“You’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous.”
“Hell you aren’t.”
“Crew’s complicated enough.”
Family was complicated enough. That was the truth. Austin never listened. Zeroed in on this Hawkins. Never once saw he’d done the best he could, bringing Hawkins aboard, never wanted to talk about the solution—oh, no, that wasn’t Christian’s business.
“You know,” Capella said, “there are places Hawkins could be besides Pell.”
He glumly shook his head, to all Capella’s… associations. And to all the other places Hawkins could end up.
Including the deep-cold dark, stabbed in some crew fight. He didn’t know why he couldn’t have arranged that option—he could have put it off on some sumbitch like Edgar Hogan, or Tolliver, who could probably be arranged to do it, and to pay for it—except there was suddenly a line between him and Capella there hadn’t been a moment ago, and a caution there’d never needed be before. If he’d crossed that line himself, somewhere, he’d not known it had happened—in that warehouse, maybe, or down in the galley just now.
Because Capella would kill—and he discovered he wouldn’t. Couldn’t. He didn’t know whether that was a fault or a virtue, when their collective lives depended on it; or whether it was strength or weakness, when he knew the universe he lived in wasn’t neat, or clean, or inclined to give anything for free the way it was in those damn books Capella read.
He did everything Austin wanted. He worked his butt off to get one well done out of Austin all his fucking life. But, oh, Hawkins got Austin’s attention—got Austin’s complete attention, cheap, on the going market.
And the guy was everything… intelligent, reasonable, easy to like… that he fucking wasn’t.
“Chrissy, Christian-sweet. You want advice? Don’t—don’t do this. It’s too risky to let him out. The cops, that’s one. And Austin, if he finds out you had anything to do with it—”
“You give me advice,” he said, “on something you know about. I’m telling you. We want him off this ship, we want him the hell invisible, to us and to the cops. For the ship’s sake.”
“Marie Hawkins is not to ignore. If she comes spreading tales—and a witness climbs out of some drainpipe—”
“Not a shred of evidence. None. Nothing they can use. She’ll look the fool. What will Sprite have? One of their own crewmen? Back where he belongs, with his maman? What a crime! What a disaster! His mother claims kidnapping. But with what evidence? His word? No, I want the stuff, Pella, dear. You’ve got the access. Use it on my behalf and I won’t tell about the brandy.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“Fils de Beatrice, absolument. “ He caught Capella’s arms as they came about him, as Capella’s teeth came very near the sensitive spots of his neck. “Does it occur to you that Austin’s preferences run in a pattern?”
“Absolutely. “ Capella’s hands, freed, wandered to his lower back, arms pulled him close. Hips moved. Teeth grazed his ear. “Like father like son. Take ten, Chris-tian, duty can spare it. A whole boring month in hyperspace…”
Austin would skin him, the higher brain said. Lower brain was taking over rapidly, now was now and the couch in his office was a convenient immediate destination.
Himself on the bottom this time, Capella taking over—while he was thinking, distractedly, of older brother stuck in that cell, older, easy-to-like brother—and he came back to here and now with Capella shoving his hands out of play above his head and trailing kisses progressively below his neck. The risk of running toward jump without him on duty, the risk of violating orders, saying screw-you to Austin and knowing his own judgment about Corinthian was as valid—not that Austin would consult him. That was what sent him toward a dark, suicidal high, half-wishing physical harm was a real risk at Capella’s hands.
Never fucking listened to him…
—vi—
AT ABOUT MAINDARK, MAINDAY SHIFT change on this alterday ship, the lights briefly faded, tribute to a lately hostile sun, and a voice that might be Christian’s came on over the general com, saying, Take hold. They were starting acceleration toward a jump at 0448: 32h, shift to alterday crew slightly before that.
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