Part 35 (2/2)

Until Talyn glared at them. That sobered them instantly. ”Don't you hyenas have luggage to move?”

Gavarian pa.s.sed an irritated smirk to his brother. ”Yes, sir.” But no sooner had he neared the luggage than a demanding knock sounded on the door, at the same time Fain's link went off with Venik's alert tone.

”What fresh irritant is this,” Talyn said under his breath.

a.s.suming it was about the attack, Fain started to answer his link while Galene opened the door. The moment she did, a full Hadean Corps squad burst in, with their arms held at the ready.

Gasping, Felicia shot to her feet. Vega and War screamed and ran to take cover behind Fain. They gripped at his legs as Talyn moved to cover Felicia.

”What is this?” Galene demanded.

Fain tried to calm the children. Something much easier said than done, since War was trying to scale him like a ladder. The boy had hands that could double for suction cups. And Vega's death grip on his thigh wasn't much better. He was starting to lose circulation in it.

The captain moved toward Gavarian and angled his blaster at him. ”Major Terronova, you're under arrest. On your knees. Hands behind your head. Ankles crossed. Now!”

His jaw dropping, Gavarian held his hands out so that no one would mistake his intent and shoot him for it. ”Whoa... What? Are you serious?”

When the captain went to grab the boy, Fain handed the kids off to Galene and shoved the captain back.

”Stand down, Hauk,” he warned.

Fain refused. ”This is bulls.h.i.+t!”

Venik walked through the squad to join the fray.

Before Fain realized what Venik intended, he felt something cold snap around his neck. An instant later, a fierce shock went through his nervous system. Had he been human, it would have rendered him unconscious or flat on his back.

As an Andarion, it just seriously p.i.s.sed him off. Wanting blood, Fain growled at the pirate b.a.s.t.a.r.d who'd cuffed him.

”It's time you remembered your place, Slug-wart. I just lost three hundred people, and half of them were children. You brought the Andarions here. f.u.c.k with me and I'll hang you with them. We have footage of that little p.r.i.c.k walking in the area where the bomb was planted less than an hour before it detonated. And he had no business whatsoever on those decks. He's the only one who was out of place there.”

Fain glared at Venik. ”He was getting my kids to safety, after someone tried to murder my son in his sleep.”

Venik shoved him back against the wall. ”Get it through your thick, stupid Andarion skull, you don't have a son. You don't have kids. I. Own. You.” He grabbed Fain by the throat.

The next instant, Venik went flying sideways.

”Get your hands off him!” Talyn planted himself between them. ”My father's a War Hauk, you son of a b.i.t.c.h. You don't talk to him like that! And you don't ever lay hands to him!”

The expression on Ven's face made Fain's blood run cold, especially as every guard there aimed blasters at his child. Galene started forward, into the fray, but Fain waved her back and Felicia held her in place.

While it meant everything in the universe to him that Talyn had defended him, if he didn't diffuse this fast, it was about to go into total nuclear devastation. No one threatened Venik in his station.

No one.

”Stand down, Talyn. High Admiral Venik's correct. I'm not a War Hauk. I haven't been one since the day my mother slashed my lineage.”

Ven straightened his clothes with an arrogant tug. ”And who owns you?”

Fain had always hated it whenever Ven played this power s.h.i.+t with him. It took everything he had not to put the b.a.s.t.a.r.d through the wall. But so long as he had a kill switch in his brain, he had to cow to him or have his brains become part of the landscape. And while that might not have been all that important to him in the past, he now had a room full of reasons to swallow his pride and let Ven feel like he had control of him, when really, they both knew the truth.

If Fain wanted his freedom, Ven would be forced to kill him. 'Cause that would be the only way for Ven to keep him leashed. No one hemmed a War Hauk down without their express permission and cooperation.

”You do, my lord.”

”Who do you t.i.the to for your Canting?”

Fain felt the familiar ticcing start in his cheek. ”You... my lord.”

Venik nodded. ”That's right. I am the one you answer to, for everything. And this little fantasy bulls.h.i.+t you've been living ends today. Get your things and report to slag quarters. Now!”

Galene wanted to weep as she saw the bitter resignation in Fain's stralen eyes. This was killing him and there was nothing she could do. d.a.m.n Venik for it.

It was just like watching Fain with his family, all over again. Every time he'd ever tried to have pride in something or to feel good about himself, either Keris, his father, or mother would rush to publicly humiliate him.

And you did it to him on his graduation day.

Galene choked as she realized that. All these years, she'd been focused on her own pain. She'd never once considered what she'd taken from him in return.

His last chance at one untainted memory. How could she have been so selfish?

While her parents had been kind and giving until that moment in time, his hadn't. Fain had never had anything in his life he hadn't bled for. Not one.

What do I do?

Venik faced the captain of the Hadean Corps. ”What are you waiting for? An accommodation, or applause? How about I just kick you in the a.s.s? Now arrest the major before I give in to that latter urge.”

Fain scoffed indignantly. ”No! I just told you what he was doing there. You've no reason to arrest him.”

”And it still doesn't clear him of the matter. If anything, it makes it look worse, and implicates you.”

He gaped in disbelief. ”You don't really believe that?”

”Honestly? I don't know what to think anymore. Maybe I should arrest you both until I sort this out.”

Was he serious? Stunned by his irrational logic, Galene shook her head. ”I can't stay quiet any longer. This is insane and you know it. Fain would never do anything against you.”

Venik turned on her. ”No offense, Commander, this doesn't concern you. Blister is Tavali property. And until you can find me someone else who set those charges, I'm holding the major responsible. Now stand aside, or I'll haul all of you in for interfering with Tavali justice. That is my prerogative.”

”You can't do that, Ven,” Fain said from between clenched teeth. ”C'mon. He's just a kid. You know what they'll do to him in lockup.”

”He's older than you were.”

She saw the involuntary flinch those words wrought and it made her wonder what had happened to Fain when they'd first taken him. It had to be beyond her worst horrific imaginings to make a mighty War Hauk of his caliber react like that all these years later.

And that made her sick to her stomach.

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