Chapter 26 Fresh Start
Fresh Start
With so many passengers, I send the crew out for supplies the next morning.
Dev slips away to visit his family—extending an invitation I politely decline—and the brothers offer to help me with chores.
It surprises me enough that even Julian laughs at my expression.
With the lines of his face softened, I can almost understand what Dev sees in him.
“We’re wealthy, not incompetent,” Maximus teases.
It’s just us on the ship for the day, and I’m looking forward to it.
We glove up, grab some cleaning products and get to scrubbing the communal areas.
Per Nero’s quick rundown, the Homebound hasn’t been off Red Horizon in thirty years.
Whilst the owner arranged regular upkeep, it was minimal.
But the ship can be forgiven for old decor, outdated tech, and dust bunnies because it has plenty of storage and spacious cabins.
Julian would have had to bunk with Maximus if Dev wasn’t so eager to share, but it wouldn’t have been cramped.
Khrys no longer has a med bay—more like a cupboard—but it’s otherwise perfect.
Many roles will be combined on this tiny ship, but I don’t think it will be an issue.
I have yet to inspect the rudimentary AI, but Beau can tackle that.
As a trio, the brothers and I have made a good start on deep cleaning by the time Beau and Khrys return.
I’m sweating through my vest, stray hair sticking to my forehead, when they come careening into the hydroponic room.
Beau takes a second to survey the empty but sparkling surfaces before turning to me.
“There’s a party tonight at the Gryphon Manor.”
The name forces tension into my muscles in a Pavlovian response that sets my teeth on edge. I barely stop myself from glaring at them. “Okay.”
The two exchange glances. Khrys tilts her head at me like I’m missing something important. “Dominik has an announcement.”
I push past them, taking the old bucket with me.
I’ve finished this room anyway. I’ll rummage through the supplies and get the garden set up.
With a much more basic filtration system, we could do with having it ready to go sooner rather than later.
Unfortunately, Beau and Khrys don’t take the hint and follow me.
“Come on, Cap. Do you really need us to spell it out?” Beau calls behind me.
“No. I need you to leave me alone and go do something productive.”
“You’re gonna just let her go, just like that?”
I spin on my heels and eat half the distance between us before I rein myself in. “Marlowe left, as is her right to do. We don’t get to question that. I’ve known the woman for all of two weeks. It’s sad, but it’s not the end of the world.”
If I keep saying it, maybe it’ll be true. How maddening to feel like this about someone I barely know.
“You’re not thinking,” Beau shouts, shoving hands through their hair until it all sticks up.
“Why would Marlowe bring Vee to Dominik, knowing he abducted the boy? She was trying to stop him. You’re telling me she was presented with an opportunity to turn right back around and go home, and she just.. . said no?”
“That’s exactly what she said.”
“It doesn’t make sense, Cap! “
I never thought I’d see the day when Beau could make me angry. I want to wrap my hands around their neck and squeeze. Instead, I gulp down air and try to calm myself.
“Marlowe was already worried about having to say goodbye to us. She started pulling away even before Securitas boarded the Midas.”
There they go, exchanging glances again.
“What?” I snap.
“What if I can access the ship’s logs?” Beau asks hesitantly.
“To do what?”
“To play back her call with Dominik.”
I shake my head as if I can clear the cobwebs in my brain. “You want to spy on Marlowe’s conversation? What will that achieve?”
“I don’t think Marlowe would leave the way she did unless something happened during that call,” Khrys says gently. “I saw how heartbroken she looked. I think Dominik said something that scared her.”
It’s the hope that hurts more than anything. Hope that they might be right, that Marlowe didn’t decide to just leave like that. It rushes at me so quickly, I sway on my feet. Putting my back to the bulkhead, I survey my two troublemakers. Possibility makes my pulse pound.
“You think so?”
Beau nods furiously. “Marlowe loves Vee too much to do this. I don’t think she’d even hesitate to kill for him. After the stunt Dominik pulled, I think he has something on her.”
Khrys shrugs. “We should at least take a look.”
“But I have to do it now, before the logs are wiped,” Beau continues. “The Midas only keeps twenty-four hours of logs. Gryphon is a paranoid fucker.”
“What if you get caught?” I ask.
A smile lights up Beau’s face. “That’s the thing; until Dominik wipes the employee access records, it’s perfectly legal. This event must be hogging all his attention—he hasn’t reviewed them yet.”
I give them the go-ahead. We huddle into Beau’s cabin, and Khrys and I watch as they access the Midas with agility.
Manoeuvring through the mainframe with ease, they find the video logs, and my heart starts to slam against my ribcage.
I snatch Beau’s hand before they can start the playback and let myself spiral for a moment.
What if Marlowe just didn’t want to stay?
Or, what if she needs our help?
What if she wants nothing to do with me?
Or, what if she was expecting me to do more?
Beau and Khrys watch me as my mind races. I’m supposed to be their captain, the person they chose to follow because they trust and have faith in me. I lengthen my spine and step away. With a nod from me, the video starts to play.
It’s split screen, and Marlowe’s face fills one half of it, sending shards arcing through me. Her dark eyes and wayward curls hit me harder than I expected; but the longer she speaks with Gryphon, I notice she folds in on herself more. Something isn’t right.
“—my ultimatum: come home, or the only ground you’ll touch on Mars will be a prison yard.”
Khrys gasps, but I can’t stop staring, processing. When the video ends, I make Beau play it again. Marlowe didn’t have a choice after all, and all I’ve got is this impotent rage.
“I knew it.” Beau is pale but triumphant.
I collapse against the desk. “How are we supposed to help her? It’s his ship, and he’s threatening to have Marlowe arrested. They’ll take Vee from her.”
“We’ll figure something out. You should go and see her, tell her we’re working on it.” Beau frowns. “Let her know you didn’t leave.”
“Our messages to her haven’t been delivering since yesterday, so Gryphon’s either blocked us or replaced her tech.”
“Fresh start,” I say bitterly.
Khrys puts a hand on my shoulder and waits for me to look at her. “Now do you want to hear about that party?”
Maximus swipes his slate with a dramatic flair. “Sent.” He grins. “I had to call in so many favours to get that invitation, so please remember that when you next delegate chores.”
Khrys squeals and throws her arms around his neck.
Whilst they totter around the galley, I try to swallow my nerves.
Now that the plan has become real, I’m equal parts terrified and dangerously hopeful.
The gala is at the manor on the Gryphon compound; it’s therefore not invitation optional.
Apparently, once an Archival, always an Archival—no matter what bounties hang over your head.
The crew seem to think this is some grand romantic gesture, when I simply can’t, in good conscience, let Gryphon treat Marlowe like that. I’m not going there to sweep her off her feet; I’m going there because what he’s doing is wrong.
With the invitation arranged, I turn to the brand-new clothing stacked on the table.
“I sent you to get supplies,” I say rather gruffly.
“And we got the supplies,” Beau says hurriedly. “They’re in the cargo bay.”
“So what the hell is this?”
“Well, we heard about the party while we were at the market, and we thought we’d be proactive.”
Khrys stops at the table, pink-cheeked, and points at them. “Err, no, Beau thought they’d be proactive.”
Beau mumbles, “Snitches get stitches.”
The clothes range from ballgowns to tuxedos in a rainbow of colours and a selection of materials. It’s an expensive haul. “Where did you get the creds for this? I didn’t give you that much.”
At this, they look shifty. I narrow my eyes, bouncing my stare between them and waiting until one of them cracks.
But it’s Dev who spills the beans when he sails in, drops a homemade market bag onto the counter and drapes himself over me.
I’ve had more physical contact with this crew over the past day than I have with any other over my entire career.
Normally, I’d find an excuse to disentangle his long limbs from mine, but it’s comforting.
He grins. “They sold stuff from the Midas.”
“Dev!” Beau snaps. “You said you wouldn’t tell.”
“No, I said I wouldn’t tell yet. I think the cat is out of the basket now, no?”
“Bag,” Julian mumbles from his place by the pantry.
“What?”
Julian lifts his blue eyes and flushes slightly when Dev teases a smile out of him. “The phrase is cat out of the bag.”
Dev floats over to him, takes his face between bronze hands and kisses him softly. “Shukran, meraya.” Thank you, my love.
Dev is full of endearments, so I don’t know whether this thing with Julian is serious or not. It’d be nice if it is, but I worry that he might end up getting his hopes up like I did, only for the inevitable end to come and hurt him.
My attention is pulled back to the table when Beau holds up a long, golden dress. “It was a good idea we did, see, because now you have options for tonight.”
I stare at Beau and Khrys, contemplating whether I have the energy to chastise their recklessness. It’s not a question of morality, but of safety. They’ve just been fired by one of the richest men in the universe; is pilfering from him the smartest ideas they’ve ever had? Certainly not.