’u is a shikzeth who has said multiple times ze follows zir people’s mating practices. Shikzeth rarely have casual sex or relationships—they bond when they fuck and become fiercely possessive of their mate.

“Enough,” I sigh, pinching my brow as the throb of a headache starts to form behind my eyes. “Rema, you can’t go?”

She breaks from her standoff with Bret’u and looks back at me. “I’m sorry. I got banned from there last time we were in the sector. They’d recognize me after what happened.”

Tari perks up like she’s about to ask what in the void Rema did to get banned from a sex club, but I push forward. Bret’u is out, too, if my suspicions about zir and Rema are correct .

“Yaz, looks like you’re coming with me.” He wouldn’t be my first choice, since subterfuge isn’t exactly his strong suit, but he’ll have to do.

The aespian blinks at me slowly. “Why don’t I go alone? If it’s infiltration, I don’t see why I can’t stealth inside and do whatever needs to be done.” It’s clear to me he understands that we’re killing someone from the lack of oscillation in his tone.

That would be much simpler. I’d considered, and then rejected, the idea as soon as I saw the job information.

Yaz is a trained assassin, but I promised him when he joined my crew that I wouldn’t take advantage of that. He left that life behind because he’d grown to abhor it. He’d almost died on his last mission because his body froze up right as he was poised to make the killing blow.

I won’t subject him to that again. I can carry the hit out myself. Though, not on my own, seeing as I’ll need to pretend to be a patron of the club, since I don’t have Yaz’s stealth abilities.

“No, that’s too risky. I know it’ll be awkward, but they won’t admit me into the club at the event our target will be at without bringing a companion.”

“I’m not sure how convincing I will be, but I will endeavor to do my best,” Yaz says, the nervous flutter of his wings the only thing betraying his discomfort with this plan.

I agree he won’t be good at pretending to be my “pet”, but we’ll have to figure out how to make it work. Maybe he can wear a gag?

“Uh, I can go.”

I startle at the sound of Paul’s voice.

“What?” I ask reflexively, as I turn my gaze on him.

He clutches Leilit a little tighter, a determined look crossing his face. “You need a companion to go to this sex club with you. Yaz says he isn’t well-equipped to do that, and no one else can go. So bring me.”

“Absolutely not.” I can’t believe he’d think I’d accept that offer. There’s no way I’d take him right into the heart of a place that dangerous.

“Huh, that’s a pretty good idea,” Rema says, giving Paul an assessing look. “He’d certainly be the perfect pet for an important new member of the club to have.”

I want to reach over and throttle my friend. “No, he wouldn’t.”

Rema scoffs. “Bringing a human with you would make it simple to gain an audience with the target. There’s no way they wouldn’t want to see a pretty human in the flesh. It’s perfect! Much better than bringing one of us.”

“I will not bring Paul right to a monster who would want him as an actual pet,” I growl. My heart races, panicking at the thought.

“It would be much more convincing to bring a partner you have sexual interest in,” Yaz offers.

Tari nods. “Yeah, then if you need to fuck to prove yourselves or something, it won’t be awkward.”

They’re all insane. “ Vash-ka , no! It’s not up for debate. It’s too dangerous. It’s too?—”

“I’m going with you.” Paul stands and steps toward me, handing Leilit over to Val like he’s getting ready to fight me.

He closes the distance between us until he’s glaring up at me, dark eyes sparkling with fierce determination. “You need someone with you that won’t give you away immediately. I’m going.”

“Paul…” A lump clogs my throat. I can’t decide if I want to kiss him for caring more about helping me than self-preservation, or grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him. “We’re not going in there to steal information or plant a monitoring device. The job is to kill someone. ”

Paul blanches at my words, and for a moment I hope that the blunt reality of this situation will override his desire to come with me. My human isn’t a killer. He’s gentle and sweet and?—

“That’s fine.” His hard swallow is the only indication of his discomfort.

“Paul, you’ll see someone die if you come with me,” I say, trying to make him understand. “If things go really poorly, you could die.”

“I could die at any moment from any number of causes.” Paul sets his jaw as he stands his ground. “I can’t always let fear control me. Let me help you. I can do this.”

There’s a challenge in his words. Daring me, the person who has been his champion since he came aboard, to claim otherwise. Esh’et, I told him to see things as an adventure. To take risks and embrace delusion. That he was brave and capable.

I can’t win this argument unless I’m willing to crush him.

I go against every instinct in me that’s screaming to keep him safe and swallow down my argument. Every urge to reject help when it’s offered.

“Okay.”