“What thefraxxis going on?”
She told them everything. Then, they moved on to the next part of the plan.
“I want to know why my role always seems to be to wait quietly for something to happen,” Tish complained.
She was, once again, hiding just out of sight. At least this time, Mace and Xaber were with her.
“Because it would spoil the surprise,” Xaber whispered.
“And I really want to see his face when you waltz into view,” Mace added.
Fair point.
They were inside the family shop. Every sight and smell came with a host of memories from her former life. Even after she’d signed that contract, she’d spent time here. She’d helped with jobs, caught up on what little gossip there was, and enjoyed the few precious hours she had to herself every week.
Her fathers were both there, moving in restless circles and reaching out to touch each other as they passed. They did not like the plan. More accurately, they didn’t like the fact that she was involved. They wanted her safely tucked away on theTrue, which wouldnothappen.
For one thing, they needed Hamish so off balance that he said something incriminating. Everyone agreed that if he saw her, he wouldn’t be able to resist bragging about what he’d done. He was cruel and stupid, but even more than that, her former master was arrogant.
Even if she wasn’t key to this step of the plan, she would be there. She needed him to know that, in the end, she had beaten him.
It had been surprisingly easy to get in contact with the insurance company who posted her bounty. Her lovers had simply responded to the contact information on the post. They’dprovided their credentials and indicated they had information about her current location.
Once they were connected, a series of carefully phrased inquiries had revealed that the insurance company was more interested in talking to her than having her captured. They had questions about the claim Hamish had filed.
After some negotiations, she did a video statement that detailed her version of events. It turned out that the company had a branch office in the Drift, so the entire process only took a few days. Once the company was satisfied, they agreed to suspend the bounty long enough for them to get to Amadox. They also provided a private contract to Mace and Xaber. Their job was to bring Hamish to them for questioning, and the bounty for him was even higher than the one they’d placed on her.
No one would take this moment away from her.
The three of them were crouched behind a rack of spare parts. The plan was simple. She’d go out first and try to get a confession. Mace would stay where he was to guard the door in case Hamish tried to bolt. Xaber would circle around, waiting for the right moment to take their mark into custody.
A triple knock on the metal door of the shop made her jump.
“Come in,” Elias called, his expression strained.
Hamish waltzed into the shop with a jaunty step and a leer that made her want to rush out and punch him.
Mace placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. It might have been a warning or a small bit of comfort. Probably a bit of both.
Hamish walked into the middle of the shop floor. He looked laughably out of place. Her dads both wore their work clothes, and their stained coveralls looked even rougher than usual compared to the finery Hamish had chosen to wear. The soft fabrics in gaudy patterns were probably all the rage in some other corner of the galaxy. He stank of cologne, an affectationalmost unheard of on a space station where every breath of air was continuously scrubbed and recycled.
Xaber made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a snicker. Mace elbowed him in the ribs, and the noise stopped.
“This place isn’t worth much, but it’s probably worth more than your precious little girl. You really willing to trade it to me for her?”
She stood up and walked out of the shadows. “Actually, no. They aren’t. I just didn’t think you’d show up unless we gave you a reason.”
Hamish spun around, his florid face suddenly ashen. “You. You’re here?”
She raised her hands out to her sides. “I’m here. I figured the last place anyone would look for a runaway slave is the place she ran away from.”
Her former master gestured at her fathers, who had both moved a few meters away from the door. “So this is… what? A trap? One call to security and you are allfraxxed. She’s a slave, and you’re hiding her!”
“Not a trap,” Tish lied. “I wanted to have a conversation. You destroyed my life, Hamish. I had less than two years left on my contract. Then you came along and everything went nova. We both know I never stole anything from you. I wasn’t even in your office that day. You tried to force me to have sex with you, and I hit you over the head. That’s it. That’s all that happened. There was no theft.”
Javid spat. “You should have hit him harder. Dead men can’t tell lies.”
Hamish flinched and took a step backward. “I see where she got her temper from.”
