Catalyst (17 page)

“They want me because I’ve been tracking the guilty down, gathering evidence.”

“But you didn’t have anything to do with the explosions.”

He shook his head. “Not me, but I know the man who did. Haven’t located him yet.”

“If Saturna wanted the mines, why blow up the planet?”

“I honestly think Saturna didn’t plan on blowing up the entire planet. It was set to go off on a day when most were taking the day off, and I believe only the mines were supposed to be affected.”

“Then what happened?”

I leaned forward, wrapped my arms around my knees. “I think a new substance was used, but all I have is a grainy image of it and the device it was in. It’s not much to go on.”

“Which is why I’ve yet to figure that part out,” Jacks said. “But I’ve spent most of my time working on gathering evidence. There are three people still missing and one in particular is dumb enough to have kept copies of files somewhere. If can find him, I can hack into his systems and have enough to shut Saturna down.”

Bastian spoke up. “Jacks is one of the inventors of Third Degree.”

Jarana whistled. “That’s a nice program. I use it quite a bit. So what do you have as evidence so far? And who is the one you want to find the most?”

“Probably Crichton,” I broke in. “His lover at the time and the one who set the explosives.”

“He’s off grid, but I had a recent lead. My brother was following that lead. Where is my brother?”

She narrowed her eyes, studied Jacks. “He looks like you. I locked him up with the big sexy blond.”

“Anders?” Jacks straightened away from the wall. “You locked him up with Anders? Bad move.”

Lux lifted her head, her grin there and gone before she groaned. “It’s a funny move. Those two fight like brothers.”

Jarana snorted. “Brothers, my ass. Anders wants in Captain Sexy’s pants.”

“Captain Asshole,” I corrected. “He was supposed to kidnap you and took us instead.”

“I did get that out of him.”

“So how did you get on his ship?” Jacks asked.

“Like I’m gonna give out trade secrets. Let’s just say your brother isn’t as smart as he thinks he is, and
everyone
has to refuel.” She drank the rest of the water in her tube then nudged Lux. “Sit up and drink the water so you feel better. The faster you do that, the faster we get home. I miss my family.”

She didn’t wait for Lux to answer, merely stood and set her empty drinking tube on top of the simulator. She walked to Jacks and placed her hands on her hips. “You get a reprieve, but only because I can tell Vala and Bastian like you, and because part of your story matched with what I’ve managed to dig up. Let’s go back to that computer room and you can show me what you’ve got and give me the name of the ‘dumb’ Saturna partner you think will have kept his files.”

“He’s a human. Para Lashin.”

The instant tension in Bastian’s body against my back made me turn to look at him. His color started to match Lux’s and I frowned. “You know him?

He nodded. “Remember when I told you I traded a year of my life for passage back to Kithra? It was with him.”

Jarana groaned. “I’ve heard of him. In fact, there’s a pretty fat bounty out on him. Slave trade.”

Jacks crossed the floor and squatted next to us. “You spent a year with that animal?” At Bastian’s nod, Jacks stood, hands in fists, nostrils flaring as his eyes narrowed into slits of blue ice. “He was one of the partners when I worked for them. There were rumors…” He trailed off, shut his eyes.

“I’m going to be sick,” I murmured, my heart a block of ice in my chest.

“Hey,” Bastian put his arms around me. “That’s all over, and though I wish I’d never met the man, he did keep his promise in the end and take me to Kithra. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have met you.” He looked up. “And you, Jacks.” He tucked my hair behind my ears, nudged up my chin.

The love shining in those warm brown and amber eyes made me kiss him.

“Hello!” Jarana released a long suffering sigh. “Are any of you
thinking
here?”

I let go of Bastian only to find myself gently lifted aside as Jacks pulled Bastian to his feet and wrapped him in a tight embrace. Not feeling slighted in the least, I took in the shattered expression on Jacks’ face, and decided I couldn’t yet know what it was he seemed to know. Someday, I’d want to hear if Bastian wanted to share, but right then, I could not hear details. The look on Jacks’ face told me in no uncertain terms that he could never “un-know” what he’d seen in his mind. He pulled back, looking into Bastian’s face.

“I’m okay,” Bastian said softly. He kissed Jacks, and my toes curled in my boots at the instant heat that poured off the two.

“This is all really touching—”

“And fucking hot,” Lux muttered, breaking in. “I want to go home and watch Kol and Egan kiss. Someone get me some more water.”

Growling, Jarana stomped to the simulator and got Lux water. “Seriously, are you guys not realizing how important this information is? Stop trying to swallow each other’s tongues and listen to me.”

“Shut up, Jarana.” I stood and crossed my arms. “We’re still in the honeymoon stage here—”

“And I’m not?” She glared. “I want to see my men and my daughter something fierce. I…
ache
for them. But, Lux, when did you pick up Bastian on that supply station?”

“You want me to think, Tracker?” She sat up and pulled sweaty strands of hair off her mouth, grimacing. “I hate you.”

Bastian pulled away from Jacks. “It doesn’t matter when she picked me up. I know exactly where Para Lashin is hiding. He’s using an alias and running an entertainment ship.” He smiled at Jacks. “And I already know his passwords. That’s how I got him to keep his word.”

“Blackmail?” Jacks gripped Bastian’s elbow. “How are you still alive? Para Lashin is one of the most disgusting, ruthless people I ever met.”

“Blackmail always worked for me,” Lux pointed out.

Bastian patted his hand. “He has an enforcer working for him who liked me. A lot. He was…nice.”

I walked over to slide my arm around his waist. “Figures. That pretty face can probably get away with a lot of things.”

“Not all of them good.” Jacks, jaw still tight, walked to the simulator and programmed a glass of that spicy Toquerian ale he liked so much. He downed two of them before squaring his shoulders and turning to Jarana. “If we can find his ship, I can get into his system. We could possibly have enough evidence to shut Saturna down.”

“That’ll take away your bounty.” She tapped her booted foot on the stone floor. “I could sure use that money.”

His eyes narrowed, but I started laughing. I couldn’t help it. “Suns, Jacks, she’s messing with you.”

She inclined her head. “I am. Those people destroyed so much for
metal
. I’d rather see them go down.”

Lux suddenly groaned loudly and ran into the bathroom. Sounds of her losing her water made me wince.

“Your planet sucks ass!” she yelled.

“Guess we can go let your brother out to help.” She looked at me. “You two planning to ride back with us?”

Bastian and I looked at each other, then Jacks. I shook my head. “Even if we manage to hit Saturna and get the price off Jacks’ head, this isn’t done. We still have to find Crichton. He’s the one who actually set off the explosives.” I hugged my arms around my waist because it hit me that I probably wouldn’t be seeing my sister, brothers or mothers any time soon.

“Vala,” Jacks said, voice low as he came to me and cupped my cheeks. “Vala, sweetheart, you and Bastian can’t stay here. You need to go home. Your family needs you. Kithra needs you.”

“What about you?” I blinked at him, licked my lips nervously. “Do you need us?”

He closed his eyes and put his forehead against mine. “I’ll always need you. Both of you.”

“Then we’ll work something out.”

Jacks stared at Bastian. “You’re the catalyst, Bastian. The very thing I needed to bring this all down.”

Bastian shrugged. “Maybe. I can’t wait to ruin Para Lashin’s life.” He rubbed his hands together.

Lux walked slowly from the bathroom. “Starting to feel better, but I want back on my ship soon. Want that nice, fake, non-humid air.” She grinned at Jarana, a return of her usual spunk showing in her sparkling eyes. “Hey, Tracker, looks like the sexy kid took over your title.
Catalyst
.”

My mouth dropped open when actual red filled Jarana’s cheeks. “Never thought I’d see you blush, Tracker. I’d love to hear all about this.”

“Never,” she snapped, glaring at Lux. “Want me to share a few details of our past?”

“Probably not.” She grinned.

It wasn’t easy finding Para Lashin.

Two days later, Jarana had become a furious, determined creature, huddled in front of a set of vidscreens she’d taken over. Lux, feeling better, spent most of her time laughing with Anders. He hadn’t been upset with them for taking over the ship, but Claybourne still glowered. More so at Anders than the others. I was guessing he was the reason for the big, black eye Anders sported.

Bastian, at Jarana’s side, pointed at a map on one of the screens, his voice low as he explained how the ex-Saturna partner blackmailed government officials to get his ship into places no entertainment ship was usually allowed.

Jacks stood near Bastian, had barely left his side in the last two days. He hadn’t said a word about what he knew of this Lashin character, and I was still glad. But his protective hovering over Bastian told me a lot.

Fury crept in to stab at my heart every time I thought about Bastian spending a year with this person, the one who’d taught him true evil existed.

“You’re gripping that knife like you plan to stab someone in this room. Can I pick who?” Lux slumped next to me, pushed electronics on the table aside with her booted foot before crossing her legs at the ankles.

“I’m just cleaning them.” I rubbed the soft cloth of what had been that ugly blue T-shirt over the blade of my knife.

“The kid seems okay, Vala,” she whispered.

“He’s not a kid.”

“No,” she murmured, frowning at me. “I suppose he isn’t. Not with what we’ve learned. But he looks good now. Happy, in fact.” She lifted one leg, nudged me with her boot. “You keeping him?”

“I’m keeping them both.”

“I doubt Jacks will want to live on Kithra.”

Pain slashed my heart again. “I know.”

She dropped her feet and scooted her chair closer to mine. She’d pulled her long, dark hair into a ponytail and it spilled over her shoulder as she leaned toward me. “Vala, you can’t live here. The court is nice and all, but this place is too remote. And depressing as hell. And what about your sister? Your brothers and mothers? I know they’re looking forward to moving to Kithra with you and Yaira.”

“I don’t know, okay?” I whispered. “We’re about to reveal what happened to Kithra, Lux. We’re about take down one of the biggest companies in the galaxies. I’m in love and everything in my life is changing, and I don’t know what I’m going to do at this point, okay?”

She touched my arm. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Vala. Guess I’m trying to say I’d miss you too. I can be selfish. Ignore me.”

My shoulders slumped and I set my knife on the table. When I looked up, it was to meet Jacks’ gaze. He hadn’t moved. I hoped he couldn’t hear us, but he watched me. I looked down, traced one of the vordun flowers on my arm.

“Got him.” Jarana’s murmured words came in a fierce tone that pulled every one of us over to stand behind her chair.

“So what do we do now?” I asked. “Go after him?”

Jarana tapped the screen. “I have good contacts on this planet. I can have them round him up in less than twenty-four hours.”

“No,” Jacks said. “I’ll patch into his ship and get his files, turn those over.”

“What the hell, Jackson?” Clay yelled, grabbing his brother’s arm hard. “After all these years you don’t want to go after the man yourself? You’ll be able to leave this hellhole!”

“Really?” Jacks narrowed his eyes and stared until Clay let go. “What about Crichton?”

“Then let me go after Lashin.”

“I’m so close, Clay. I get those files, turn them in and the news of what really happened to Kithra will be everywhere within seconds. Lashin will hide again.”

Anders stepped up behind Clay, put his hand on the captain’s shoulder. “Give us a head start. We know how to find him now.” His lip curled.

I waited for Jarana to offer to go, watched her indecision as she chewed on her bottom lip. She’d lost everyone she’d loved in those explosions. She closed her eyes and shock made my mouth fall open when she shook her head. “I miss my family too much to ride along. I’ll stay, help Jackson do the hack. But you have to take Lux to get our ship so she can come here and get Vala, Bastian and me. Who knows how long it’ll take you to hunt Lashin down. I just want to go home. I want to hold my daughter.”

Jacks went still with her words. Bastian turned in his chair to stare at him. We both waited for him to say something about the plan, but all he did was nod. It felt like someone punched me through the chest. My eyes stayed glued to Jacks as he moved to his chair. “I can be patched into Lashin’s files within hours.” He put his fingers on that silly old-fashioned keyboard, hesitated, then looked up at his brother. “Thanks for going after him.”