Page 42 of Alien's Heart
Ruth did not immediately reply. She pressed her lips together and looked away. Nox grew concerned that his confession upset her.
A laugh tore across the room. Her body quaked with amusement. “Oh my heavens, Nox No-Surname, that’s the most ridiculous thing. You like working with people.” She twisted in his lap. Mirth shone in her eyes. “I should laugh because I know debt collection is code for busting kneecaps, but hey, you like working with people.”
Her laughter filled the room. The storm vanished. The world vanished. There was only him and his mate. He’d do anything to stay in that moment, even expose all his secrets.
“It is true. My uncle fills a need in the community by providing loans to high-risk clients,” he said.
“He’s a loan shark!”
Nox had heard that term before, always slung as an insult, which he never understood. “Sharks are predators. I think it is apt. What about your family?”
“Dad left when I was a kid. Mom died a few years ago. I just have my brother left.” She twisted her hair around a finger. “We’ve never really got along. I sort of wish I had one of those families that’s always on the phone, all up in my business, but I don’t. I haven’t seen my brother in years. We send messages on holidays and birthdays, but I think it’s his wife who does most of that.”
“That sounds lonely,” he said. For all his family’s flaws, he always had someone. He had never been alone, not even when he was a frightened orphan or a used-up cage fighter.
“I think we’re both too much alike, honestly. He’s too critical, and I’m too blunt. Anyway, we get along better when we’re not in the same room.”
“Or planet.”
“Hardy har har,” she said in a flat tone. “So, is it your uncle that you’re hiding from?”
“I stole something very valuable to him.”
“Money? Drugs? Blackmail? A recording of a murder confession? A priceless work of art?” She paused long enough to take a breath. “Help me out. I’ve watched a lot of detective shows, and I like making lists. I can keep going all night.”
“I stole his daughter.”
She pulled away, sitting close. Not close enough. Nox ached to have her back in his arms.
“Explain,” she said. “I’m trusting that you stole a person for a good reason and not to make a quick buck.”
“Human idioms do not translate properly. A fast stag is nonsensical.”
“Oh my God, Nox. Read the room. Now is not the time to make a joke. Explain what you meant.”
He was not joking, but since he could read the room, he moved on. “This is very important. No one must ever know.”
She nodded. “Sure.”
“Swear to me, Ruth. No one. Not even Serene.”
She reached for his hand. “I swear,” she said in a solemn tone.
“Harmony is my cousin and my friend.” He paused to swallow a sudden burst of nervousness. “My only friend. My uncle planned to mate her off to a business partner against her will. So, I stole her.”
She squeezed his hand.
Now that he had started his confession, he could not stop. “It was a complex problem. Ashen had security on Harmony at all times. He never allowed her much freedom, but once the engagement was set, he kept her locked up tight. All communication was monitored. She is clever, though, and found a way to get a message to me. I had to act fast. Hide my credits, hide credits for Harmony. I had several false identity bands made. You discovered one of them. We fled to Olympus Station. It is large enough that a person can become lost in the crowd.”
“I remember that station. It’s massive.”
“I disposed of her identity band there. Harmony left on a shuttle. I made certain that she did not share those details with me, in case—”
“In case your uncle caught up with you,” Ruth said, finishing his thought.
“Exactly. The plan was for me to switch identities, take the first shuttle leaving the station, and do another switch. You know I encountered Distinction at a bar and what happened next.”
“Switching places with a stranger you met in a chance encounter. That’s good,” she said. “I mean, you couldn’t plan for that, so it’d be difficult for anyone to track you.”
