“No!”
Sean had his arm wrapped around Amy’s shoulders, holding her back. He knew exactly why she was freaked. If he hadn’t been on the receiving end of a few of those attacks himself, it would have been harder. The idea of her father being put in Tyrell’s 97
sights didn’t sit well with him either.
“Bad idea,” Davin jumped in. “He’s probably been under observation since she arrived. The second anything odd happens with her dad, Tyrell will know. They’ll shift their operation so deep we’ll never find them. It also wouldn’t be a guarantee Amy and her dad would stay safe.”
“They’ll take my dad down with them as retribution.” Amy jerked out of Sean’s grasp and strode to Taber. “Please, I’ll look after him. Let him know what’s going on.”
Taber stretched his hand flat out on the table, fingers going white. “This is a mistake. These men are making a mockery of our security because people are scared to move against him. It has to stop.”
“It will, my friend.” Kamran returned to his seat, sliding a hand down his wife’s arm as he went. “Amy will notify her father of the situation to the extent she feels is necessary. Please give him Taber’s security line in case something happens and he requires assistance.”
“I will. Thank you, Administrator.”
“Sean will stay with you. It will give us advanced warning of any concerns on your end. Now I think it’s about time we come up with a plan to kick this dust runner off our planet.”
Still not comfortable taking the lead, Sean sat by Amy while they worked out a plan. There were a few moments when he was tempted to jump in, voice his concerns, but didn’t. Fuck, what was it about these people, his
friends
, that made him question everything about himself? They were supportive, respected his opinion,
wanted
his advice on matters. He could feel Kamran’s gaze move to him occasionally and he knew every time his friend was trying to gauge how he was doing. They all were, like they had for the past several years.
He was tired of it.
Amy jumped slightly when her com unit chirped. He didn’t wait for her to respond, snatching it from her hand before she could activate it.
“I’ll check it,” he said, quickly looking around the table. “You keep at this.”
“Thanks.” She smiled. “It’s probably just Gaz wondering where the hell we are.”
She pressed the communicator into his hand, taking a moment to run her thumb across the pulse point of in his wrist. She smiled when he shivered, making him move just a little bit faster to the back of the room.
A quick look at the com told him Amy’s guess was right. Putting the earpiece on, and slipping the unit into silent mode, Sean turned his back to the meeting.
“Gaz, it’s Sean.”
“Where’s Amy?” The panic in the younger man’s voice was clear.
“She’s fine. In a meeting to…get some additional resources for us.” No sense in putting him into any additional danger. Not until a plan has been worked out. “What’s wrong?”
98
“Shit.”
“Gaz?”
“Shit. I mean, she’s going to freak and I don’t know what to do.”
“Just slow down and tell me what the hell is going on.”
“It’s her dad.”
The silence felt like it stretched for minutes, when he knew in reality it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds. Still, a torrent of thoughts slammed through his head and left him shaking. “What happened?”
“He came down to see the ship. Amy had talked to him last night, but I thought she’d told him not to come down until the repairs were done. He was going to wait, but then he said he got a message from her. It apparently said she needed to see him right away.”
Shit.
“When was this?”
“About an hour ago. You guys had disappeared on Ryan and me, so I didn’t know when you’d be back. He hung out here for a while and left twenty minutes ago.”
“Amy didn’t send the message. We’ve been tied up in meetings all morning.”
“I was afraid of that.”
“Where’s her dad now?”
“I don’t know. I saw him leave, kept an eye on him as he walked out of the hangar.
Except, he never made it to the hall.”
Sean looked over at the others, still locked in conversation. “Tyrell?”
“Yeah. I’ve gone over every possibility in my head. Checked with some of the other crews, just in case he saw someone he knew and ducked into a ship for a drink. But he’s nowhere.”
“Dammit, Gaz.”
“Don’t fucking tell me, I know. She’ll go ballistic.”
“I’m coming down.” There was no reason to worry Amy about her father now, not when they were close to working out a plan of action. If it turned out he’d just run into an old friend and was now getting drunk in a cargo hold somewhere, then there was no harm. If it was Tyrell…well, then whatever plan they worked out would need to be changed.
“What are you going to tell Amy?”
“Nothing. Not until I know what’s going on. I’ll be there in fifteen.”
“Okay. Out.”
If Tyrell actually had her father, then it would only be a short time before he’d get in touch with her. He couldn’t let that happen until he’d had a chance to figure out what was going on. Slipping her communicator into his pocket, he turned back to the table and cleared his throat to get their attention.
“Sorry, but I need to leave for a moment.”
99
Amy frowned, turning to face him. “What’s wrong? Was that Gaz?”
“Yeah, it was. Could be nothing. I’m going to check it out before I start a panic. I’ll be in touch within the hour.”
He could tell from the look on her face she didn’t fully believe him. They’d been together just long enough for her to get under his skin, learn things about him he didn’t think anyone ever would. All without trying. He didn’t want to lose her trust or faith in him. Sean straightened and smiled softly.
“Trust me. I’ll be in touch soon. Keep working on the plan.”
Not wanting to give her time to protest, he spun on his heel and raced off in search of her father.
100
Amy couldn’t shake the feeling of dread which had curled up in the middle of her chest the moment Sean left. The meeting was moving along far better than she’d originally thought it would. Administrator Kamran was willing to allow whatever needed to be done if it meant putting Tyrell out of business. Taber kept pushing to have a squad of security personnel on her ship for the race. He was hoping Tyrell would be stupid enough to have men attempt to board her ship during the race.
Davin had put a stop to it for her. “He’s not going to do anything that will attract attention, Taber. The man didn’t get where he is today by acting rash.”
“Then what do you propose?” Taber ran a hand across the back of his neck. “We can’t have her show up and suddenly want to take a shipment on for him. It would look more than a little suspicious.”
“He’s right,” Amy conceded. “Tyrell is simply out to make my life miserable now.
He’d be more interested in teaching me a lesson, one the
other
captains will hopefully hear about. It makes cooperation a whole lot easier.”
“There’s got to be something, some reason you can think of to convince him you’d finally given in. Switched sides.” Davin reached out and gave her hand a squeeze. “We just need to make it believable enough.”
They chatted, discussing plans and options, but she was finding it difficult to concentrate. Inside, her emotions were whirling, unable to settle or calm. Sean should have been in touch with them by now. It wasn’t until after he’d left that she realized he’d taken her com, so she wasn’t easily able to get in touch with him or Gaz.
Someone cleared their throat, grabbing Amy’s attention once more. She turned to look at Sara, who smiled back at her. “If no one minds, I think we need to take a break.
We’ve been running in circles now for a while. Fresh air and a chance to stretch our legs will do everyone some good.”
“I told you my wife is a genius,” Davin said to Taber, grinning.
“Your wife also needs to pee.” Standing, Sara returned her attention to Amy. “Mind coming with me?”
She wasn’t dense enough to miss the not so subtle request. “Sure. I could use the walk.”
The two women left together and headed in the direction of med bay. “My office has a private area. I’m too lazy to go home and I hate the public facilities.”
“I don’t mind.” Amy laced her fingers behind her back. “I get the impression you wanted to chat anyway.”
Sara looked at her briefly before smiling. “Hey, I was far more subtle than I 101
normally am. How are you doing?”
There was the question of the century. “I’m okay. Tired. Not really sure what the hell is going on, to be honest.”
“Welcome to Eurus. I’ve felt like that pretty much since I moved here.”
Amy chuckled. “Yeah, I can appreciate that. I’ve got a few things I’m trying to work out. Tyrell and his men are just making it a lot worse.”
“One of those things you’re trying to work out happen to be Sean?”
She felt the blush heat her cheeks and neck at the mention of his name. Inwardly cursing, Amy tried to act as relaxed as she could. “Possibly. Why do I get the impression everyone back in the room is more than a little curious about me?”
“Oh, that’s because we are. In fact, Haylie, Fallon and I are downright nosy when it comes to Sean. We’re trying not to get our hopes up that maybe he’s found himself the right woman.”
Med bay was directly in front of them, but Sara led her a bit farther down the hall.
“Don’t want to go in there or else I’ll get pulled into a case. We can use my office entrance.”
Private was good. Trying to clamp down on her nervousness, Amy knew this was an opportunity to find out if the doctor had something that would help her with her pheromones. She waited until they made their way inside the office, only thrown for a moment at the state of the desk off in the corner.
“Nice to see I’m not the only one who has a hard time keeping things tidy.”
Sara laughed as she disappeared into a back room. “Hey, this isn’t half bad. You should see it after Davin’s been here for a visit.
That’s
a real mess. Have a seat. I’ll be back in a minute.”
Amy took one look at the chair in the corner, but knew there was no way she’d be able to relax if she took it. She was too strung out, too worried about Sean and why he’d been called away. It didn’t help she’d soon be a hormonal mess and more of a menace to him than anything. She’d taken her last reduced dose of her inhibitor this morning and the effects were starting to wear off. It was the reason she’d reacted so strongly to Sean in the side room earlier. If she couldn’t get control over her feelings toward him soon, they would have a major problem in the cockpit.
“There we go.” Sara spoke as she came back in, practically bouncing as she walked.
“Now I’ll be able to sit still for the rest of the meeting. Not that Davin won’t tease the hell out of me when we get home tonight.”
“You’re known for fidgeting?”
“Davin keeps threatening to tie me to my chair and then time it to see how long I’d last before begging. I think he was hoping it would be a sex game, but we’ll have to take it easy for a while.”
Something in the way she’d said it had Amy smiling. “Pregnant?”
“How did you…” Sara grinned. “Yeah, I am. Just found out a few days ago. Davin 102
was a bit freaked at first, but I think he’s coming around now. God, I
hope
he’s coming around.”
It was nice to see someone so happy with their mate and how their life was going.
Amy wanted that sense of peace more than anything. She’d thought it would have come with winning the race. Now, after having spent time with Sean, she wasn’t so sure anymore. It was never the lifestyle that had bothered her about running the cargo runs with the
Drake
. It was the long days and lonely nights. Having someone to share a life with her, like her parents did, was what she wanted.
Clearing her mind of wishes, Amy smiled and moved closer to Sara. “I’m really sorry to do this, but I have a small problem and I’m hoping you might be able to help me with it.”
“Something medical I take it?”
Amy nodded. “I really should have come to you sooner, but I honestly didn’t think this was going to be an issue. With the stress I’ve been under, I’m not sure what is going to happen once the inhibitor is out of my system.”
Sara grabbed a scanner from her desk and took some readings. “What kind of inhibitor?”
Gods, this was too much. “With my people—the Shay—the females produce a pheromone to attracts males. It helps with reproduction. We can take an inhibitor to help curb the effect on the men we live and work with. It makes life a lot easier. It normally wouldn’t be an issue unless I was…aroused around a male.”
“Like Sean?” Sara had the decency not to grin.
“Yes.”
“I take it you’re almost out.”
“Finished what little I had left this morning. I’ve been on half doses for the past month, trying to stretch out my supply. That’s caused some problems though.”
The scanner beeped low three times, which immediately drew a frown on Sara’s face. “Well, admittedly I’m not familiar with Shay physiology. Based on what the computer can determine, your pheromones are definitely on the rise.”
Shit.
“I can’t get any more inhibitor myself. Not until after the race. I put in a request for some from my home planet when I realized I couldn’t buy any locally. They said it would take at least another three weeks to get any here, due to flying restrictions and the race.”
“I don’t think I have anything that would work, but I’m willing to investigate. Let me see what I can dig up and I’ll let you know. Let the others know I won’t be joining you.”
Relief loosened the muscles in her back. “Thanks. I better get back.”
“Hey!” Amy turned to face Sara. “What will happen to Sean if you don’t get this inhibitor?”
Amy ignored the flip of her stomach and the rush of want through her body. “He’ll 103
feel the effects in a far more aggressive way. Intense arousal, possessiveness…he’ll be…distracted.”
She couldn’t sort out the mix of emotions that flowed across Sara’s face, wasn’t even sure she wanted to try. Amy recognized amusement when she saw it. The fact Sean’s closest friends wanted him to let go and give in to this scared her just a little.
“I’ll let you know the minute I find out anything,” Sara said and waved her off.
Amy took a calming breath once she left the office. This really was all too much. She was used to living on a ship, only having a small number of people to contend with.
Politics, the complicated dance of relationships, held little appeal for her. If this was the world Sean was used to, what chance did she have of convincing him to give it all up and come with her on the
Drake
?
Trying to push everything else from her mind, Amy retraced her steps back to the room they were using for their meeting. She’d just turned the corner leading to the security section when a man grabbed her arm. In a second she found her back pressed against the wall, a beefy arm across her throat. The man stank of alcohol and sweat, the mixture of which threatened to turn her stomach.
“Tyrell says hi.” His voice was low and he pressed harder against her windpipe.
Amy couldn’t talk, was barely able to get air into her lungs. Black spots lined her field of vision and her head began to spin.
“I want you to listen very closely. You’ve pissed off my boss by saying no to him.
Others were starting to do the same thing and it’s hurting our business. We can’t have dissention with the troops, you know. So he’s giving you a little incentive to change your mind.”
Her thoughts flew to Sean. He hadn’t checked in since leaving to investigate whatever it was Gaz had called about. They’d been seen together frequently since his arrival. It wouldn’t take much to figure out they had more than just a working relationship. She tried to swallow, tears springing to her eyes.
“Your father is going to be staying as a guest of my boss until you deliver a very hefty shipment of dust to a designated location. If everything goes well, and
if
the authorities don’t interfere, then maybe, if you’re
really
good, your dad will be returned to his home safe and sound. Now isn’t that a good deal?”
“Please,” she managed to squeak out.
“What was that? Yes, that
is
a
very
fair deal?”
Somehow in the back of her head she’d known it would always come to this. She’d been avoiding getting too close to anyone since her arrival. Her dad had even tried to warn her of the dangers, wanting to stay closer to her. Instead of her being the target, they’d jumped onto him. She should have realized. Tyrell’s threat was always there, looming in the background. Now she had no choice but to play his game.
“Yes.” The single word felt like a shot to her chest.
Instantly, the thug released the pressure on her throat and shoved a data chip into 104
her hand. “Here are the details. We’ll be in touch.”
Then he was gone.
Tears slipped down her face as her body was racked with coughs. She tried to ignore her panic, but wasn’t making much headway. They had her dad. Gods knew what they were doing to him. She highly doubted he’d be treated with kindness. He’d been just as stubborn as she had when it came to running smuggling shipments. His reputation wouldn’t endear himself to a man like Tyrell.
She couldn’t get help, not anymore—they would have her under surveillance now.
Even going back to the meeting could tip them off. They must have been watching her anyway, saw her come out with Sara and were simply waiting for an opportunity to get her alone. Waging an internal debate, she decided it would be far more suspicious for her to skip the meeting than showing up to try to deflect their plans. Righting her shirt so it didn’t look out of sorts, Amy pulled herself up straight and walked calmly back to the meeting room.
She didn’t have long to fix her face into a detached mask. She wasn’t used to this, always having enjoyed the support of her family and friends. They understood the delicate nature of a situation like this. While Sean’s friends meant well, she knew they would act in the best interest of the colony, and not necessarily herself or her father.
Her resolve was shattered the moment she walked back into the meeting room, to see Sean, leaning over the table, deep in conversation with the others. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but from his tone, it was urgent. The remaining three men wore similar expressions of concern and anger. If it were under different circumstances, she would have been impressed with the protective nature of their demeanor.
They hadn’t noticed her return and she was forced to clear her throat to get their attention. “Sara is looking into another matter and wanted me to pass along her regrets.”
Davin stood, fists pressed to his sides. “Is she okay?”
“Just fine. She was trying to locate some information that was a bit time sensitive.”