Chapter Four

“Sorry. For scaring you.”

Jun hovered in the doorway, reluctant to breach the threshold as he waited for Theo to get up. He had done enough breaching, already. Felt like the worst kind of brute. Considering that he used to get paid for roughing up his boss’s enemies, he should know how a brute felt.

Exhaustion molded the steel in his spine into brittle lines as he crossed his arms in an attempt to hold himself more tightly together.

Hold it together, Park.

He felt as if he was falling apart, like some Raider junk ship, razor-edged pieces flying off in all directions. Crumbling from within beneath pressure he wasn’t built to withstand.

Theo sat up on the bed, eyes wide with alarm and blazing red hair flying in every direction. He swiftly buttoned his jacket and felt around for something among the sheets without ever looking away from Jun.

Jun kept his gaze respectfully above Theo’s open collar, ignoring the slender throat on display. He had not earned the privilege of seeing things usually kept hidden. An Outlier he might be, but he was no stranger to Core conventions.

With sharp, quick movements, Theo righted his clothing and tied his cravat around his neck, freeing Jun’s gaze to wander as he spat out his response, emerald eyes on fire. “To which occasion do you refer? You do seem to expend an awful lot of energy on intimidation tactics. I would be hard-pressed to pinpoint exactly which you feel the need to apologize for.”

Oh, he knew exactly what Jun was referring to. The little shit.

Stars. He was magnificent.

Jun had not been this blindsided since he was fourteen, joining up with his first Crew only to discover they were a bunch of bloodthirsty bullies with no moral compass.

The feeling of self-betrayal was the same, even if the circumstances couldn’t be more different.

Jun didn’t have time for admiration, for the possibility of it developing into anything more. He didn’t have room in his life for more. Not now.

Certainly not with someone he had wronged so severely.

He kept his gaze steady and contrite, dragging each word out by sheer force of will, harsh and staccato and still only half as awkward as he felt. “Last night, on the bed. I didn’t mean to imply that I would—” He couldn’t even say the word, internally cursing himself for a coward. “—do that. I won’t. So. You don’t need to worry. About that.”

Great.

Very clear, well done, Captain. So commanding. That definitely made up for throwing an innocent man on the bed and pinning him down with your inappropriately invested dick.

He fought the urge to bury his face in his hands, maintaining his authoritative stance by a hair. The back of his neck burned with shame and humiliation he hoped his less-than-willing guest couldn’t see.

Theo scoffed as he yanked the lace at his collar and cuffs into place, his harsh movements against the delicate material only serving to underscore Jun’s guilt at his rough treatment the night before.

Although, Dr. Campbell was already proving to be significantly more substantial than he appeared at first glance. Partially because, at first glance, all Jun had found was astonishing beauty.

It wasn’t fair for him to be so gorgeous. Why couldn’t he have been a doddering old man with whiskers down to his elbows? It was nothing short of the universe punishing Jun for his misdeeds that Theo was made in the exact, bratty shape of his most embarrassing dreams.

Theo gave a disdainful sniff, every inch of him screaming his upper-crust Core background. Jun would know, having endured the same affectation from his Core-born parents for most of his life.

“I suppose,” Theo continued, “I ought to thank you for your chivalry, is that it? You want to assure me that while you are perfectly willing to hurt me, and you wish for me to remain in fear of you, my virtue shall remain intact. How magnanimous of you. Truly, sir, you are a gentleman of the highest order. My knight in shining armor.”

The gun at Jun’s side weighed more heavily in his holster beneath Theo’s accusing gaze. Jun struggled to come up with the words to reassure him that he would not come to harm at Jun’s hands. It was with the full, exhausting knowledge that it was too little, too late, that he finally responded, soft and low. “I won’t hurt you.”

“Really? Excellent.” Theo’s voice had gained an edge that left Jun metaphorically bleeding all over the grungy metal floor. “So I’ll just leave, then, shall I? Whenever I want?”

Panic surged, toppling Jun’s good intentions like a flimsy tower of sticks as he stepped into the room, resisting the urge to reach out and hold Theo in place. “No. You can’t leave.”

Jun had only just found him. Dr. Campbell, the key to the brick wall of code he’d been slamming his head against for over a year. He couldn’t allow him to slip through his guilty, bloodstained fingers, now.

In true, magnificent form, Theo pushed off the bed and stood facing Jun, arms akimbo.

Throughout his career, Jun had stared down heavily armed men twice Theo’s size who weren’t half as fearless. He tried to dampen the fire in his heart that Theo’s snappish tone had set ablaze.

“And precisely how do you intend to enforce my captivity without hurting me?” Theo demanded. “Tape me to another chair? Glue my shoes to the floor like the villain of a children’s story?”

In different circumstances, Jun would have him against the wall with his slender wrists pinned above his head, where he could show Dr. Campbell exactly what his insolence would earn him. Probably twice, before he was done for the night.

But the inestimable Dr. Theo Campbell was Jun’s captive, not his…anything else. He was a crucial component in Jun’s plans. Thousands of lives hinged upon his cooperation. Any attraction Jun might feel, however intense and unexpected, was a distraction he couldn’t afford. In these circumstances, Jun had to think with his head, not with his—

Circumstances being what they were, he kept a respectful distance, meeting Theo’s glare with one of his own, an expression that usually cowed all but the toughest members of his Crew. “I’ll do what I have to do.”

Bare, pink toes curled against the cold metal floor as Theo stalked closer, not in the least intimidated by Jun’s carefully cultivated scowl. “Yes, that’s just what a villain would say, isn’t it? Now, can you do an evil laugh for effect? I’d like to get the full experience.”

Three times. Twice, against the wall, and then once on the bed after Dr. Campbell was all wrung-out and needy.

Under different, less shitty circumstances.

But Jun didn’t have time for thoughts of long red hair and fiery eyes when every ounce of his exhausted focus must remain on his goal.

Or else, what was the point of all this? All of the sacrifice and loss, the compromised ethics, the kidnapping of an innocent academic. And all the other things that kept him awake during his rest cycle.

He had to remain firm, speak honestly and quietly, try not to intimidate while retaining his authority. “I have no intention of hurting you.”

Theo stepped a little closer, lifting his chin, elegant spine rigid with defiance. “I suppose you know what they say about good intentions? You will or you won’t; your intentions mean nothing. Either way, I’m leaving at the next opportunity, so I imagine you’ll have to decide.”

There was fear in the back of his eyes. Fear matched by the dread in Jun’s chest at the notion of losing him when Jun was finally so close to getting the answers he needed.

Jun fought against pleading. “No. You can’t.” He winced internally as panic echoed in his voice, low and sharp.

Theo strode purposefully toward the doorway Jun was blocking as if he had any idea where he was going. “I suppose we shall just have to wait and see precisely what I can and cannot do.”

Pressing one hand flat to Theo’s warm chest, Jun held him at arm’s length, palm sweaty against the lace of his cravat. In his exhaustion, Jun finally lost control, panic breaking through as he rasped, “People will die.”

It was painfully obvious Theo was not prepared for that. He froze midstep, knee bent as he leaned into Jun’s restraining hand. “What do you mean by that?” Righteous anger leaked out of his voice until only confusion was left behind.

The space between them shrank by slow inches as Jun let Theo fall forward into the step he had been meaning to take. From this distance, he could see the hint of stubble on Theo’s chin, like tiny dots of sunlight caught within the dismal confines of the ship.

“If you don’t help me”—Jun put every ounce of determination into his words, each one weighed and measured—“if you leave now, people are going to die.”

Theo took a sharp breath, and Jun removed his hand, reminded of what a terrifically bad idea it had been to touch him in the first place. Intelligent eyes searched his face as if scanning a complicated document. “What? Which people?”

It was an exceptionally Core thing for him to say, and it sent a flash of rage through Jun like a power surge.

No different than the Quorum, the corrupt Core governing body that blithely ignored the tragedies of those with the misfortune of existing beyond the chosen few planets. Verge settlers and Outliers from the Restricted Sector, who scraped and clawed their way through life outside Core protection, were considered less-than. It made Jun’s blood boil.

Jun clenched and unclenched his hand beside his hip, trying to erase the phantom warmth of Theo from his fingertips. “Does it matter?” His control slipped further, venom dripping. “Would you refuse if they were Outliers like me?”

Theo pushed his hair back behind his ears, face creased with confusion. “No, of course not. It’s just that you aren’t making any sense. What are you talking about? If there is some imminent danger, why didn’t you tell me immediately?”

A sliver of sadness embedded itself in the anger, cracking it open to reveal even more sorrow at the core. Jun had lost all chance of artifice, shrugging helplessly as he could tell nothing but the truth, worn down to bare honesty. “I didn’t think you would come with me.”

Without further warning or, apparently, an ounce of good sense, Theo wrapped soft hands around Jun’s biceps. Jun froze, barely breathing, tense and quiet in the gentle grip. Theo squeezed lightly as he tipped his sweet face up in sincerity, hammering that sliver of weakness all the way through like a wedge splitting Jun open. “I would have, if I had known. I would have offered my assistance willingly, Captain Park. If matters are indeed dire, then I suggest you tell me everything right now.”

The fire Jun had tried to stamp out spread unchecked, warming parts of him that had long gone cold in the merciless depths of space. He drew in a ragged breath and stepped back so quickly he bumped his shoulder against the metal rim of the doorjamb, wrenching himself from Theo’s grip.

It was unimaginable that a Core-born academic with no knowledge of the harsh realities surrounding his comfortable life would willingly place himself in danger to save those considered beneath the notice of the Quorum.

Not once had it crossed Jun’s mind to ask for his cooperation. It was as absurd a notion as, well, everything else about Dr. Campbell, really.

He blinked brightly up at Jun, completely unaware of the danger ahead of them, the danger Jun had dragged him into because he wasn’t smart enough to think of a better solution.

Jun fitted his frown back into place and straightened into his command posture. “No. The less you know, the better. I don’t want you to get involved any more than you have to.”

There was a chance Jun could keep him out of the spotlight, out of harm’s way and far removed from the target Jun was painting on his own back. He just had to keep his distance, create narrow boundaries and uphold them. Keep Theo confined to his one necessary task and otherwise uninvolved in Jun’s reckless mission to dismantle the unjust machinations of powers greater than either of them could conceive.

It was a slim chance, but Jun had survived on slimmer. He retreated farther into the doorway as Theo advanced with eyes narrowed in consideration, raking over Jun from head to toe as if answers might be spelled out in the shuffle of his boots. “But you are saying that I need to be involved, somehow? Me, specifically?”

Jun stopped retreating the moment he realized he was doing it, heat creeping across the back of his neck once more. He crossed his arms, face and body slamming shut on Theo’s curiosity. “Yes.”

They entered a staring contest in which neither was willing to admit defeat, Theo’s eyes wide with interest and Jun’s carefully blank.

Theo stepped back with a thoughtful hum. “Intriguing. Now I require you to turn around, please.” He waved his hands in a graceful circular motion.

Jun blinked, losing the staring contest along with the last shreds of his dignity in his confusion. “What?”

Theo repeated the motion expectantly. “I have no intentions of offering a free show, Captain. If you are half the gentleman you claim to be, you will turn around at once so that I may adjust my stockings before my feet turn into elegantly sculpted icicles.”

Stockings.

Jun’s overtaxed mind shorted out for a brief moment as he considered the image of such an intimate garment sliding up Theo’s long legs.

He knew that Core clothing involved many layers, with rigid rules pertaining to each one. His own mother had never embraced Outlier fashion and had stubbornly insisted upon dressing as if she were to attend a meeting of the Quorum each day. As though they might welcome her back with open arms, if only she dressed refined enough.

There, that was a bucket of ice water on his incredibly unwelcome interest in Theo’s clothing.

Next, he would have to think about the time he’d taken his Crew to the beach, and his pilot had worn something that could only be described as a neon windsock, and nothing else.

Yup. Interest gone.

Without waiting for Jun to leave, Theo bent forward and began to work on the fastenings of his trousers, silky hair swinging across his face.

Jun spun around so rapidly he banged the other side of the same shoulder against the door jamb. With a hiss, he stood stock-still as he stared into the hallway.

The soft rustling sounds of Theo donning his layers hit Jun like a sledgehammer, raising his heart rate as he desperately tried to recall the horrors of the windsock instead.

“All clear, Captain. I am decent once more, everything in its place and accounted for.”

After a deep, steadying breath, Jun turned around. He did his best to avoid staring at Theo’s thighs, wondering what color his garters might be. Much the same as many of Jun’s best efforts to be a better man, he failed abysmally.

Theo stood and stretched with a wide yawn, leaving Jun to suppress a yawn of his own as his sleep deprivation pressed insistently at the back of his mind.

Green eyes blinked up at him, and Jun couldn’t resist. He swayed closer, met that gaze with a smirk. “You do, by the way.”

Theo lifted inquisitive brows as he pulled his waistcoat back down into place after his stretch. “What is it that I do, precisely?”

It was impossible to look away. Theo was a spatial anomaly, and Jun was caught in his pull. His voice rasped low as if they’d actually made it to that wall he kept thinking about. “Talk. In your sleep.”

Theo blushed furiously, as pink as a sunset over Britannia, and Jun was in a galaxy of trouble.