The gun at Jun’s side weighed more heavily in his holster beneath Theo’s accusing gaze. Jun struggled to come up with the words to reassure him that he would not come to harm at Jun’s hands. It was with the full, exhausting knowledge that it was too little, too late, that he finally responded, soft and low. “I won’t hurt you.”
“Really? Excellent.” Theo’s voice had gained an edge that left Jun metaphorically bleeding all over the grungy metal floor. “So I’ll just leave, then, shall I? Whenever I want?”
Panic surged, toppling Jun’s good intentions like a flimsy tower of sticks as he stepped into the room, resisting the urge to reach out and hold Theo in place. “No. You can’t leave.”
Jun had only just found him. Dr. Campbell, the key to the brick wall of code he’d been slamming his head against for over a year. He couldn’t allow him to slip through his guilty, bloodstained fingers, now.
In true, magnificent form, Theo pushed off the bed and stood facing Jun, arms akimbo.
Throughout his career, Jun had stared down heavily armed men twice Theo’s size who weren’t half as fearless. He tried to dampen the fire in his heart that Theo’s snappish tone had set ablaze.
“And precisely how do you intend to enforce my captivity without hurting me?” Theo demanded. “Tape me to another chair? Glue my shoes to the floor like the villain of a children’s story?”
In different circumstances, Jun would have him against the wall with his slender wrists pinned above his head, where he could show Dr. Campbell exactly what his insolence would earn him. Probably twice, before he was done for the night.
But the inestimable Dr. Theo Campbell was Jun’s captive, not his…anything else. He was a crucial component in Jun’s plans. Thousands of lives hinged upon his cooperation. Any attraction Jun might feel, however intense and unexpected, was a distraction he couldn’t afford. In these circumstances, Jun had to think with his head, not with his—
Circumstances being what they were, he kept a respectful distance, meeting Theo’s glare with one of his own, an expression that usually cowed all but the toughest members of his Crew. “I’ll do what I have to do.”
Bare, pink toes curled against the cold metal floor as Theo stalked closer, not in the least intimidated by Jun’s carefully cultivated scowl. “Yes, that’s just what a villain would say, isn’t it? Now, can you do an evil laugh for effect? I’d like to get the full experience.”
Three times. Twice, against the wall, and then once on the bed after Dr. Campbell was all wrung-out and needy.
Under different, less shitty circumstances.
But Jun didn’t have time for thoughts of long red hair and fiery eyes when every ounce of his exhausted focus must remain on his goal.
Or else, what was the point of all this? All of the sacrifice and loss, the compromised ethics, the kidnapping of an innocent academic. And all the other things that kept him awake during his rest cycle.
He had to remain firm, speak honestly and quietly, try not to intimidate while retaining his authority. “I have no intention of hurting you.”
Theo stepped a little closer, lifting his chin, elegant spine rigid with defiance. “I suppose you know what they say about good intentions? You will or you won’t; your intentions mean nothing. Either way, I’m leaving at the next opportunity, so I imagine you’ll have to decide.”
There was fear in the back of his eyes. Fear matched by the dread in Jun’s chest at the notion of losing him when Jun was finally so close to getting the answers he needed.
Jun fought against pleading. “No. You can’t.” He winced internally as panic echoed in his voice, low and sharp.
Theo strode purposefully toward the doorway Jun was blocking as if he had any idea where he was going. “I suppose we shall just have to wait and see precisely what I can and cannot do.”
Pressing one hand flat to Theo’s warm chest, Jun held him at arm’s length, palm sweaty against the lace of his cravat. In his exhaustion, Jun finally lost control, panic breaking through as he rasped, “People will die.”
It was painfully obvious Theo was not prepared for that. He froze midstep, knee bent as he leaned into Jun’s restraining hand. “What do you mean by that?” Righteous anger leaked out of his voice until only confusion was left behind.
The space between them shrank by slow inches as Jun let Theo fall forward into the step he had been meaning to take. From this distance, he could see the hint of stubble on Theo’s chin, like tiny dots of sunlight caught within the dismal confines of the ship.
“If you don’t help me”—Jun put every ounce of determination into his words, each one weighed and measured—“if you leave now, people are going to die.”
Theo took a sharp breath, and Jun removed his hand, reminded of what a terrifically bad idea it had been to touch him in the first place. Intelligent eyes searched his face as if scanning a complicated document. “What? Which people?”
It was an exceptionally Core thing for him to say, and it sent a flash of rage through Jun like a power surge.
No different than the Quorum, the corrupt Core governing body that blithely ignored the tragedies of those with the misfortune of existing beyond the chosen few planets. Verge settlers and Outliers from the Restricted Sector, who scraped and clawed their way through life outside Core protection, were considered less-than. It made Jun’s blood boil.
Jun clenched and unclenched his hand beside his hip, trying to erase the phantom warmth of Theo from his fingertips. “Does it matter?” His control slipped further, venom dripping. “Would you refuse if they were Outliers like me?”
Theo pushed his hair back behind his ears, face creased with confusion. “No, of course not. It’s
