Page 74 of Skinwalker's Bane
“I assumed…the Dreamhawks…” Her throat tightened.
Bishan laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. “TheDreamhawks? As if they would spend credits on a no-name piece of fluff like you, when there were two other heavyweight candidates just waiting? If that’s what you told yourself to make it all go away, that’s your affair. Don’t try to tell me you never wondered even for a moment where it all came from.”
She swallowed and her throat scraped. “I didn’t know,” she said firmly. “You’re too good a liar. That ends now, though. I’m firing you, Bishan. Very soon now, Magorian is going to be banging on your door and I’m pretty sure he’ll have the Bridge Guards with him when he does.”
“Call them off,” Bishan said instantly. “Do whatever you have to, but you get them to turn around and go home. Guards, Magorian, everyone.”
“Why would I do that?”
“You don’t get to fire me, child. You need me too much. Without me, you’re nothing. Without me at your side, the Dreamhawks won’t be nearly as thrilled about picking you as their representative.”
“I’ll take my chances with that,” Devin said.
Bishan laughed. “You don’t get it, do you? My, talk about blind! You really think I sneaked around for years, supplying Dreamhawks players, without upper management knowing?” His expression hardened. “If I’m arrested, I’ll make sure the Hawks know who was responsible. They’ll dump you, Devin. You’ll never be able to make another direct call to any of them. You’ll be the laughing stock of the ship.”
She stared at him, her horror building like a noxious tide inside her.
Adam’s hand came down on her shoulder and squeezed.
Bishan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Adam. “You’re the skinwalker,” he said shortly. “Well, I might have known you’d be nearby.” His gaze moved back to Devin. “I see you’ve sunk to your natural level.”
A door alert sounded and Bishan looked over his shoulder. “Too late,” he told Devin, his tone vicious.
“It was too late, the moment I found out it was you,” she replied. “Have a nice life, Bishan.”
She disconnected before he could speak again. It took two passes over the surface to get the AI to understand her command, because her fingers were trembling so badly.
Adam lifted her up and took her in his arms. “That was one of the gutsiest things I’ve ever seen,” he whispered and kissed her.
She tried to enjoy the kiss. She was shaking too much. He let her go and wiped at her cheeks. “I have to talk to Haydn quickly, let him know Bishan is really the guy.”
“I think…” She cleared her throat, because the words came out high and strained. “I think he’ll probably confirm that all by himself, when he answers the door.”
“Just the same.” He sat in her chair and tapped out a code.
Haydn appeared, dominating a tiny screen. He was using a portable terminal.
“Bishan is the one,” Adam said shortly. “I just witnessed him tell Devin he was.”
Haydn raised his brows, then silently turned the screen. The view wobbled into place. He was standing inside Bishan’s apartment. Turin, Bishan’s longtime partner, was shouting about unfairness, while three Bridge Guards were gripping Bishan’s arms. Magorian stood in the middle of the floor, as solid as a forest tree and just as unmoving. Bishan actually hissed at him as he was marched past.
Haydn turned the screen back to him. “We know,” he said.
“Just wanted to warn you.”
“Thanks. Busy. Later.”
The screen dropped to silver then fragmented and disappeared.
Adam got to his feet again and held her. “Sorry, Devin,” he whispered.
“I guess my day wasn’t as great as I thought it was,” she admitted, her voice wobbling.
“You know he wasn’t bluffing, don’t you?” Adam asked her softly. “He really meant it about the Dreamhawks dropping you like a hot rock, if he was arrested.”
She nodded, her cheek rubbing against his shoulder, and closed her eyes.
“What will you do now?” he asked, just as softly.
