Chapter 16
Old Habits Die Hard
Our trip is uneventfulas I steer us into the bay next to our dome.
I help Tilly from the vehicle and walk her home, sending a command for an additional thirty carriers to station themselves outside and guard the interior entrance to our underground quarters.
It’s only a matter of time before word gets out I’ve returned because even if Jayla and Ryland never say a word, I’ll soon be going to theStalethto sniff out the system issues. My family’s safety depends on accurate weather reports and properly working systems. Since I’m the only one who has full control of the Baltin hub, I have a duty to fulfill.
“Here,” I say as I program a coffee for Tilly, who takes it in her shaking hands and sits at the table. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Her fingers wrap around the mug, and she sips, closing her eyes. “I certainly wasn’t bored today.” A harsh laugh shakes her chest. “The aquarium was awesome, but I could’ve skipped out on theTwistermovie scene.”
“I know.” I flip a chair around and straddle it, putting my forearms on the back and resting my chin on an elbow. “I’m sorry for that.”
Her bright green eyes meet mine and she puts a hand on my shoulder. “Hey, it wasn’t your fault. Believe it or not, Baltins aren’t perfect.”
“Maybe not, but if I’d have investigated the system anomalies sooner, your life might not have been in danger today.”
“Stop being so hard on yourself. We’re fine.” She gulps the liquid, then sets the empty cup onto the table with a faint clatter. “What I wouldn’t give for a hot bath instead of a shower, though, to wash all this sweat away.”
“Consider it done. I’ll have a tub installed tomorrow.”
“Really?” Her face perks up. “Can I have bubble bath, and salts, and bath bombs, too?” She clasps her hands under her chin.
“You can have anything under the sun.” I stand, flip the chair around, and stride to her. Bending downward, I take her chin in my hand and pull her face to mine, then give her lips a hungry kiss.
She wraps her arms around my neck in a tight embrace, returning the kiss just as fervently.
After a minute, I break away. “I need to get to work repairing the systems on theStaleth.”
She frowns. “People are going to see you.”
“It can’t be helped. Your safety”—I caress her stomach—“and Kaden’s, depends on me. I will do whatever it takes to protect you from harm.”
Scowling, Tilly swirls a finger on the surface of the table. “You know, if you took us back to Earth, you wouldn’t have to worry about crazy storms breaking—”
“No.” I cut the air with my hand and draw in a deep breath, reining in my temper. “There are even worse dangers on your planet. And on Mars, I have the means to mitigate threats.”
Her slender shoulders fold inward. She drops her gaze to the floor. “I’m kind of tired. Think I’m going to take a nap.”
I help her to stand and brush a kiss against her temple. “Okay. Get some rest. I’ve got plenty of carriers outside to guard you. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
Nodding, she snaps her fingers and KJ follows at her heels as she trudges toward the bedroom.
I want to make her happy, to make this work, yet for some reason, a tight feeling of worry or dread wraps around my chest. For a moment, it feels as if I’m losing control.
No, I’mtakingcontrol. The sooner I figure out what’s going on with the code in the network, the better I can protect them.Today showed me I need to do whatever needs to be done no matter the cost.
I call for a personal transport ship and climb the stairs to wait for it to land. As I pass the Henokan skirmisher in the yard, I let out a chuckle.
Wonder how much trouble Rhys encountered having to report the theft of his own transport ship to the Henokan Circle of Elders?
This thought banishes the lingering dread and I grin. That dull-blue skirmisher, sitting in the middle of the bleak red sand, is like looking at a personal trophy of my triumph.
I whistle out the first notes of Stone Sour’s “Absolute Zero” and watch the black sphere dropping down from the top of the dome, ready to transport me to my ship where I can power up my plasma reserves and get to work on making this world safer.
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