Chapter Nine
Ines
My bag sits by the door, packed and ready.
In less than two hours, I’ll be on the transport to the station, then the transporter disk back to New Earth.
I should be relieved. I’m leaving danger behind and escaping whoever ransacked my room and wants me gone badly enough to break into a compound full of children.
Instead I’m depressed. I don’t have much family anymore. Both my parents have passed away and my brothers and sisters have moved either off planet themselves or to different cities on New Earth, looking for better paying jobs and better housing. Ana passed away and I don’t really have any new friends beyond my coworkers.
I look around at the women, children and Xylan filling the kitchen and front room, jealous of the life they are leading. So warm and loving. Everyone working together toward a common good.
And meanwhile, I’m leaving to go back to my lonely apartment.
I reach down and pet Lila’s darling cat. And I smile at Max, the friendliest of the cleaning bots.
Breakfast is subdued. The family is still shaken from yesterday’s break-in. Lila hovers near the children, her eyes darting to the windows every few minutes. The brothers are tense, watchful. Jana made food but nobody beside Cannibal is eating much.
Texon sits across from me, not beside me. Maintaining distance now that the goodbye is real. I catch him looking at me twice, but he glances away both times.
This is it. In two hours, I walk out of this compound. I’m sad because even though we haven’t gone on a single date, kissed or even touched, I really feel like he could’ve beenthe one. He doesn’t feel desire for me, but I certainly feel a lava flow of desire for him. I fantasize often what kissing him would be like. How it would be to have epic sex with this sexy Xylan miner. During the time I’ve spent with him, I’ve come to realize that Texon is the most handsome male on the whole planet of Timbur. He’s so strong, hardworking and ethical. I literally adore this man. And I’m not ever going to see him again.
I pick at my food. My stomach is too tight to eat.
My tablet chimes. I pull it out, expecting a message from my editor asking for my travel details. Instead, the sender field is blank. Anonymous. I read the message and go still.
I know who killed the Fever Brothers’ parents. Meet me at the old processing station on the south edge of the colony. Come alone. 10:00. Your last chance before you leave.
“What is it?” Texon asks. He must have seen my expression change.
I turn the tablet so everyone can see and then hand it off so they can pass it around. The reaction is immediate.
“It’s a trap,” Chief says flatly. “Obviously.”
“This is how they lure beings in,” Scar agrees. “Classic bait.”
“Ignore it.” Heavy’s arm tightens around Jana. “Get on the transporter as planned.”
Cannibal growls something in Xylan that my translator chip renders as a creative threat involving dismemberment.
But I’m staring at the message. Thinking. “This could be real,” I say.
Every head turns toward me.
“Maybe this is a whistleblower,” I continue. “Someone who is afraid to come forward publicly. Someone inside Minecorp, maybe, who knows I’m leaving today and this is their last chance to talk.”
“Or it’s the same Xylan who ransacked your room,” Texon growls. “Finishing what they started.”
“Maybe.” I meet his eyes. “But if I leave without checking this lead, I never will. I’m gone in two hours. This is my only chance.”
“You could be killed,” Lila whispers. “I think it’s too risky.”
“Yes,” Roxy agrees. “We don’t want anything to happen to you. If you just leave and get on the transporter disk we’ll all miss you, but at least we’ll know you’re one hundred percent safe.”
I exhale and look around the table at all of them. These beings who have come to feel like family. “True. But your parents’ killers could also go free forever because I was too scared to meet an anonymous source. Maybe I can help save you.”
“Absolutely not,” Chief growls. “You’re not going anywhere near that location.”
