“It’s been years. I have grown up,” Shank said, unhappiness giving his voice a sharp edge.
Claire looked him up and down. “I hope so. You wouldn’t like what might happen if you were trying to play some game. Now, this can go one of two ways. You can turn around so I can check you for weapons, and then we can have a little talk, or I can assume you’re running a con, and I can shoot you in the kneecap and walk away. Take your pick.”
Allie couldn’t do anything but watch as Shank slowly turned around, his hands still up. “I know you’re probably pissed, but a year and a half in the service can change a man’s mind, Claire.”
Claire stepped closer until she rested the muzzle of her weapon against the small of Shank’s back. Other than a slight cringe, Shank didn’t react at all.
“It changed you enough that you would choose that wet-behind-the-ears bitch puppy.” Claire’s tone was thick with derision.
“She was the strongest woman on the ship and the only one who would even try to play dynamic games,” Shank said. “Besides, she and Copta are the ones with the plan to steal theCandiru.”
“Right, because the men in your world are just muscle. God forbid you try to make plans without a woman around, although in your specific case that’s a pretty good piece of advice.” Claire gave a cold laugh, and Allie really wanted to punch her. Shank and Cetan could strategize as well as any men in the service, and they’d shown that as they’d sat around a table and plotted this mission. And if Shank’s initial rescue plan had a few holes in it...well it wasn’t like the rest of them hadn’t gone along with it.
“Put your hands behind your back,” Claire ordered.
“You’ve got to be kidding. I asked you here to talk.” Shank turned, but Claire raised the gun to aim it at Shank’s head. This was not going to plan. Not at all.
“Turn back around,” Claire said firmly.
Shank looked at her a second before facing the back of the room. “What are we doing here, Claire?”
“The question is what am I doing, because you’re following orders. Put your hands behind your back now.”
From her spot hidden behind a grate in the false wall, Allie could see Shank press his lips together in anger; however, he didn’t have a lot of choice. He put his hands behind his back, and Claire used a quick tie to secure them.
“So now can I ask what you’re doing?”
Claire held the tie in one hand and used the other to pat him down. Each weapon she found, she confiscated and tucked away. By the time she was finished, she had felt up every inch of Shank’s body and confiscated quite a few knives, two guns, and a completely illegal garrote Shank had hidden down the inside of his boot.
“You’re coming to this meeting well-armed,” Claire commented. Allie had to agree, not that she blamed him. She was just shocked at how many weapons he’d brought.
“And I didn’t draw any of them.”
“Right. You wanted to talk about old times; maybe you thought I’d enjoy remembering how you made a fool out of me by siding with your mother over the woman you’d promised your life to. Do you want to talk about that? I lost a lot to follow you.” Claire grabbed the back of his shirt, making the front stretch across his chest.
“You didn’t lose anything except a little pride.”
“I lost my seniority on theMonitor. I thought we could make a living on that ship your mother owns, but no. She has to control everything. And your father... I’ve never met a more ineffectual man.”
“He died leading a raid,” Shank said, his voice tight with emotion.
“Maybe he had balls when he went up against the rest of the world, but he let your mother run his life.”
“Mother owns the ship,” Shank said. “I thought you understood that.”
“I did,” Claire said. She still had her weapon in her hand, and she rested it against Shank’s hip. She was almost as tall as him, so she looked him right in the eye. “I thought I was getting a crown prince, and instead I got a low-ranked crew member who didn’t even take a full share of ship profit.”
Allie had a need to shoot this woman that was so visceral she could feel it in her bones. But the bitch wouldn’t come farther into the room where Allie had a good shot, and she wouldn’t risk trying to shoot around Shank.
“So, you looked at me and saw profit?” Shank raised his chin. Now that he’d turned, Allie could see him clench his hands into fists. The ties were so tight that the skin around them was turning white.
“I saw someone who could have been happy at my side and in my bed. I was good to you.” She reached down and grabbed Shank’s crotch. “I took care of you the way no one ever had, and when push came to shove, instead of submitting to me and trusting me, you turned on me like a rabid dog. So, why do I want to let myself in for that sort of trouble again?” Claire stood so close to Shank that Allie couldn’t see any space between them. That was a problem for Allie, and not just because it made it really difficult to target Claire with her borrowed stunner.
Shank looked at her, his fists still clenched. “I missed you,” he said in an even tone. “I was young, and I made mistakes, but no more than you.”
“Me?” Claire took a step back. “Oh, this should be good. Let’s hear what mistakes I made, young prince.”
Shank inched toward the hidden panel where Allie waited. “You made me choose between you and my family. You didn’t give me any chance to get my feet under me or figure out who I was when I wasn’t the son of Hotah and Anpaytoo Lacroix. You just expected me to turn off all that loyalty to them, and you made it worse by picking fight after fight with my mother, even when you didn’t need to.”
