A Surprise Favor – Chapter 29

Ricardo Nine flips over the gun and hands it to Nina. “I think this belongs to you.”

“Who the hell are you, and why are you onboard our ship?” Saif asks, stepping in front of me.

“Saif,” I say gently and sigh. All I want to do is lie down and sleep for a million years at this point… and pee. I really, really have to use the bathroom. “Remember what happened to Kalvin and me?”

Saif looks between Kalvin, Ricardo Nine, and me. Everyone else just stares at us.

“Oh. Oooooh.” Saif’s eyes widen. “No.” He turns to Ricardo Nine. “You will not be taking this ship.”

“No, I won’t,” Ricardo Nine answers. “And neither will Miss Cressida.” He steps to the side and waves us along. “They’re waiting for you in the lounge.”

I close my eyes and take a deep breath. Patience, Skylar. If they’re not here to take the ship, then something else is going on.

Sejal leans forward and lowers her voice. “Did he just say Cressida?” Her mouth drops open as I nod.

Cressida Briar-Stevens is best known throughout the Duo Systems as being the cast-out daughter of the Briar-Stevens empire on Avenal. She had her chance to run the family business, make a shit-ton of money, and marry only the best of the best men. But she blew it all when she refused to let go of Vivian’s number one mate, Jinzo. Her descent into jealousy and pettiness crescendoed into a full-blown meltdown and ended her relationship with her family. Now she’s pirating ships all over the Duo Systems. She’s doing the things I’ve been accused of doing in the press lately. Maybe she’s upset I’ve stolen her thunder? Probably not, since few people even know she’s doing this. Kalvin and I have never breathed a word about her hijacking our flight school ships.

Heat builds in my body as we weave through the Amagi and approach the lounge and galley kitchen. I can’t believe Cressida is here. I should be scared, but instead I’m angry. I’m furious she’s still up to her old tricks and trying to ruin my life.

Before we can get to the lounge, Kalvin grabs my arm and looks into my eyes. “Skylar, whatever happens in there, don’t let her get to you. We’ll get through this if we stick together.”

I nod and try to calm my racing heart, but I can’t. I was hoping I’d never see her again.

Nina and the guys follow me into the lounge. Carlos, Lia, and Nisrine are seated at the table. Carlos looks like he’s seen a ghost.

Cressida stands against the far wall with a smirk on her face as she surveys the room. She’s wearing a loose-fitting white blouse tucked into a pair of dark wash jeans. The outfit is rounded out with brown leather boots, and her hands are tucked in her pockets. She’s pulled her dark auburn hair back into a tight bun, emphasizing her sharp features.

“Skylar,” she says, her voice silky and smooth. She looks like a goddess, even though she’s a villain. “You’ve been a busy bee lately. You’re making quite the name for yourself on the duonet.”

I set my jaw and try not to let her get to me, though I want to cross the room and smack the shit out of her. “What do you want, Cressida?”

“Oh, nothing.” She waves her hand in the air. “I just wanted to check in on you and see how you’re doing.”

I roll my eyes. “You expect me to believe that? You left Kalvin and me for dead in the Novato Desert, and now you’re hijacking my ship? I don’t think so.”

Cressida smiles, her green eyes sparkling. “No. Not really. And I’m not here to hijack your ship either.” She sighs as she pushes away from the wall. “I actually feel bad about that whole marooning thing.” Her lower lip juts forward in a tiny pout.

“Oh yeah? You look stricken. Really broken up.”

Her smile is predatory. She brings her fingers up and makes a pinching motion. “Just a little bit. I figured I owed you, though I absolutely abhor favors.”

“Funny. You can do me a favor and leave.” I step to the side and sweep my hand out. “Don’t let the airlock hit you on your way out.”

She sighs and loses her smile. My scalp prickles with dread.

“You must realize by now that there’s a hit out on you. You’re a wanted woman. And I wanted to make sure you were aware of what you’re up against. That’s all. I figured telling you was the least I could do.”

Nina clears her throat. “Yeah, we figured this out already.”

“Someone named Dominic has paid a lot of money for your death. What did you do to piss him off?”

I close my eyes and swear under my breath. So it’s Dominic, huh? Not Kenzie, despite her wanting Kalvin back.

“Oh my God,” Sejal says, covering her mouth.

“How much?” I ask. I need to know what I’m up against.

“750k,” Cressida says, sucking all the warmth out of the room.

“Holy shit.” Takemo’s face drops. “They’re taking the severance money I gave them to put a hit out on you?” He becomes deathly quiet, turns on his heel, and walks out of the room. A few moments later, the sounds of crashing and breaking glass roll in from another part of the ship. I hope whatever he’s taking his anger out on is not valuable.

Cressida sighs. “Sorry. He seems upset.”

I groan and rub my face. This is all way out of hand.

“Dominic? You’ve got to be kidding me.” Carlos can hardly believe it either.

“I’m afraid not,” Cressida replies.

I take a deep breath and try to steady myself. 750k is a fuckload of money. I thought they would spend Takemo’s severance on a good attorney, but it’s probably cheaper to have me killed, right? I look at Carlos, and his eyes meet mine. He has a lot of digging to do.

“So, what now?” Lia asks, her voice barely more than a whisper.

Cressida smiles again, though it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Well, now you have a choice. You can either try to run and avoid the hit, or you can go after Dominic and take him down.”

“Or I can lie low until the court case and hope no one comes after me again.”

She laughs. “If you think that’s going to work…”

Fuck. It won’t. There’s no place that’s safe for me now. I will be hunted down on every planet I set foot on. Hell, they’ll chase me down in ships, if they have to.

“I need a moment.” I cross the room to the bathroom, slip inside, and lock the door behind me.

Pressing my back against the wall, I slide to the floor. Tears stream down my face as I try to process what’s happening. 750k. Dominic wants me dead, and he’s willing to pay a lot for it. This is some fucked up shit. He thinks I have the backups, and he’d do anything to stop me from using them. This is his last-ditch effort to keep me quiet.

Does Mom know? Something tells me she doesn’t. She didn’t know what was on the backup drives, so there’s probably a lot more she’s unaware of.

How do I reach her? How do I convince her of what’s going on?

I take a deep breath and try to calm my racing heart. Why did everything have to turn to shit? I want to go back and erase it all.

But Skylar, your childhood sucked, too. It’s not like there’s anything that great to go back to.

Fuck this.

I stand up, wipe away my tears, lean against the door, and take a few deep breaths. I need to focus on the positive. I’m still alive, I’m still captain of the Amagi, and I have a lot of people who care about me. Closing my eyes, I channel the hope and love that I get from Saif, Kalvin, Takemo, and Declan, too. They would tell me to be brave. To take back my life.

I can do this. I can turn things around. I just need to stay strong. I just need to keep my head up and keep fighting, remind myself I’m not alone.

And I’m not. I have my family and friends, and I have my lovers. They’re here for me, and their support gives me strength. Yeah, I can do this. I can take down Dominic and make sure he never threatens me or my family again.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I repeat the pep talk until I believe it. Believe it, Skylar.

Okay. I believe it.

I take advantage of the toilet and hope that most of the nanites in my system go down the drain with my urine. Washing my hands, I pat my face with some cold water, clean up, and open the bathroom door.

Saif, Kalvin, and Declan all look worried, but I nod to them. Takemo is off dealing with his anger, so I’ll talk to him later. I said I was going to be strong. This is where I need to pull myself together for everyone here.

“We’re not running,” I declare firmly. “And we’re not hiding. We are going to fight back by returning to our lives like nothing has changed. We’ll use our resources and contacts to get out of here and fly to Ossun and Rio, where I will take care of some personal business. Once there, we can figure out our next move from a safe distance.”

“Are you sure?” Kalvin asks, concern crossing his face. “We can probably hold up at Vivian’s house for a while.”

“That sounds like the safest idea to me,” Saif says, nodding.

“No. I will not endanger Vivian and her family. What if something happened to Ilaria?” I cover my heart with my hand. “It’s too dangerous.”

I glance at Cressida, and if she’s still angry about what happened between Vivian, Jinzo, and her, she doesn’t show it. I think she’s past it now.

“She’s right.” Declan holds up a hand. “We can’t bring danger to anyone else. In fact, if anyone wants out, now’s the time to say something.”

I expect him to be the first to opt-out. After all, we haven’t committed to each other yet. We’ve kissed, but we haven’t slept with each other. He could easily walk away.

But instead, his gaze is penetrating and serious as he sweeps it over everyone in the room.

“Nisrine?” I ask, and she lifts her eyes to mine. “This may not be the retirement you were looking for.”

“Oh honey, no worries.” She waves me off. “I’m in it for the long haul. Retirement is boring. This is more my speed.”

She never ceases to amaze me.

“And if we’re done here,” she says, standing up, “I need to go check on the engines and make sure we’re ready to leave.”

Everyone nods in agreement as Cressida speaks up. “I just wanted you to be aware of the danger you’re in, so you can make an informed decision about how to proceed. I think we’re even now.”

“Wait,” Ai says in my ear, “we have a problem.”

I raise my hand and everyone freezes. “What kind of problem?”

“Nanci is still offline, but I detect movement in the ship.”

My eyes flash to Cressida. “Is there anyone else here? What about your other man?”

She shakes her head. “He’s on Palo Alto. It’s just us.” She gestures between Ricardo Nine and herself.

“Fuck,” I mutter under my breath. “Ai, tell me more.”

“I’m sorry I can’t, Skylar. With Nanci offline, the security system is down, and the interior cameras are inaccessible. I detected movement via a camera pointed at an exterior window.”

Is it Takemo roaming around the ship? Or is it an intruder?

My skin crawls, and the hair on my head stands up. Goosebumps pop up on my arms. I look over my shoulder, feeling like something is behind me, watching me. My gut is telling me to move. Fast.

“There’s someone on the ship,” I say, my voice trembling.

Everyone else looks around, as if they expect someone to jump out of the shadows at any moment.

“We need to get out of here,” Saif says, his voice low and urgent.

We start to make our way to the door, everyone moving into the corridor. I’m the last to leave, so I take a look around the room. As I do, something out of the corner of my eye catches my attention.

A figure is standing in the door on the opposite side of the room.

It’s a man, wearing a long coat and clothes as black as space. He doesn’t move, but his eyes are locked on me.

I don’t know who he is, but he’s not here to help us. He’s here to stop us.