Page 48 of Honor Bound

Deep down, she realized what she was experiencing was different. Roan wasn’t the kind of man a womansettledon. She also wanted—needed—to believe that Roan was nothing like his father and uncle because she was attracted to him.

If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she was afraid. Afraid that if she gave her heart to Roan that she wouldn’t survive another betrayal if he was.

Julia looked up when the galley door hissed open. Roan stood in the doorway, his presence filling the room despite the stealthy way he moved. His dark eyes met hers immediately, scanning her face with an intensity that made her breath hitch.

Neither of them spoke.

Julia forced herself to sit straighter, carefully masking her fragile emotions. The air between them hummed with unspoken words, sharp and expectant.He took a step inside, his gaze never leaving hers.

“We need to talk,” he said quietly, his voice steady but laced with something heavier—something she couldn’t quite name.

Julia swallowed, setting her cup down with deliberate calm. “Yes, we do.”

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

He paused in the doorway, his eyes taking in the dim, neat galley; the scarred metal table, and the worn bench seat fused to the deck. The room was cozy. That was the only way to describe the area that was barely big enough for four people. Hell, it was smaller than both of the prison cells he had been in recently.

The hum of the freighter’s lighting system overhead was the only sound apart from the faint clink of Julia’s cup against the table as she set it down. He didn’t miss the exhaustion shadowing her face, nor the glimmer of moisture on her cheek that she wiped away just a fraction too late.

“We found the tracking device Hutu left,” he said.

Julia nodded and gave him a weak, crooked smile in response. Before she had time to pull up her mask, he caught the doubt in her eyes—a fleeting glimpse that told him far more than words ever could.

His chest tightened and he realized that for the first time in a long, long time, he needed to be transparent with her. He suspected he would only get one chance to prove he was being honest with her. The realization didn’t sit well with him.

Honesty wasn’t something he did well. Not because he didn’t want to, but because it had never been safe. Vulnerability could be manipulated, used against him. Honesty could get him killed. He had learned those lessons too young and too well.

For years, he had locked those memories away. They served no purpose except to remind him of what he couldn’t change. But for some reason, he wanted her to know, needed her to understand.

Crossing the room, he retrieved a cup from the cabinet and programmed the dispenser. The scent of tea rose in lazy curls of steam. His movements were measured, deliberate. He needed the calm, familiar movements before he said what he had to say.

He turned and crossed to the table. He slid onto the bench, the smooth, polished metal cool beneath him, and sat across from her. His lips twisted into a rueful smile when he met her gaze.

“Thanks again for rescuing me.”

Julia’s lips twitched, the faintest hint of a smile. “I’m sure you would have found a way out without us.”

“Maybe,” he said with a shrug, his eyes holding hers. “But I think I prefer your method. How exactly did you convince Sergi and La’Rue to be your partners in crime?”

Her smile grew, the tension in her shoulders easing just slightly. “It wasn’t that hard to convince Sergi to buck the system. He likes a little chaos. I don’t think La’Rue had much choice. Not if she wants to keep up with Sergi. Someone will need to keep him out of trouble. I think she might be able to—when he isn’t corrupting her.” Julia reached into her pocket and withdrew a small silver disk, sliding it across the table toward him. “Roanna gave me this. I forgot about it with everything going on. Sorry.”

Roan’s fingers closed around the disk, a flicker of recognition flashing across his face. “Thank you. I’ll need to get this to La’Rue before we come out of hiding.”

“You know what’s on it?” she asked with surprise.

He nodded, his lips curving upward as he fingered the disk. “Yes. My grandmother was aware that I would need transportation after I escaped.” He looked up at her, the smile on his lips was not reflected in his eyes. “She was as confident as you were that I would. She has a ship tucked away on one of the floating asteroids. Once it is clear, I’ll have La’Rue take us to it.”

He didn’t miss the way Julia’s eyes widened slightly when he said ‘us’; nor the way a slight flush rose in her cheeks before she lowered her eyes to the disk he was fingering. He placed the disk on the table between them and leaned back in his chair. His focus dropped to the cup in his hands. The words he needed to say felt heavier than he expected.

“You know more about me than anyone else—except maybe my father and uncle,” he admitted. His voice was calm, though it felt as if he was walking a knife’s edge. His fingers lightly traced the rim of the cup. “I’ve never told anyone this before.”

He didn’t look at her when he began. “When my mother was murdered, my father took me. I was seven.”

Julia’s breath hitched softly, but her expression didn’t shift into pity or sympathy—just quiet interest.

“I went from running wild on Plateau, exploring every inch of my grandmother’s islands, to a rigid world of lessons and military training. Every day was about survival—just getting through it without breaking.” Roan traced the rim of his cup. “When I cried for my mother, my father threw me into a sensory deprivation chamber for an entire day. It was a week after her death.”

Julia inhaled sharply, but still—she didn’t pity him. She simplylistened. His glance flickered to her face before he looked down again.

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