Chapter 4 #4
Empyrean was a luxury space cruise line that catered to the wealthy elites of the world.
The small fleet of civilian-owned and -operated spaceships flew routes around the Earth and the Moon, each trip lasting a week or longer, depending on the package, providing their well-heeled passengers with an unparalleled and extravagant experience.
The company’s launch terminals were located in over a dozen countries.
From there, smaller, space-faring shuttles ferried customers up to a civilian-run space dock halfway between the Earth and the Moon where the cruise liners stayed when not in use.
It wasn’t the only civilian company geared toward travel branching out beyond Earth, but it was one of the most successful to date.
Luxury and exclusivity was a selling point the rich would never stop ignoring.
Jamie’s maternal grandmother had backed the company in its early years and eventually bought out the other owners for full control.
Charlotte had inherited ownership of the company when her mother signed it over to her.
Jamie’s grandmother was enjoying her golden years by living the high life in whatever country caught her fancy these days, while Charlotte oversaw a board of directors and CEO who ran the day-to-day functions of the company.
One day in the future, Empyrean would belong to Jamie and Leah in a fifty-fifty split.
If this mission ended badly, most likely it would all go to Leah.
Jamie couldn’t see his parents giving him half the family’s crown jewel if he dragged their name and reputations through the dirt.
“Delaney has a good read on people, Callahan. When you work deep cover, you need to have that skill if you want to survive. He’s built backgrounds for you and your team that we believe will hold up under deep vetting.
We wouldn’t have signed off on this mission if we thought otherwise,” Stirling said.
“At the end of the day, you’re the moneyman. That’s all that matters,” Nazari said.
“Where does the UMG come into play?” Jamie asked.
The United Metahuman Guardians was the United Kingdom’s equivalent of the MDF. Jamie had an idea of who Nazari would request as their contact and wasn’t surprised when he guessed right.
“Lt. Colonel Liam Wessex is the UMG’s choice for the mission since apparently you two know each other.”
That was putting it very mildly.
Jamie and Liam had met as children at the Royal Ascot in London when they were ten.
Liam, youngest son to Prince Samuel, Earl of Wessex, had been bored out of his mind when he and Jamie were first introduced, though you’d have never known by his polite expression.
Their mothers were friends from years spent working the charity circuits, and the Callahans had been invited as special guests of the Countess of Wessex.
He and Liam had stayed in touch over the years, and when Jamie entered Annapolis, Liam entered Sandhurst. Liam eventually joined the Special Air Service, the same way Jamie found himself becoming a Recon Marine.
And like Jamie, Liam’s squad fell victim to a Splice chemical bomb attack during a mission.
Unlike Jamie, Liam was the only survivor.
“I see,” Jamie said slowly, looking past Nazari and out the heavily shielded windows behind the director. Outside, the sky was overcast, with the local forecast one of mild temperatures for the rest of the week and through the weekend.
Jamie knew he wouldn’t be here to enjoy the weather.
Nazari would claim he gave Jamie a choice, but in truth, there was no choice. Declining meant the MDF fielding a team that had no hope of succeeding, not how Jamie and his team could. Success depended on an airtight lie, and the best lies, as everyone knew, were ones based on truth.
If the MDF wanted him to revert to the rich fucking bastard he once was before the Marines beat sense into him and Katie beat the arrogance out of him, then so be it.
“You realize I’m going to bill the government for the entire cost of this mission, don’t you?” Jamie asked mildly.
“I see you’re already getting into character,” Nazari replied dryly.
Jamie smiled, the cold twist of his lips familiar from a childhood of knowing he was better than everyone else in the world.
He sat down without asking for permission, digging deep for the remnants of a personality he’d buried in pieces over the course of years on the front lines of a war that would always, in some ways, exist.
“Let’s talk business, Director.”
* * *
Katie found him afterward when she tracked him down at his office. Jamie wasn’t surprised when she stepped inside and locked the door.
“Ceres, initiate privacy blackout mode,” Katie ordered.
“Privacy blackout mode engaged,” the AI replied immediately.
She stood in front of his desk, slim arms crossed over her chest, staring at him with the world’s most disapproving look on her face.
Jamie was momentarily thrown back to the first time they’d ever met in the organized depths of an FOB, her field uniform still dusty from a morning patrol outside the wire.
She’d looked at him then like she was now—the judgment in her eyes of having to deal with a wet-behind-the-ears second lieutenant with zero field experience never once translating to her face—because NCOs knew better than to showcase their true feelings surrounded by people with far more rank than she had.
Katie had never once let him forget his place when it came down to the fight, and Jamie was thankful for that fact every day of his life.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Katie asked in a flat voice that revealed her anger.
“I couldn’t say no,” Jamie said tiredly.
“No is a word that I’m perfectly aware you can pronounce in at least five different languages. Why you didn’t use each one is beyond me.”
“If it wasn’t us, it would be someone else.”
“Then goddamn it, Jamie! Let it be someone else for once! This is crazy. This is—” Katie broke off, planting her hands on her hips as she stared up at the ceiling, as if some higher power would give her guidance. “Your father is running for president.”
“I haven’t forgotten.”
“This could ruin him and your family.”
“I know.”
“Then if you fucking know, why are you doing this to them? To yourself?”
“Because my life—my privileged, stupid life, Katie—shouldn’t be worth more than the hundreds of people who are being used as test subjects and killed by criminals who won’t stop even if I do,” Jamie snapped, unaccountably angry in the face of her disagreement.
“Which means I can’t stop, Katie. You know that, at least, I thought you did. ”
“Jamie—” Katie broke off with a muttered curse before rubbing a hand over her face.
When she looked at him again, the anger had bled out of her.
“I know that. I do, Jamie. But my job has always been to look out for you. You’re too honorable by half, I get that, but sometimes it makes you do stupid shit. ”
“Please. Don’t hold back, Katie. Tell me how you really feel.”
She pinned him with a look that had made him shut up in the field during his first deployment every time she turned it on him. Now was no different.
“You altered the parameters of the mission where Kyle is concerned.”
Jamie didn’t reply because the truth of that decision was spelled out in their updated orders. He didn’t need to confirm what she already knew.
“Why?” she pressed.
“Because someone of my status always has a lover on their arm. Appearing without company would be at odds with my social position. Staying within the team for our needs will make it more believable than if we bring in another person,” he finally said.
“That’s the answer you give to the director to cover your ass. Tell me why, Jamie.”
The words wouldn’t come, not immediately. When they did, they felt like a confession, only he was giving it to the wrong person.
“For once, I want to be able to touch him in public and not worry it’ll fuck up everything else. If I need a cover in order to do that, at least I’ll finally know what it’s like.”
Katie’s mouth pulled downward, but the look in her blue eyes was kind, in a way that didn’t stem from pity. Jamie was glad for it because he didn’t think he could handle her pity right now.
“Okay,” she said. “We’ll make it work.”
Not for the first time was Jamie glad Katie had been assigned to him all those years ago. He honestly didn’t know what his life would be like without her in it, but he knew he’d be worse off in all the ways that mattered.
“Thank you,” Jamie said around the tightness in his throat.
“You owe me for the stress this is going to cause me.”
“I always owe you.”
“Damn straight.”
But she said it with a smile, and Jamie couldn’t help but return it.