Neutral Space(45)

“I’ll send you 30 seconds of recording, enough to prove she is alive and that I am innocent. You work out the rest with the Kelsairans. You want a biosignature I can send that to, but you have to guarantee to keep your men off our backs.”

“Jackson, why are you doing this?”

“You told me why a long time ago, only I didn’t believe you then.”

He nodded, and I sent the recording and her biosignature before ending the transmission.

“What did he tell you, Jackson?” Kheda took my hand.

“That the war is needless and the fighting needs to end.”

“But he’s still in the army?”

“He tries to keep young guys like me alive as long as possible so we can go home to our families. He told me that when I signed up for my last term. It started just after I met you, I have two years left on this contract.”

“Let’s eat something and go to sleep.” She could hear the weariness in my voice and knew we both needed to rest. As tired as I was, though, I lay awake most of the night thinking. Kheda tried her best to get me to sleep. I was just too preoccupied. I finally drifted off halfway through the night with her in my arms.

She woke me the next morning with breakfast and looked concerned “You hardly slept.”

“I’ll be fine once we get some answers from Jeannie.” I ate my breakfast and dressed.





Chapter 18





W



e took a small transport down to Jeannie’s, and she was waiting for us again on the dock. “You have to go back. Stephen didn’t go to work. They announced that they were mistaken about Trekes and now she’s a wanted woman again.

Her face has been everywhere this morning and yours too. If Stephen sees you, then he’ll flip.”

“How can you be with a guy like that, Jeannie?”

“Jackson, don’t start. I’ll comb through the records as best I can and see what I can find.”

“Jeannie, who are you talking to?” A man asked as he came down the dock.

“No one, Stephen; its fine.” he kept coming anyway, and it meant trouble. Kheda slipped down the dock, unnoticed in the fog. Jeannie went to stop him. “An old friend but he’s leaving.”

“I’d like to meet him.” Stephen brushed past her.

“No, Stephen.” God, what was she doing? This wasn’t the Jeannie I knew. The Jeannie I knew decked me yesterday because she wanted to be heard. This Jeannie was practically groveling.

“The man has a mind of his own, Jeannie,” I said as he approached.

“See he’s reasonable, Jeannie.” Jeannie unreasonable? If this guy only knew what he was dealing with. He stepped closer his eyes went wide. He realized who I was. “You? But you’re a criminal.”

“If serving my people makes me a criminal, then so be it.” I snapped I didn’t like him in the least.

“I suggest you leave my house. I’m calling the authorities.” He took a step back.

“No, I don’t think you’ll be doing that.” I nodded, and he looked up at Kheda glaring down at him. “And this is Jeannie’s house. It has been for six years. I helped her fix the roof and repair the kitchen.” He looked to Jeannie.

“He did.”

“Jeannie, you can’t just stand by while they do what they want.”

“Stephen, that’s enough. Jackson is one of my oldest friends. I’ve never turned him away, and I’m not starting now. They’ll be here a few days, and then they’ll move on.”

“Well, I’m not staying.”

“Yes, you are, because if you leave, you’ll do something stupid.” Jeannie sighed “Come on, everyone back to the house there’s work to be done.” Khdea walked behind him, and she was enough of a threat to make him move.

Once inside I pushed Stephen into a chair. He wasn’t a small man, but he wasn’t as large as me. He was lean and about 5’10”. He looked like some sort of businessman. He had grey eyes and light brown hair. He looked like he’d break if you blew on him too hard. Kheda sat down across from him, and I took Jeannie by the arm into the other room.

She was seething, and I didn’t really care. She tried to hit me again, and I ducked out of the way. She tried another time with similar results. “Jeannie stop,”

“It’s all your fault I was happy until you showed up.” She turned her back on me.

“With that little weasel of a man?” I couldn’t believe it.

“They can’t all be you, Jackson. At least with Stephen, there was a future. All we had was sex and laughs.”

“And both were great.” Jeanie was an enthusiastic partner in bed. That’s why we kept our arrangement for so long.

“That they were,” she smiled a moment then stopped. “You’re changing the subject. You march in here with her and turn my whole world upside down.” She stabbed my chest with her finger.

“Maybe I needed to. The Jeannie I saw out there wasn’t you. Since when do you ask a man for anything?”

“Jackson I… Who are you to say anything?” She huffed.

“I’m still your best friend, Jeannie. You decked me because you were pissed and with him, you beg. It’s not you, and if that’s what he wants, then he doesn’t want you.”