Dusk settled like a dark blue cloak, the air releasing from the tropical tones to a more comfortable temperature. Erin settled into the seat at the tiny table in the Officer’s Club to wait for David. He’d contacted her, stating the time and the location, much to her consternation.
Erin wasn’t sure she was up for much discussion of their failures tonight, given she still struggled with the truth of how close she’d come to dying.
The door jangled, and Erin looked up. She watched as David sauntered to the bar, ordered, then waited for the drink. Then, with a quiet word to the bartender, he wound his way through the empty tables to where she sat, waiting.
The scrape of the chair on the scarred wood flooring was an insult to her ears.
“You don’t look very happy,” Erin murmured.
He sighed. “I’m not really. I mean, losing Phenja was...” David shook his head. “Look, let’s not talk about the case tonight. It’s not why I asked you here.”
Flags of crimson flared across his cheekbones, and he evaded looking at her.
Instinct welled, and the wine she’d just drunk turned glutinous in her belly, thickening enough to make her feel queasy. He’s going to end this.
When David reached out, Erin struggled to contain the flinch that was instinctive.
All good things must come to an end. Even the bad ones.
He gulped, and her mouth turned dry.
“Erin, I want to tell you that these last weeks have been both a heaven and a hell to me.”
He inhaled deeply, nostrils flaring as if he were mentally girding himself.
“David, don’t feel that you have to...” The words were so hard to push out. How to tell him that she understood? That although they tore her apart piece by piece, she’d accept that and move along. Her mouth was dry, and she shied away from looking at him.
When he cleared his throat, she was sure the tears welling in her eyes would give away her sudden inner turmoil.
He looked her in the eyes, frowned, and reached out. “What? No! You think I’m bringing this to an end?” The incredulity in his voice echoed in the still room. “That’s not what I was trying to say. I’ve gone about this in a ham-fisted manner, sure, but not calling this to an end.
Dammit! Erin, I want to marry you.”
The words exploded into her brain, searing her neurons, and her chest swelled, leaving her unable to breathe, so she simply stared at him for a moment. His gaze narrowed, and Erin realized he needed her to respond. Thoughts took a moment to gather, and all that squeaked out was, “Marry me?”
“Yes. Dammit, when they took you, I nearly went mad. I would have ripped the place apart by myself, but Jonah stopped me. That was when I really understood that I couldn’t live without you. That you weren’t just important to me, but vital to my ability to think, to be. Erin, if you’re not ready or need more time—”
She grinned, then shot up, reached for him, and grabbed his shoulders, suddenly sure. “I don’t need more time.”
Erin tugged, grateful when he stood up so she could kiss him, her lips firm against his, trying to tell him with her whole being that it didn’t just overwhelm her, but also filled her with joy.
The sound of a clearing throat broke through the veil of sensuality that sparked around them.
Releasing David took far more effort than simply letting go. Her gaze meshed with his, and the slow grin married with the twinkle in his eyes had her stomach lurching.
“I’m still waiting for an answer.” He spoke roughly, as if unsure and hopeful in equal turns.
“I, uh...” She cleared her throat, aware suddenly of other eyes settling on her, heavy with interest. “Do we have to do this here?”
He laughed. “Yes.”
Closing her eyes, Erin sought the inner peace, waited a second as she inhaled and pushed away everything unimportant. The only thing that mattered in the here and now was David, the question he’d asked, and her feelings.
“Yes, David. I will marry you.”
“Good. Then let’s make it official, shall we?” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a dark blue, velvet pouch. “This was my grandmother’s. I want you to wear it.”
The ring he tugged out was old, set with diamonds and sapphires. Not large and flashy, but modest, with the stones deeply set in a gold band.
With shaking fingers, she accepted the ring on her left hand. It might be whimsical, but Erin was sure there was something about the ring that emanated security, happiness, and hope.
Once he’d slid the ring onto her finger—and it fit perfectly—he took her hand and cleared his throat. “Let’s get out of here.”
Erin stood, leaving her half-finished wine on the table, and followed him from the Officer’s Club. Right now, destiny was painting her future, and she couldn’t wait to see it.
David slid his arm around Erin, aware that the few gathered in the Officer’s Club would be sharing the tale far and wide. He didn’t care, because he’d got his Erin, finally.
“I asked the others to wait for us,” he said.
“The others?” she asked.
“Michael and Clarissa, Jonah and Daniella. They knew what I planned and are waiting to hear the outcome. They’re at Jonah’s office, and I’d like to share our news. Is there anyone you want to contact?”
Erin shook her head. “No. Everybody who’s important to me is here, on the base.”
They trudged forward, to the office where the others waited, but he savored the quiet time, all too aware that the final push would be coming soon, and things would once more become frantic and dangerous.
At the door, Erin stopped. “I’m uh... What if they think I’m not the right one?”
The anxiety in her voice stopped him, made him frown. “They don’t think that at all. In fact, they’ve known since the incident with Daniella that I’ve been gone on you. They all respect and like you. What’s more, I know they’re going to be ecstatic that you said yes.”
Without giving her time to re-think, he ushered her inside, where everyone waited in silence. He nodded, Jonah hooted, and Michael slapped his thigh. Daniella and Clarissa descended on Erin with hugs and ‘welcome to the family’ comments.
The fingers of dawn slid across the walls as Erin lay nestled in David’s arms. The ring, a new and somewhat disconcerting addition, weighed on her finger. He’d asked for a date, and she’d suggested waiting a week or two. He’d argued that there was no need to wait, and she’d caved. In two weeks, they’d make their vows—unless something else happened.
Before she could consider any kind of preparation though, she needed to know more about Phenja. To wrap up the whole situation in a be-ribboned bow. Who was he?
She’d met him somewhere, Erin was sure of that. Sara had said he was Gilbert Larossa, but she’d never met him, although she’d known of his reputation. As a financier he’d been legendary until his apparent suicide. Erin bit her lip, conjuring up a view of him from what she’d seen of his identi-view. Tall and spare-framed with piercing blue eyes.
Those eyes.
“Oh my God!” She bolted up in the bed. “I know who Phenja is. He’s Larossa, but he’s also Dreck, the underworld figure. They’re the same.”
She reached for David to wake him, but he was already sputtering to awareness. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve worked out who Phenja and Larossa are, or were. He died right? Or disappeared and everyone thought he’d committed suicide. He hadn’t. He’d just gone underground as Cornelius Dreck, the frail but incredibly dangerous head of the largest underworld movement. He changed his features, jawline and hair color, but he couldn’t change his eyes. They were weirdly—”
“Intense. Yes. Dammit. As Dreck he’d have contacts through every layer of the underworld. In his other persona, he’d have connections. Lots of connections. He’s the uncle of—”
“Lilly Montaine, who is involved with Sorrington. Connections and relatives. It’s there just beyond our reach, David. Why can’t we see it?”
Erin rubbed her eyes, suddenly aware that time was rolling on and the longer the operation stalled, the greater the risks their adversary would go to ground.
“We need to find the connection,” she said. “We know Phenja wasn’t the one in charge, though he called the shots for Gantry, and I’m guessing his position was incredibly powerful. We’ll need to make enquiries on that, but I figure he’s one of the top honchos. He’s higher up the food chain than any of us previously considered, David, and I think we’ve come across the person in charge already in our investigations, because capturing him was far too easy. I think they gave him up, and he accepted that for the greater good of their cause. He was prepared with the poison cap on his tooth. He knew we would break him, so he ended it before he could spill anything important.” Rubbing her hands through her hair, she considered what they’d already put together and made another leap. “It’s someone who’s well-hidden. Someone with connections.”
David pulled her close. “Then if you’re right, this is about to blow up. Let’s not wait. We get married tomorrow, take today to start our investigations, then...”
It wasn’t romantic as far as protestations went, but it was in keeping with their personalities. Erin took a moment, testing her feelings over the matter of rushing their wedding before nodding. “Okay. I need to get the team rounded up, so you organize the official stuff.”
Erin tugged back the bedding and rose, heading for the cupboard.
“Are you forgetting something?”
She stopped and turned to look at him, his gaze roaming over her naked form. “What?”
“You’ll need a dress.”
She stared at him. “A dress?”
“Yes. Unless you’re prepared to let me organize that too.”
His grin was wicked, and she frowned.
“Maybe.” Turning back to the wardrobe, she tugged out the clothes she’d placed in there just yesterday. There wasn’t time for her to consider that it felt right, or that there’d been no real sense of disorientation in taking this step of sharing a room or a bed.
Tugging on her uniform, she caught sight of the glint of the ring as she fastened the buttons.
The promises they’d both made. Those yet to come.
It calmed the desperately churning sea that existed inside her. She scooped up her hair, attended to the necessary ablutions, then with a hard, hot kiss, she took her leave of David.
Jogging down the path, she tossed over what she knew of the situation. Phenja and Sorrington, Montaine and—”
She stopped. Montaine. Who had the resources? The connections? Who could sail under the radar without them settling on them? She recalled David and Celeste’s chatter about who they knew. Who was the one person with the connections? The ability to prepare and organize? To mobilize?
“No.” She started running now, skidding into the rooms they’d taken in the hospital. Reaching the small center, she dashed inside and up the hall until she was there, the team already hard at work.
“I need everything you have on Lilly Montaine. Where she went to school, her background, what she studied, academic results. Don’t leave anything out.”
In desperation, Erin hunted out her notepad and began scrolling through the notes she’d taken at Celeste’s bedside. Lilly Montaine. Academic record and subsequent removal from college. “Why, Lilly? What did you do?”
Erin rested her fingers on the keyboard, formulating the search string she’d employ. With care, she typed in Lilly Montaine Ivy League College and hit the enter key.
In her mind, she was sure the search took hours to conclude, then hits flashed on the screen. One after the other. Her successful entry to Entervale College, the social activities she’d participated in, as well as stories about the politically motivated student and her connection to the new Citizens Justice Party.
“That’s dangerous company you were keeping,” breathed Erin.
It had all been there, right under her nose.
The computer beeped as information was sent to Erin by the team, information on Lilly’s expulsion from Entervale Private College, the rapid climb to the head of the politically dangerous party on campus. Her wild parties on returning home, and frequent absences.
The team pulled every scrap of information, while Erin interviewed Celeste one more time, then she sat down to formulate her report and prepare her plan to capture the woman at the heart of the political wasteland that had become their planet.
David wafted in mid-morning and interrupted her, sliding some paperwork in her direction. “Fill these out now and tomorrow we can get married.”
Erin didn’t scan the paperwork, simply scrawled her name then turned back to her work. Her focus on her work all-encompassing, she didn’t realize how long she’d been at it until her team stood and turned off their computers..
“Come on, Erin. Time to go home.” Fairburn strode up to her and reached down, lifting her away from the terminal.
She glanced at him owlishly. “What?”
“The day is over, Erin. Time to go home.” Sevres took her by the arm. “It’s late. We’ve worked and got as much information as we can. There’s nothing more we could do tonight.” Sevres walked her to the door, then barred her entry back into the tiny work area as she tried to retreat. “Go home.”
“But—”
Beside her, out of the shadows, emerged David. He took her hand. “Time to go home.”
The touch of his hand melted her remonstrations, as did the flare of heat in his eyes. Without a word, she followed him from the hospital.