Chapter 32 Cornucopia
Cornucopia
Tanisira drops me off outside the small, local police station where I meet both Hina and an officer called Ell.
He drives us to the manor in a department hovercar while I try to wrangle my nerves.
Though I only called Hina to keep her in the loop, she insisted on coming with me.
When Dominik answers the door, I’m doubly glad she’s by my side.
I tighten my hands in the pockets of the jumpsuit and lift my head high. The station called ahead to let him know about the visit; the result of that is a crisp white shirt tucked into pleated trousers, and perfectly laid hair. He looks fresh from the barbers, and his public face is on.
The door widens further and Dominik’s lawyer steps into view, sharing a thin-lipped smile with Hina. I recognise him as someone Dominik used back in England: Jefferson, I think.
“Oh, you brought a lawyer,” Dominik says, eyeing Hina.
The two step aside, and I sweep in with my entourage at my back, heading for the staircase. This should be a quick enough task; I didn’t unpack a single thing, and Vee was immediately whisked away to the tailors. Still, it’s unnerving having four sets of eyes on me as I let myself into my room.
Hina stops Dominik and maybe-Jefferson as they try to follow us in. Why, I don’t know—I’m hardly going to rip the paintings off the walls.
“As this bedroom was assigned to my client by yours, we don’t require supervision while she simply collects her belongings.”
Dominik looks to his lawyer, perhaps thinking it can be disputed, but Jefferson only gives a brief nod. Dominik’s nostrils flare, but he steps away from the threshold, folding his arms. It’s so petty, but I could kiss Hina for the thrill that goes through me.
Why shouldn’t I enjoy the little things? I close the door in his face.
“Can I take the art?” I ask loudly, just to be a shit.
Hina shoots me an unamused look.
“Joking.”
I’m not nervous, I’m not nervous, I’m not—
I grab my bag, shove in toiletries stashed in my en-suite and fill it to bursting with every single shot in the cabinet.
The one good thing about being interred in this mansion is my new supply of meds.
There are enough syringes to last me months, and thankfully, they come packaged quite small.
Lastly, I kick off the dainty little flats Hina brought me and lace myself into the boots I’d bought on Novus.
Mismatched with my boho-style jumpsuit, it gives me a touch of grunge.
I don’t think Kiran would approve, but my arches are relieved.
The whole thing takes five minutes, max, so Dominik has no reason to look like he’s sucking on lemons. Yet he watches me with narrowed eyes as we all head to Vee’s room. Maybe my art-stealing joke riled him up.
Jefferson informs us that our previous argument doesn’t apply here, and we pile inside.
Vee gave me a list of things to pack, and I consult it as I dig around the mess he’d already managed to make in one day.
Dominik, of course, doesn’t help except to make comments about certain items I pick up; ensuring the lawyers that he paid for them.
He reasons he wants them here for when Vee’s home.
I nearly bite my own tongue off trying not to react.
Still, Vee’s smart, and he hasn’t listed anything he didn’t arrive with. At some point, I unearth the flight suit. I make a point of hanging it in the closet, though I found it on the floor.
Back downstairs, Dominik offers Hina and Ell food to take home. They both look bewildered, but I immediately know what he’s up to.
“We have more food than we know what to do with, thanks to a last-minute change in plans,” he says airily. “Plenty of meat and desserts, prepared by the best chefs in the city. It’d be a shame to let it go to waste.”
Ell starts to decline. I can see Hina’s in agreement, but I interrupt. “I’d appreciate if you both did. I’m the reason for the leftovers, after all. And despite everything, I’d like a minute to say goodbye to Dominik.”
Hina touches my elbow. “Are you sure?” Her voice is low, almost a whisper.
No. But I watch Jefferson take Dominik aside, likely asking the same question. Our eyes meet, and when he gestures for Jefferson to pass into the kitchen, I nod anyway.
Dominik follows me into the dining hall, which shows no trace of last night’s chaos and gleams in the daylight. I pull out a seat at the banquet table, he stands opposite me, and I wait for him to speak. I’m too exhausted, I think, to be angry.
“I’ll drop the charges.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’ll drop the charges?”
Maybe I was wrong about being too tired; something in my chest sparks like a firework. I’m not necessarily surprised, but I am suspicious.
“On one condition,” he continues.
Ah, there it is. I stare at him until he gets the hint, though I know he wanted me to probe.
“We agree, at a mediation, to a certain number of visits per year where you, Harvey, and I spend the day as a family. I don’t care where, as long as it’s the whole day. I’ll also keep the bedrooms here maintained and ready; in case you want to stay.”
I’d like to say I’m shocked, but I’d be lying.
To someone who doesn’t know Dominik, that might sound like a great offer.
It should sound like one to me, considering the last thing I wanted was to end up on the radar of any law enforcement.
But Dominik’s not the kind of person to back down from a challenge, and something tells me this offer’s a misdirect.
It’s very likely, with the video evidence and all the guests who saw it, he’s just not certain he’ll win this fight.
With his hubris, his lawyer probably intervened.
If he drops this, I’ll be obligated to as well. He assumes, anyway—because why would I want to drag our family through court if I didn’t have to, right?
Wrong.
Sliding my traitorous hands under my thighs, I tilt my head back so he can see how deadly serious I am when I say, “No, thank you.”
It’s not what he expected, and it takes him a few seconds to process. He doesn’t so much as blink—his poker face is too damn good for that—but I can practically feel him scrambling for a counteroffer.
“Lowe, don’t be—”
I leap to my feet. “Do not call me that. Do you know what you’ve done?
Never mind that you abducted him, putting Vee on that ship alone was irresponsible, and in turn, I ended up making irresponsible choices too.
I’ll never forgive you for that. We ran into a micrometeorite swarm, and the crew didn’t have their engineer because you forced them to launch without one. It could have been fatal.
“All of this because you have an ego problem. News flash: it’s not because your dad died.
Go to fucking therapy! You blackmailed me.
You had me followed. The anxiety I’ve suffered the past few weeks—the fear and the anger—I lay it all at your feet.
And if I’ve lost my job when I get back home?
Dominik, I’ll sue you for everything you have.
You’re tearing through lives like they mean nothing, and it’s fucking sociopathic. ”
Chest heaving, feeling high with righteousness, I look into his shocked eyes. “Don’t ever contact me again.”
In the entryway, I bump into Hina and Ell, both carrying stacks of containers. A smear of jam sits at the corner of Ell’s mouth, and despite myself, I laugh.
I drop the bags off, walk into Yimirisé’s kitchen, and end up tugged into a group hug. It takes me a good moment to realise the group is comprised of Beau, Dev, and Khrys. I gasp, and my heart swells.
Khrys giggles into my ear. “Hey, girl.”
“Where are the brothers?” I ask as I disengage, only to see Maximus and Julian standing off to the side.
Probably unsure if we’re close enough for embraces.
It’s so nice to see everyone that I pull Maximus into a hug anyway.
I don’t force that on Julian, instead touching a hand to his forearm and giving him a little squeeze.
I thought I’d never see them again, and I really grew to adore them all. Vee must’ve been over the moon. I spot Tanisira on the other end of the rather cramped kitchen. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
She throws her hands up. “I didn’t plan this. I called the ship to check in and was bullied into hosting dinner.”
“Bullied.” Beau shakes their head mockingly.
Vee runs into the kitchen. “Yimirisé says we can use whatever we want except her baking stuff. Hey, mum. Look!”
Joy shines from my boy’s every pore. I manage to kiss his temple as he flies by, nearly losing a layer of skin in the process. “Yes, baby, I saw.”
“We’re making dinner because Tani said it’s rude to expect Yimirisé to cook for so many people on short notice.”
Tani?
A few hours around Kiran and she’s already broken him of his habit of calling Tanisira, Captain Sekmith. I didn’t particularly get the vibe she was good with kids, but maybe I shouldn’t have been quick to assume. I turn to look at Dev, but he holds his hands up, mirroring Tanisira.
“I’ve been banned from cooking,” he says, eyes twinkling in Julian’s direction.
“I’m happy to volunteer,” I offer, in case no one’s been nominated yet to cook for ten people. It’s the least I can do, honestly.
But Tanisira shakes her head. “Beau and Khrys are up. They have some atoning to do.”
The two in question smirk but don’t refute it. It’s barely been three days and they’re already in trouble. Then again, Beau could make a saint curse, and Khrys pretends to be mature but she’s down for chaos if you get some drinks in her.
Damn, I missed them. And now they belong to a new ship. Homebound, wasn’t it? I look to Tanisira, biting back laughter. “So, this is your crew?”
She’s taken a lot from Dominik. The gleam in her eyes tells me she’s thinking the same thing.
“Hey Vee, did Kiran want to join us?” Beau asks.
Tanisira’s face morphs, and she pins them with an icy stare. It’s a little undermined by the fork she uses to point at them. “Don’t you dare, Beau. Not my little sister.”