So they both had secrets. He hadn’t been just a grunt in the army. Not even a little. He probably already knew she was lying. With his training, of course he knew. She had to leave. Right now.
A big, fat tear landed splat on her com screen, distorting the DA’s demand. Louise scrubbed at her face and took a deep breath. Stupid. What was the point in tears?
Her marriage was over.
“What do you mean she’s been secured?” Adam hollered.
Bon gazed back impassively, didn’t even flinch when Adam bared his teeth in his face.
“I’m sorry. I can’t get you access to her at this point,” replied Bon.
“Fuck!”
“Calm down. We need to think this through.” The chief leaned against the big desk squeezed into his cupboard of an office off the main hangar. The temperature was better than outside, but not by much. Everyone still wore their gray corp thermal suits. Barely quitting time and his life had just been turned upside down. Again.
The door slid open and Taka stepped through. Outside, the wind howled with the incoming storm. Sleet crashed down through the wide bay doors. “What’s going on?”
“Louise requested internment with security until the next ship leaves tomorrow.”
“Why?” Taka looked right at him, face set.
Adam growled again in frustration. She’d refused to let him leave the bed. There was no way this was about his damn nightmare. “I don’t know. We were doing okay.”
“Actually, we’ve been looking into her background. And so far we’re being stonewalled by someone high-level.” The chief tapped a foot against the ground. “Which is interesting.”
“You were right about her name. Louise’s file barely exists past five years ago. Very sketchy.” Bon cracked his neck and dropped his big body into a chair. The metal legs creaked in protest at the sudden weight. “Her eyes…”
“What about them?” Adam asked. He couldn’t sit, so he paced back and forth. Not that he could get far, but it helped. She had lovely dark eyes, his wife. And if she thought she was not going to be his wife, she’d find herself very much mistaken.
“Dark brown, aren’t they?” asked Bon.
Adam nodded.
“You can pigment eyes, but they’ve only managed a dark brown so far. The technology isn’t that advanced.” Bon’s finger tapped on his knee. “And her hair…she the same all over?”
“What?”
The chief cleared his throat. “I believe Bon is trying to discreetly ask if her pussy hair differs from the shade of hair on her head.”
“She’s bare.”
“Nice. I mean, right. Okay.” Nathan took a wary step backward. “Sorry—it’s been a while. Back to business.”
“Her name is fake and most likely her eye color too,” said Bon.
“You think she’s on the run?” asked Taka.
Bon’s finger-tapping hastened. “Yeah. But from whom?”
“What did she say?” Adam demanded, recommencing his pacing. He had energy to burn. Someone keeping him from his wife? Not fucking likely.
“Not a lot—she didn’t need to with the bruise on her face,” said Bon. “She’s still denying you gave it to her, for what it’s worth. Citing irreconcilable differences. Christiana’s all over her trying to mediate the situation.”
The chief sniggered. Well, he could. It wasn’t his fucking marriage on the line.
“All right.” Nathan stood tall and crossed his arms. “She got a communiqué earlier from Earth. We can safely assume it set this off. We need to know what was in it and we need her real ID. Pronto.”
“On it.” Bon rose and tipped his chin to Adam before leaving.
“Do you think she’d talk to Rose?” asked Taka.
“It’s worth a go,” said the chief.
Taka nodded and left too.
“I’ll ask one last time. The woman has lied to you, misrepresented herself. She could be bringing a world of trouble down around our ears, Adam. Are you sure you want to go ahead with this?”
“Yes.”
Nathan nodded once. “Then go and do what you should be doing.”
“And what exactly is that?”
“Ranting and raving. Demanding to see the little woman. Everything a good husband would be doing in this dire situation.” Nathan gripped his shoulder and steered him toward the door. “Give us some cover to get what you need, because you can guarantee someone is watching.”
“Loouuiiisse…”
Oh shit. Louise gripped the arms of her seat and winced at the howling filling the hallway. It sounded loud and aggrieved and left no doubt whatsoever who was responsible. Adam, her soon-to-be ex-husband. She wrapped her arms around herself and held on tight. It didn’t help.