Ricochet (17 page)

Silence in the cabin closed in on him from all sides. While he reeled from sharing the memory, he felt a sliver of relief, despite everything. At least he’d gotten it off his chest. Now he could be rid of it and move forward—not that he hadn’t already done that, but the simple fact someone else knew the story brought him comfort.

“Well?” He couldn’t take much more of the quiet.

“I’m sorry for your loss. Losing both of them at the same time is terrible.”

“It was, but…” He took a deep breath and released it. “When I think back on that time, I can’t remember their faces or what they looked like. It’s a bitch of a problem, I guess.” Some nights, when the walls or his thoughts pressed in on him, he attempted to remember his parents’ faces and always came up blank. It had been too long. Nothing would bring them back physically, and since he couldn’t remember, it was almost as if they’d never existed at all.

Which was why he didn’t want to stop long enough to build a life—it could be taken away all too soon before anyone was ready.

“That makes it more difficult. Don’t beat yourself up about it. You were just a kid.” Compassion shadowed her blue eyes as she gazed at him. “That must have been terrifying for you, though. A young boy, suddenly without parents, not to mention the horrific memories of seeing them gunned down. What happened after that?”

Stratton shrugged. He’d kept his reaction to that event locked away for so long, he didn’t know how to feel about it now. “I was sent to live with my uncle. After a few months, he got antsy and said it was too dangerous for me to stay there, that the aliens might have recognized me and might come back to finish the job.” He turned his seat in order to block the pity he saw in her eyes. “It didn’t make sense. Still doesn’t, yet it was the second character-building exercise in my life. So began the long trek of bouncing between families and foster areas.”

“How old were you when you started looking after yourself?”

“Fifteen. I stumbled into a territory populated with bounty hunters and others who skirt the edge of the law or make up their own. I guess you could say I started an internship of sorts.” He swiveled around to face her again, surprised she appeared to hang on his every word. “I had a knack for it. On my first mission, I caused a…kerfuffle inside one of the Alliance’s offices. As punishment, the government kicked me off Earth and set my ass on a transport bound for a penal colony.”

“Where did you end up?”

“It’s more a question of where didn’t I.” He shifted his gaze from her face. “I bribed the pilot of the transport with the last money I had. Once he made his drop on Mars, we hit hyper-light and sailed into this galaxy. Here, no one knew me or my history. I started over and gravitated to the seedy side of life. I resumed learning the ropes of taking a bounty. At least they wanted me or actually had use of my services.” He shuffled through screens on the datapad, unwilling to admit it didn’t come close to replacing love. “The rest, as they say, is history.”

“Was it the Caringa nation who made the attack on Earth? I vaguely remember hearing about the battle while in universal history classes, although the details didn’t stick.” A genuine grin lit her face. “I was more interested in besting my brothers at flight training and seeing how far I could go on my own power.”

He shoved the surge of jealousy away as stupid. For a few seconds, he wished he’d known her back then, seen the competitive spirit as it had grown and shaped her into the woman she was now.
Steady, Sin.
“No. I didn’t come across the Caringa until years later.”

“That’s why you’re afraid of them?” Her smile never wavered.

“Yes.” He forced the word out between clenched teeth.

“And?”

He hated how pushy she was, yet under her steady prodding, the memories poured out of him, seeking a balm. “A group I was with angered a few of them in a bar fight years ago. In less time than it took to go through the motions of getting out a peaceful overture, they’d drawn weapons and killed every being in the bar. I escaped with a buddy seconds before the wall where we stood exploded. He and I went our separate ways after that.” Stratton shivered. “I’d never seen such complete destruction and disregard for life of any kind before, especially over something as stupid as a misunderstanding.”

“There’s more and more of that going on. Common decency and respect are becoming rare, not only in this galaxy but in others.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I can see why you’re afraid, but sometimes it’s good to face that fear and conquer it.”

“Conquer it, ignore it, it’s all the same.” He drew a fingertip along his goatee. “Might take some time, although the fear is dying after the whole thief incident.”

“You did a great job back there despite your hangups. If I didn’t despise you so much, I’d say I was impressed.” She swiveled to face the windscreen once more. “Here’s the bottom line, Ace.”

Stratton waited, and when it became apparent she wouldn’t be rushed, he propped his boots on the console and settled in. “Anytime. I’d like to know this great statement of truth sometime before we arrive on the planet.”

“I’ll let that one slide since you actually shared something personal with me.” She pressed the autopilot buttons and resumed manually steering the ship. “I’m actually glad you didn’t let life’s circumstances beat you down. It’s something I can relate to, oddly enough.” The small smirk returned. “You might be an arrogant jerk, but I can’t imagine you as anything else. For what it’s worth, you did a good job with what you had.”

That was probably the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him, and the fact it came from Willa made the words sweeter. Clearing his throat, he kept his gaze on the datapad in his lap. “Right back at you,
kita
. Now, if you could do something about that cool control, I’d appreciate it. It’s not exactly man bait.”

“Didn’t know I was trying to attract you.” The smile vanished and was replaced by her customary scowl.

“Good, because when I go fishing, it’s not your type I’m trying to attract.” He grinned as the atmosphere returned to congenial dislike. Keeping her on the defensive was the only way he could deal with being confined with her for the duration of the race. “If you can manage to keep your gushing, feminine emotions to yourself, I’m going to start on the course corrections and plot out the rest of our path.”

“Do what you want. Why should I care?”

Oh, she would—eventually. His propped-up feet and the datapad on his lap blocked his movements from her, should she get nosy. He’d do the GCCs, but the more important issue at hand was analyzing the information he’d filched from Chaf’s onboard computer. After the mandatory checkpoint on the planet, it appeared the incomparable Chaf would not be racing for the finish line. Instead, his coordinates indicated he’d break for the far section of the galaxy. Stratton assumed Chaf would attempt to hide out on a lesser planet, try to blend in. If not caught, he could easily melt into any crowd, essentially disappearing.

For the better part of the month, he’d been tracking Chaf. He’d also been mentally spending the bounty money he’d get for the humanoid hybrid’s capture. Yet there was the problem of Willa now. A furtive glance showed her squinting at something on the console. He closed his eyes as the debate raged in his mind.

His whole life he’d lived for his own survival, his own gain, his own pleasure. The money had always been the goal, the reward for getting the job done. Why was this time any different?

It wasn’t. The sappy memories she’d forced him to relive had temporarily weakened his mind and derailed his mission. He snapped his eyes open and focused on the datapad. As screens flashed at his command, he programmed two sets of coordinates. The first would take them to the final leg of the Nebulon Trike. The second would take them to Chaf’s secret route. Quickly, Stratton inputted the information into the screen then buried it in a fake folder in case Willa snagged the datapad.

Afterward, he backed out of the screens as his stomach churned. He’d remain nav for the duration. Willa didn’t need to be alerted prematurely to his change in plans. And if all went well, he could ditch her at this next checkpoint, hopefully leaving her sleeping. Somehow, the thought of seeing the hurt and disgust in her eyes twisted his insides into knots.

Get her out of your mind, Sin. She’s one woman in hundreds and will slow you down.

He nodded, reminding himself he didn’t care for her attitude, her issues or her smart mouth. A woman with sweet curves could be found anywhere and bedmates weren’t hard to seek out. But—

An explosion rocked the ship and yanked him out of his thoughts.

The impact threw Stratton to the floor. One hand and a hip ached from the sudden fall. “What the hell was that?” Retrieving the datapad, he struggled to his feet as the
Stellar Drift
shook with a second collision. A red wash of light filled the cabin. Containers and spare engine parts tumbled from bins in the rear cargo hold.

Willa flipped a switch. A green triangle appeared on the low-key radar screen. “Someone’s fired a warning shot to our flank. He’s ramming his nose into our backside. Give me details, Ace.”

“Right.” Glad for a distraction, Stratton regained his seat and turned on the datapad. Two screens later, he had the answer. “It’s the
Stryker
. I guess your buddy Chaf missed you and is saying hello.”

“Chaf? Why the hell would the man double back to irritate us? He’s jeopardizing his chances at the lead.”

“Beats me.” He felt choked by the tight suit and tugged at the neckline. “Maybe he’s been overcome with lust for you.”
I’ll kill him if that’s the case.
He knew why Chaf was here. He must have seen the hack in the computer’s files or read Stratton’s energy signature.
Damn it!
I should have been more careful, but I wanted to get back to Willa…

A clear reason to sever his relationship with her as soon as possible. No more errors. His focus belonged on his job. Period.

“Can it. We need to lose this joker.” She strapped her safety harness over her chest. “Hold on. I’m going to execute some fancy flying.”

With shaking hands, Stratton followed instructions. At least she had no feelings for the bastard. He hoped.

A blast rocked the ship once more, and hoses fell from a compartment behind him.

Chapter Ten

Willa gripped the steering joystick in both hands as she gritted her teeth.
What the hell is Chaf thinking by roughing us up in mid-flight?
It didn’t make sense. By all rights, the most dishonest racer on this circuit was Stratton, hands down. Yet Chaf’s actions seemed retaliatory. She spared a glance at Stratton, but his face was averted as he studied the radar screen. Was this some sort of payback from their earlier sparring on the racecourse?

“How far out are we from Treachin Houth?” If they could make it to the planet’s surface, they had a better chance of surviving Chaf’s ire.

“Since this bird’s not new enough to be equipped with a reactor core, we can’t get to hyper-light. With impulse speed, it’ll be a good fifty-eight minutes until we reach the planet’s atmosphere. I suggest, if you want to remain in the rally, you lose him.” He tapped the radar grid as a shudder shook the ship. “Your boyfriend’s getting ready to knock again.”

“Oh, we’ll stay in this race. That’s a promise.” No way would she let Chaf knock them out, especially after all the junk she’d endured with Stratton. Another bump in their rear plus the scream of a warning alarm shored up her determination. “Open a communication channel with the
Stryker
.”

Stratton swiveled in his seat. “You’re seriously thinking of having a chat with that bastard right now?” His dark eyes glittered in the emergency lights. Was that fear swimming in the depths, and if it was, why?

“I want to understand what’s going on. Now, do it.” She banked hard to port in an effort to shake Chaf off their tail. The
Stryker
followed, mimicking the movement. “I’m waiting, Sin.”

He turned back to the console and flipped a black switch. “Comlink open.”

“Chaf, this is Willa. What the hell are you doing?” The roaring engines echoed through the cabin, reminding her that the constant maneuvering taxed the subpar ship to its limits.

A crackle of static shot over the com-line. “Why don’t you ask your fly mate? Seems he was nosy at the last checkpoint and stole something from me that’s valuable.”

Willa glanced at her partner, but he gave nothing away. “I’m not his mother, Chaf, and it doesn’t excuse why you’re trying to destroy this ship. It’s a race, not a collision derby.” Another round of warning alarms erupted in the cabin. “Ace, gonna need a report ASAP.”

On the other end, Chaf’s arrogant laugh filled the com. “Having trouble, Willa? Looks like you had some bad luck, seeing as how you’re now piloting space garbage.”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“Regretting the governing board’s choice of partners?”

“Not as much as I’m regretting talking to you right this minute.” She jammed one of the flight sticks forward, and the
Stellar Drift
dipped lower. The
Stryker
followed. “If you disable us, you’ll be disqualified. You already know this. What gives?”

“I’m not trying to disable you, just teach you a lesson that stealing isn’t very nice.”

Stratton slammed a fist down on the console. “Chaf, you asswipe, leave our ship alone. We’re trying to stay in the race. If you’ve got a beef with me, take it up on the planet’s surface—unless you’re afraid I’ll best you and haul you in for bounty?”

During the excitement, she’d forgotten Stratton had an ulterior motive. Her stomach clenched. When they hit the checkpoint, would that be the end of their partnership? She bit her bottom lip. No. She wouldn’t allow him to destroy her chances of winning the Trike. Even if it meant tying him to his seat, they’d continue on, a two-person crew. If he took offense, she’d gag him as well.

“I doubt you can best me in anything. Haven’t you already shown your ineptitude by
not
capturing me?”

“Shut up, Chaf.” Stratton glared at the comlink, even though there was no image.