Ash leaned forward and barely leashed his snarl. “I think not, Comandante. She is mine. In all ways.”
Ellis’s eyes met his for long moments. “Ah, it’s that way. All right. Keep it all in line then. How is your Family going to handle this? I assume Ayers isn’t any more inclined to stand aside for a political marriage now than she was then.”
“She’ll never have to step aside for another woman again. We’re together, end of story. As for the nature of our covert operations, they’ll have to change after we break this open; you know that. But with the advances in implants and the ability to change appearances, we can simply take on new identities instead of using the ones we have now.” Ash realized at least he’d be free of their cover now. Thank gods.
“You’ve been thinking about it. Good. Yes, I was just speaking to Councilor Holmes about this whole mess, and he suggested the same thing. You’ll be held up for what you’ve done. Honored. There’s no way to hide your involvement, not really, and it’s good publicity for the citizens to see Family members out there doing their part. It’ll help counteract the fact that Family members have collaborated with the enemy to murder their own.”
Ellis sat back and blew an exhausted-sounding breath.
“I’ll get back to Borran then, sir. Paracommander Pela has gone to Majar to attempt to gather information, but his sister hasn’t returned. He did some reconnaissance in their home, but the electronics had been removed for travel, so he found nothing.”
“All of them?”
Ash nodded.
“Well now. That’s unusual. I mean to say, I remove my central unit when I vacate my home, but these two aren’t dealing in the kind of information I am. Or, I suppose, perhaps they are.” Ellis’s brow wrinkled with thought.
“Yes, sir. Brandt and I both find it highly irregular, and I must say it’s another indicator they’re hiding something. We’ll be looking into other ways to access the information. I’ll get you the results when we garner them.”
Ellis nodded. “Fine. I won’t ask where this information comes from. Or where this was gathered.” Ellis indicated some data Sera had sent along.
“That’s how I operate as well.” Ash didn’t ask. It was better that way.
“You have full clearance for this case, Walker. Use whatever channels you need to. It’s all been approved. Keep me apprised, and use my direct comm when you contact me. I don’t know how far up this goes or who else may be involved. Makes me sick.” He leveled sharp green eyes on Ash. “Catch these people, Walker. I’m sorry if they’re your Family. But they must be eradicated.”
Ash stood and bowed slightly. “I have every intention of doing just that, sir.”
On his way out, he tried to remember why he’d once thought he’d have liked to relocate to Ravena permanently. The spires of the government buildings rose up into the clouds. Majestic. Ravena was old-world glory. The capital city went on for as far as the eye could see in all directions. It was the heart of the Known Universes, the seat of Federation governance.
His palatial apartments lay within walking distance of his office. The place, which he’d often craved staying in when he was away, felt empty without her. Sera had filled him up again and in doing so had only highlighted how lost he’d been before.
He’d bring Sera here. This place would be theirs. He’d have to open himself up to Brandt’s presence not just as a friend and teammate but as a member of his relationship with Sera. A balance had been achieved between the three of them. His need for Sera rode his senses, filled his head with thoughts of her. Brandt had his own feelings for Sera. Something different than what Ash had and felt. That’s why it worked. That’s why it would work. There was no threat. Neither man wanted her more or less, loved her more; they simply loved her differently. And he knew without a doubt she felt the same for him, for Brandt.
Certainly there was the added spice of the sexual attraction he and Brandt held for one another as well as what they felt for Sera. There were no sharp edges in their threesome that way.
He grabbed his bag and headed for the door and the dock without even a backward glance.
Chapter 24
Brandt stalked into the house and knew immediately she wasn’t there. Growling with annoyance, he headed to her quarters and found she’d taken some clothes and her personal comm unit but most everything else remained. His agitation eased a bit. At least it appeared she hadn’t made a run for it. He opened their link but got nothing. She wasn’t in the immediate area. He’d been traveling and hadn’t rested so he could get back to her quickly. He dragged his ass into a shower and felt a lot better once he’d finished.
She’d been working on the case. He saw the information she’d gathered and had forwarded to him and Ash. Where in hells was she?
He headed down to find Ceylon to see if the other man knew anything.
Ash regretted his choice to take the first transport he could. Unfortunately, he’d been forced to mingle with people he did his best to avoid in his everyday life. He didn’t have an individual berth. The ship was a quick-slip and more like ultrafast mass transit.
“Fancy seeing you here, Ash.” Byn fluttered her lashes.
He wanted to groan when he realized Byn and Allen Thorndyke had just taken a seat across from him. “Not really so unusual. We travel back and forth between ’Verses all the time.”
“I hear you’ve taken up with a concubine.”
He sighed, ignoring them. The Thorndyke Family was part of Walker Family provenance. He’d pretty much always hated Allen Thorndyke, and his wife was as big a fool as he was in addition to being one of Ash’s far-flung cousins.
“Come on, Ash, don’t pout. I’m certain we could find you another wife. There are many women who are appropriate for a Walker of such high rank. Your mother has been the talk of society ever since your ex-wife began to tell everyone about this new pet of yours. Really, don’t you think it’s time to start being more responsible?” Byn smirked.
Rage flushed his skin. “You’re telling me to be responsible? Two more useless people other than Kira I can’t fathom. Don’t worry about who I’m with; it’s none of your concern. The funds flow, contracts are fulfilled. Family business gets done, and it enables you two to be completely useless while the rest of us work. My ex-wife has been remarried for seven years, so forgive me if I find her timing and ire on the issue of who I’m putting my cock into and how to be none of her fucking business. It’s none of yours, either.”
“You’re a public face of the Family, Ash. You don’t do us any favors with this attitude,” Allen said.
“Did you just sniff at me like what you said carries any weight? Take yourselves away from me immediately. Let’s pretend we don’t know each other.” Ash looked back to the book he held, but the words on the page swam.
This is what she had to look forward to. This sort of treatment would drive her away if he didn’t make his intentions official. Thing was, as the second oldest son, his right to marry was governed by his Family, namely his father. There was no way Ash could get permission to marry an unranked woman. Not ever.
Brandt looked up when he heard the front doors open. The heaviness of the tread indicated it was Ash.
“She’s not here,” Brandt said as he came out to the landing at the top of the stairs.
“Do not tell me she ran. I will hunt her ass down.”
Brandt laughed, startled at the vehemence in Ash’s tone. “No. She’s in Sanctu. With a man.”
“What! There’s got to be an explanation. She wouldn’t do that. She’s been updating us with information regularly. She’s working, not playing.”
“I believe it’s her brother. At first I wasn’t sure, I admit. She’d gone, and it worried me. But her clothes are still here for the most part, and yes, she’s been sending information. Ceylon gave me an update on her travel plans, and after I thought it through, I figured her brother might be a good source for gray market information.” Brandt wasn’t proud of jumping to conclusions, but he was glad it hadn’t lasted long.
“She told me she’d found a source for some off-books information. I should have assumed it was her brother. We need to go to Sanctu anyway. I have to deal with my family. But before we go, you and I have to talk. We’ve got to figure out what to do with Sera.” Ash tossed his bag to the side and headed into the common room where Brandt followed.
“We have to give her status. You can’t imagine how many times Ranked people brought it up to me.” Ash threw himself into a chair.
“Actually, I can. It’s not just your Family, but mine. Everywhere I went back home people commented. I don’t want her exposed to that. It’ll make her feel bad, compound those insecurities she’s already got about rank and position. We have to protect her and, yes, give her status.” Brandt paused. “My father signed marital papers.”
Ash shot up and got in his face. “Convenient isn’t it? So you marry her, and then what? What about me, Brandt?”