My father’s gone. That reality kept coming back to him and kicking him hard in the stomach. He hadn’t known his real father any time at all really, but the man had come to mean a lot to him. He still couldn’t believe he wouldn’t see him again. Wouldn’t hear the note of exasperation in his father’s voice as he said the dreaded words “I’ve spoken to Bogimir.”
Maybe he should have tried harder to be a prince. To make his father proud. The man had loved him, and in truth, he’d learned to love the old man himself.
I should have told him that.
Of all people, he knew how fleeting and fragile life was. Every time his father had told him he loved him, he’d seen the expectation in his father’s eyes, waiting for Caillen to return the sentiment. And he never had.
I’m such an asshole.
Why hadn’t he said it to his father? Just once? It would have made the man’s day and cost him nothing. I can’t believe I didn’t tell him. Guilt and grief choked him. But there was nothing he could do to rectify it now.
It was too late.
Sighing, there were a lot of things in his life he regretted.
Except for being with Desideria.
Looking down at her on his bare chest, he smiled. Yeah, he’d never regret her.
“Hey, Cai?”
He frowned at Hauk’s strained tone that echoed from the intercom. “Yeah?”
“We got a little situation up here. I think you need to come to the bridge. Fast.”
“Why?”
It was Fain who answered. “Oh nothing really. We’re just about to be attacked, that’s all. Thought you might want to see the death blast coming before it turned us into a flaming ball of twisted metal.”
19
Caillen was still pulling his jacket on as he rejoined Fain and Hauk on the small bridge. “What’s going on?”
Hauk pointed to the monitor. “Loo familiar?”
Caillen’s jaw went slack as the computer brought up the image and schematics of a black fighter and enhanced it. It was one he’d become a little too acquainted with lately. “What the hell? How could he have followed us through a wormhole?”
Fain shrugged. “Well hell if I know. Why don’t you go on out there and ask him? I’m sure he’ll be willing to share. We could have a whole group therapy session and talk about all of our negative feelings and deepest-held secrets while we’re at it too.”
Hauk rolled his eyes at Fain’s sarcasm. “Technology is ever evolving, my friend.”
“Evolving my ass.” Caillen switched to the ship’s markings just to be sure. And yes, there was no denying the bastard’s identity. It was the same assassin who’d been following them since the beginning. “This is ridiculous. No one can trace through a wormhole. There’s too much distortion.”
Hauk shrugged. “Ridiculous or not, he’s on our tail and our weapons are still down.”
Caillen growled low in his throat as he motioned Hauk out of his seat so that he could take the controls from him. It was time he—
A blast of orange lit up the space in front of him. His blood pumping, he saw the new addition to their party. Small, sleek and blood red, the fighter shot past their nose so close he could feel the vapor trail. It flew in a familiar erratic pattern…
Fain headed for the guns to try and repair them.
Caillen stopped him as he had a gut suspicion about the pilot’s identity. Please let me be right. If he was, this was a good thing.
Maybe.
God, don’t have a long memory. Was it too much to ask for a small concussion to forget just that one little incident…? Opening a channel, he hailed the new fighter. “1-9-8-2-6 is that you, Aniwaya?”
When the answer came in, the deep baritone voice made him smile. If lethal ever had a proper name, it was Chayden Aniwaya. That rogue bastard was many things to many people. Assassin. Self-serving pirate. Thief. Brutal fighter when crossed. But to Caillen he was known by one simple thing.
Friend.
At least some days.
Please gods let this be one of those days.
“Dagan, you worthless bastard, what are you doing in my sector and in the company of an unauthorized fighter no less? Don’t you know that’s suicide here? You’re lucky my boys haven’t raked your basement.”
“Bleeding mostly,” Caillen said, answering his first question before he addressed the latter. “That UF you noted happens to be an unidentified assassin on our tail. Any chance of an assist?”
“Depends. You going to sleep with my girlfriend again while you’re in my sector?”
Gah, so much for a concussion. Why did Aniwaya keep bringing that up? Make one little mistake and damned if you couldn’t ever live it down. It was doubly annoying since Aniwaya basically agreed with him. Any woman who’d snake around when attached wasn’t worth grieving over. “How many times do I have to tell you that I had no idea you two were together?”
“Until the day I actually believe your sorry hide.”
Caillen scoffed. “Hey now, I only lie about my cargo, never my women.”
“Sad thing, Dagan, I actually believe that.” Chay broke off their conversation as he engaged the fighter.