“Yes. My brother runs off-world gaming and money lending. He’s not the criminal element. In fact, both your Family and Ash’s have used him in the past. Made quite a profit, according to him. I suppose that such dirty money is distasteful, but it doesn’t stop you from taking it. And while those of us from unranked families aren’t good enough to marry, we can actually conduct ourselves according to the rules.” The entire speech was delivered in an impersonal, clipped manner. Every word beat at him.
“I apologize for underestimating you, Sera. This is excellent information and certainly another indicator that Stander is behind the leaks to the Imperialists. For the record, I don’t think you’re stupid or that simply because you come from an unranked family you’re not as good as we are.” Brandt felt like shit for yelling at her.
“In any case,” she said, not acknowledging his apology, “Stander certainly has a basket of financial problems. That, coupled with his Family connection, seems to indicate that he’s a likely suspect. Add it to the other things in the file you’d already put together, and he’s head and shoulders above the other suspects in motive and opportunity.”
“It would certainly appear that way. I had my suspicions before, but he had no financial motive that we could see.” Ash looked through the data.
“That he has a whole series of out-of-system financial dealings isn’t so suspicious. I’m willing to bet many people with great deals of money do the same thing. It’s the ebb and flow of the credits that’s the key here.” She held up a sheet of paper, and both men looked down until they found their copy. “This is a rough time line of the attacks and big payouts into Stander’s accounts. My brother couldn’t be totally precise—the system exists to be imprecise and to hide transactions—but he was able to give a basic estimate.”
“This is really impressive work, Sera. Did you even sleep last night to put all this together?” Ash asked, looking up at her, loving that her hair was long again, the way it was when they were together.
“I get by.”
Brandt sighed, and Ash felt sorry for him. He’d hurt Sera’s feelings, and Ash sure as hells knew what that felt like. “So I think we should focus on him, then. Of course keep an eye on the others, but let’s stick close to Stander when we get to Nondal. Our intel says he’ll be there in five turns for a general meeting of their trade company. They do big business on the rim. We leave before first light and should arrive the day before he does.”
Sera nodded, gathering up her papers. “Is there anything else?”
Brandt reached out and took her hand. “I am sorry. I’ve offended you. I didn’t mean to. I know you’ve had a lot to deal with in the last day, and my attitude didn’t help. I want this to work, and I’m asking for more than is fair, I know, but I’d like to move past this.”
She sighed and pulled her hand back. “Fine.”
“There’s the issue of you being my concubine and also the implantation of the communication chip.”
“Communication chip?” Her voice rose a bit.
Brandt explained, “You know what the situation on Nondal will be like. Total surveillance in some instances. We can’t speak openly, but it’s necessary that we have the ability to communicate. Ash and I have chips implanted, coded to each other. Experimental, but they work. They operate on a special frequency. Ash will need to implant yours.”
Her eyes widened with undisguised interest. “Hells. I heard about these things, but I thought it was all silly stories. It’s like what, telepathy?”
“Of a sort.” Ash held up a small glass tube with a silver cylinder inside. “It’s undetectable in almost all cases because it mimics bone. I’ll place it against the back of your skull, near your spine. It will establish a neural pathway and connect with ours on the frequency each communicator is set to.”
“You can hear my thoughts? I’ll have no privacy at all?” How the hells would she survive that?
Ash shook his head. “No, no. I’ll give you a bit of instruction, but it’s rather simple. You just open a neural doorway to speak and close it when you’re done. We can’t hear your thoughts unless you want us to.”
Sera knew they were right. They’d be watched and listened to almost constantly on Nondal, but the idea of some creepy little brain comm unit was seriously disturbing.
But unavoidable.
“Okay. Put it in.”
“Sit there. I’m going to put it in with a needle. I’ll have to touch you.” Ash phrased it like a request.
She appreciated that he actually asked, and nodded her assent as she sat and pulled her hair away.
Brandt knelt beside her and held her hand. “It’s going to be fine. It feels . . . odd until you get used to it, but it doesn’t hurt, and it’s saved my life more than once. We’ll be able to hear you within a twelve-klick radius.”
Ash’s fingers were warm and sure at the back of her neck. She felt the cool swipe of antiseptic and then the prick of a needle slowly entering her skin. It went deep, and then a strange, metallic taste filled her senses as her spine stiffened and her teeth clenched.
Brandt murmured softly, brushing his hand up and down her arm while holding her hand.
Ash moved away and put her hair back in place.
“It’ll take a few hours for the pathway to establish itself and for your frequency to key into ours. Do you feel all right?” Ash helped her to stand.
Sera thought for a bit and nodded. “Now, what was that other bit about me being your concubine?” She looked to Brandt, wanting to focus on anything but the weirdness of what had just happened.
“You need to be used to my touch, Sera. Gentled to my presence. That’s not something you can just will yourself to do. You jump when I touch you or when Ash comes into the room. And I know,” he spoke a little louder to stop her from interrupting, “this is hard for you, but as a concubine, you’ll need to be very sexual with me. I’ll need to kiss you and touch you. All over. And more. You know that.”
“I do know that, but I can’t just be accustomed to a stranger’s touch overnight.”
“Which is why I think we should start now. We should sleep together on the transport. I’d like to work on small touches and build up from there starting now.”
“Build up to fucking.” She said it with a subtle raise of her eyebrow.
“Yes, or a very good approximation of it at least. I wish it didn’t have to be this way.” Brandt shrugged.
Ash snorted, and Brandt turned to him with a glare.
“You mean to tell me you can look at her and not want her?”
Brandt’s hands flew up angrily. “I said I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I’m not saying it’ll be a chore to have her in my bed. But I prefer my bedmates to come to me willingly and not as an assignment. And it would be less of one if you weren’t trying to goad her every five minutes!”
“Me? You’re the one who insulted her, and now you’re trying to maneuver her into your bed!” Ash tossed back.
“Jealous?” Brandt taunted.
“Yes! Gods damned! I am. I want her so much my teeth hurt, and she’ll be next to you, naked and willing, and I hate that.”
“Not everything is about you, Ash. Have you thought about how hard this is for Sera? For even just a moment?”
“As if either of you actually remember I’m in the damned room.” Sera leaned her fists against the tabletop. “If I am to be a member of this team, you’ll both address me. Stop speaking around me like I’m not here. This is a job. It’s better than sitting in a muddy hole in the driving rain, trying not to shiver from the cold. I get why it’s important, and okay, fine. But I’m not a thing. I am not even a woman Ash used to fuck. I’m the third member of this team, and you will treat me as such. You need me, damn you both.”
“I’m better than sitting in a muddy hole?” Brandt tried not to laugh.
“Marginally so.”
Ash snorted laughter but then sobered. “You’re right. I apologize. You are the third member of this team, and we do need you. But you’re wrong on one thing. You were—are—a lot more to me than the woman I used to fuck. I’m not proud of having to let you go, but it was what I had to do. It wasn’t that I didn’t love you.”
“I don’t want to discuss it. I’m well aware as Brandt’s best friend, you’ll be allowed to show me sexual attention in Nondal. I will tell you right now to keep it to a minimum, or you’ll be drawing back a bloody stump. Don’t use this to manipulate me.”
“Okay, so let’s move on as long as we all understand each other.” Brandt looked to both, waiting for them to acknowledge what he’d said. Getting it, he nodded and pushed his chair out. “Evening meal back here in two hours. It’s time we worked on some team building.”
Sera nodded shortly and left the room, needing to get away from them both for a while before she exploded.
Chapter 5
Moving down stairs in a skirt was a lot harder than she remembered. The heels she wore were high and delicate, and if she wasn’t careful, she’d step on the hem of the gown. Then she could add to her embarrassment by falling.