Chapter 24 Divine Intervention #2
“Deadly. There are reasons why I can’t do it myself, and I wouldn’t do it like this if it weren’t important. Just make sure the seller knows who to expect and that all the licenses are transferred properly. I’ll send you an identity and a signature you can use.”
“What kind of trouble are you in? This sounds like tax evasion or some shit. Am I gonna regret helping you with this?”
“No,” I say. “But Marlowe and Vee need this, so I need you to be discreet and fast, okay? I’ll send extra so you can take a cut of the sale for brokering.”
Liz sighs, and it’s the most serious I’ve ever heard her. “Of course. You know I owe you, Captain. I’ll reach out to my contacts, and I’ll let you know when it’s done. I will accept the offer of a cut, though.”
“Thank you. I appreciate this.”
“Keep the thanks until you see the piece of junk I get you.” She snorts. “But you be careful, okay?”
“Sure.”
We spend some time discussing the specifics of a sale, and then Liz goes back to her game.
I release a long breath and fall back onto the grass in the greenhouse.
I’d initially exchanged contact info with Liz in the hopes she might be able to give me advice when I finally got around to buying my ship.
I never imagined it would be like this. But aboard the Midas, with its hacked mainframe, amongst all the Gryphon Tech, I can’t risk trying to do this myself. It was hard enough getting a call out.
I wonder, in this moment, if it was divine intervention that we stumbled across that escape pod. Religion holds no water with me, but I can admit this seems too good to be chance. I wouldn’t have been able to trust anyone else with such a task.
Now I have a plan. I stare up at the simulated sunlight as it seeps through the hanging greenery and question my actions.
The truth is I don’t want to say goodbye to Marlowe and Vee.
Gryphon has no idea what an amazing family he could have had, and it’s unfair he gets to be in their lives when he makes no effort.
I don’t know what a future with Marlowe and Vee could look like, but I think I’m willing to try.
Whatever Gryphon has planned, I’ll make sure they have a way off Mars.
My heart contorts when I think about leaving my crew behind—I only just found them, and it’s a shame.
Hopefully, Gryphon leaves them out of this.
My eyes drift shut, and I’m somewhere between a doze and a daydream when I hear footsteps.
I snap upright in time to catch the flash of a blanched eye before I’m pinned to the floor between two powerful thighs.
Mae presses my hands to the ground beneath her knees just as I realise what’s happening.
She lowers her face until it’s mere inches above mine, and I can pick out the small strokes in her tattoo and the shades of black in her undamaged eye.
“What the—”
“I expected more from the great Myth,” she purrs over me.
I freeze.
“Don’t worry, I’m just a fan.” Her laughter is as deep as her voice. “But it seems you’ve lost your touch.”
Enough of this. With some easy manoeuvring, I flip us over and force her to the floor instead.
Her breath comes out in a whoosh as I put all my weight on her for just a moment, long enough to show her how strong I am and that I’m not to be trifled with.
Her eyes widen, but there’s only amusement twinkling in that dark one.
And then I rise to my feet, putting distance between us and securing the hair that Mae dislodged from my bun.
She ripples to her feet, holding my gaze the entire time. She’s lithe, I’ll give her that. And fast. She was on me within a second of me hearing her approach, and she took advantage of my hesitation—one I only made because of who else is onboard.
“What do you want?” I ask.
Mae smirks. “To see if I could get the drop on you. I think I did, don’t you?”
I roll my shoulder. “Sure.”
Maybe she expected my pride to be pricked; her brow lifts, and she gives me a slow once-over before shrugging. “I’ll take it.”
Every cell in my body is telling me to ask her what she knows, why she just called me that, and how she even recognised me. But if Mae wanted to hurt me, she would’ve tried by now, and she might even have gotten a decent shot in. I force my muscles to loosen, to shake off my battle-ready stance.
Too angry to focus, I hadn’t paid attention to her earlier.
She’s young, probably in her early twenties, although the freckles might have something to do with that.
She carries herself with the stealthiness of a house cat and the prowess of a tiger.
I suspect that if it came down to it, a fight between us would be close. I might even enjoy it.
Forcing myself to be polite, I ask, “Where’s the rest of your crew?”
“Hmm. Eduard’s on the bridge; the rest are back on our ship.” I must look sceptical because she laughs. “We don’t need the whole crew to keep you in line.”
“Do you know the kind of man you’re working for?”
Mae quirks an eyebrow. “Do you?”
“I do now. Does Securitas make a habit of aiding kidnappers?”
“We’re just the escort, love.” Mae grins. “We don’t look under the hood; we just deliver.”
Disgust is acidic in the back of my throat.
I shake my head, and my hair wilts, tendrils falling into my face.
It just irritates me more. Shooting Mae a glare, I undo the whole thing and start to redo it from scratch.
Bending forward, I flip my hair over my face so I can scrape it all into one hand.
The movement only takes a moment, but as I go to straighten up, there’s another hand sliding into the strands, tugging at the root.
I end up chest to chest with Mae, head pulled back, her fist tight in my hair.
Her gaze dips to my lips, and I almost laugh. Yeah, she’s young all right.
“Not interested.”
“Are you sure?” Mae asks, her breath coasting over my mouth. “We could have a lot of fun before we dock.”
In a move that sacrifices a good chunk of follicles but lets me twist her around until her arm is pinned behind her back, I growl into Mae’s ear.
“I’d rather you tell me what Gryphon has planned for Marlowe and Vee.”
She exhales a noise that sounds like knowing. “Ah, I see. Fucking the boss’s woman, are you? Naughty.”
“She is not his woman,” I hiss before I can stop myself. The accusation alone pisses me off.
“I’d beg to differ.”
I let silence fall while I attempt to calm down.
“We could have such fun together,” Mae says, breaking my concentration. Her words are sultry despite the uncomfortable position I have her in, which is, frankly, impressive.
Despite myself, I laugh a little. “In another world, maybe.”
“Hmm,” she purrs. “Suryavans... so devoted.”
Mae suddenly slams her head back, and if I didn’t jerk to the side, she’d have smashed my nose in.
She sweeps a leg out, but I yank her bent arm in the wrong direction, and she has no choice but to spin with it or snap the bone.
Face to face, her grin is bloodthirsty. She genuinely enjoys fighting.
Even at the very start of my service in the IAF, I hated it, and that only grew as time went on.
Being in danger was exciting, but I had no interest in hurting others.
For me, it’s an ugly necessity, but I can see how exhilarating Mae finds it.
I genuinely believe she just wanted to see if she could take me.
Still, this is my chance to find out if she knows anything.
“Is he planning to hurt them?”
“All I can tell you, Myth, is that you never had a chance with her. Not with Dominik Gryphon in the picture. Now, if we’re not gonna fight or fuck, let me go. I have better things to do.”
She anticipates my move and, when I release her, doesn’t so much as sway.
“What about my crew?” I ask.
“What about them?” Mae tilts her head. “Do you think we’re assassins or something?”
“I don’t know what you are, but I’d be stupid not to ask questions. Money can buy a lot.”
Mae cocks an eyebrow and a hip at the same time. “If he wanted you dead, you’d already be dead.”
A chill runs down my spine at the precise nature of her words.
I believe her. Securitas likely offers many services.
My expression must tell her all she needs to know because she laughs—the most honest sound from her yet—and gives a soft head shake.
“That look of indignation on you is delicious. I could just eat it right off your face.”
Basic human decency aside, neither of us trusts the other. Mae leaves. I watch her go, only relaxing when I’m sure I’m alone.
I find Vee in the arcade with Beau, as planned, and Marlowe back in her cabin, which is a surprise. She ignores my knocks. When I go to open the door out of worry, it doesn’t budge.
The intercom is deactivated but I override it. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“I don’t like talking through a door.”
Red Horizon looms, and I’d rather we talk now before all hell kicks loose. My mind is a jumble of thoughts and wants, and plans. Mostly, I just want to see Marlowe’s face.
“I’m tired, Tanisira. I just want to have an early night. Tomorrow’s probably gonna be a long day, and I can’t bear to face Dominik on no sleep.”
I chew my words as I ponder hers. It’s a shitty excuse, and we both know it. But I can’t force Marlowe to face me. It ties my heart, my stomach, and my tongue into knots, but I back away. It takes a few minutes more of staring at the barrier between us before I can leave.