“’Cause he’s little Bastien, all the way. Just look at him. He’s not your son so much as your clone.”
Rian was digging around the engine, toying with various belts. Just the way Bastien tinkered whenever he had a new toy. He looked up with a charming smile that was identical to the one his father used whenever he got caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.
Bastien grinned proudly.
Ember groaned and then had to smile at the two of them and the trouble she was in while facing their combined force.
Cin wrapped her arms around her. “I like seeing you with that expression on your face.”
She leaned back against her sister. “It’s not happiness. I’m imagining creative places to hide Bastien’s body should my child be harmed.”
Brand laughed.
Until Badger returned, with Kindel in tow, hauling enough explosives that it made her sick to her stomach. Ember couldn’t believe how much he’d found.
Or how quickly.
Good Jake, you are Bastien’s brother.
How had their family ever survived to become rulers of anything?
Bastien forced Rian down the ladder and away from the ship while they wired the explosives.
Against the child’s protests, she had Brand take him home so that if something went wrong—like she maimed his father over this “brilliant” plan, he wouldn’t be here to witness it.
Or worse, get caught in the blast range.
Crossing her arms over her chest, she watched the men running around to rig the explosives. Bastien was a little too cavalier with the highly volatile compound for her tastes. As was Badger. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing?”
“Not at all,” Bastien said with a laugh. He scowled at Badger. “Is it the red and green wires you’re not supposed to cross?”
“Um, yeah. So please don’t forget that. Especialy while I’m in range.”
Bastien nodded. “I guess this would be a bad time to tell you I’m color blind?”
Badger turned stark white. “Are you effing kidding?”
“He’s joking, Xander.” Ember laughed.
Bastien flashed that evil grin. “You feel more alive now, though, right?”
The expression on Badger’s face said that he wanted a place to hide Bastien’s body now. “I swear I’m going to murder you.”
Bastien laughed again as he finished wiring the ship.
Once they’d jumped down, Bastien scowled at the remote. “Boy, I hope I didn’t fuck up those connections.”
It was her turn to go pale. “Meaning?”
“You might want to stand back a few miles while I do this.”
“Bastien…”
He calmly flipped the switch. “Oh hey, it’s all right. I’ll be damned. Works. That’s a first!”
Xander screwed his face up. “He always like this?”
“Yes,” she growled. “You should have been in the field with him.”
“I’m surprised his own troops didn’t shoot him … in the back … of the head.”
“They tried,” Kindel said with a laugh. “Bastard moves fast for an aristos.”
Meanwhile Bastien continued to chuckle at them while he launched the ship. “Time for that spectacular enema.”
A few minutes later, they heard The League commander telling Bastien to drop shields.
Bastien’s face lost color. “Ah, minsid hell, I forgot that part.…”
“Ha, ha,” Badger mocked. “You’re not funny, Cabarro.”
“He’s not joking this time.” Ember stepped forward. “What do we do?”
Bastien glanced around at all of them. “Run!”
“Not without you.”
He grimaced at her. “You don’t even like me.”
“I know. But it would traumatize my son if I let you die right now.”
“Great.” Bastien started to argue, but there wasn’t time. He met Badger’s gaze. “Don’t scramble fighters. Withdraw everyone into whatever bomb shelters you have. Tonde!”
Issuing orders, everyone evacuated in expectation of a League assault.
Ember took Bastien’s hand and ran toward the condos where her sisters lived with Rian. There would be shelters there.
They heard the fighter detonation over their links.
It was followed by sirens blaring to warn them of an impending strike.
“Cabarro!” The League MCO shouted. “You’ve damned them all by your actions!”
Bastien cursed under his breath.
An instant later, bombs fell against the station, jarring them off their feet.
Bastien grabbed Ember and threw her under a reinforced beam as another shock wave went through the building and brought down sections of the roof and walls around them. “You always rocked my world. Nice to know things haven’t changed.”
She moaned at his cheesy lines. “Not the time.”
Suddenly, there was a massive strike against the base. One that lit up the sky like a nuclear device had detonated. The wave from it was so fierce that it knocked all of them from their feet.
The whistling sound of engines and bombings deafened her.
Amidst the smoking debris, Bastien rose slowly and helped her up.