Page 52 of Rescued

EPILOGUE

HEROD

“Nice to see you, old friend,” I said, throwing an arm around Nikathy, who only rolled his eyes at me.

After takingDestinyand bringing Caimbrie aboard, he had returned home to see about some business. Whatever had gone wrong with his earlier shipments, it seemed the heat had dissipated, and he was safe enough to show his face again. He maintained a fifty percent claim to theDestiny, as it had been his idea in the first place, but he had family business to attend to and didn’t mind letting me take her.

“I wish the circumstances were better,” Nikathy muttered, and we shared a solemn acknowledgement. “But Pops wouldn’t have wanted us to be moping around, now would he?”

He got a cheeky smile, and I knew he was up to no good.

Several ships buzzed low over the port, a cacophony of noise that made my ears feel like they were bleeding. Long after the ships passed, my ears still rang, and I struggled to understand anything being said around me. Fortunately, it didn’t seem to make much difference.

“To Pops!” Nikathy cheered, raising his drink in the air. There was applause and all of us raised our own drinks and took a big swig.

Music played and the port broke into dance as colleagues old and new joined in the festivities. If Nikathy was sad about the sudden loss of his father, he didn’t show it. They hadn’t been close. But he pulled me aside after another round of drinks and handshakes with everyone wishing him well.

“All right, I’m glad I’ve got you here. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”

“What about?” I asked, raising my eyebrows over the rim of my cup as I drank.

“About the family business. I’ll be taking over, obviously, and I’d like to strike up a deal. You and Caimbrie have a good thing going, and I want a piece of that pie. But I am just as interested in keeping the Patrol at bay. I’ve got an idea of how you and Adreax can help me out, and I can ensure that the two of you can continue your little raids on the Patrol as often as you’d like.”

His voice had lowered to a whisper, and his head was nearly touching mine as he tried to shield his words from everyone around us. I looked around curiously. There was no telling what he had in mind, but anything that involved working together to disarm the Patrol was a worthy endeavor in my view.

“We can discuss it when this is over. But you should be with them,” I commented, pointing to the crowd of onlookers who wanted Nikathy’s attention so they could honor his father.

“Ugh. I know, but I’d rather not.”

I clapped him on the back in a friendly manner. “Just get it over with, and then come find me.”