7.
MADDIE
"Where are we going?" Maddie asked, leaning her head against Redek's chest and trying to get her heart to calm down. "What even happens now?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "I hadn't thought this far ahead."
She tried not to panic and make him feel bad as the nagging question of How were they going to avoid a man with endless resources? demanded an answer.
"You said you had something that could get him into trouble," Redek said, altering their course. He clearly had some idea of a destination in mind, even if it wasn't set in stone.
"Yeah." She pulled her phone out again, and immediately her eyes widened. "Shit." She put it on non-communication mode so there was no way someone could track it, and pulled her laptop from her backpack and did the same. "Okay. So." She loaded up documents, and endless pages of browser history.
She’d always known these were things she should have deleted the minute she found them, but she'd kept them all anyway.
Maybe one day, at the back of her mind, she'd always known this day would come.
"Damien had me hacking into people's computers and accounts, all the time. When I said I worked for him, that was what I meant. It started because he wanted me to look at people he thought might have a motive and see if I could find any information about attacking me, but it turned into me finding information to predict stock changes. That's how he makes his money. I find out what's happening, and he uses it to buy and sell shares."
"He's been gaming the system the whole time?" Redek whistled, and grinned.
It was the first time Maddie had seen that grin. She'd wanted it since she first laid eyes on him, and it was just as gorgeous as she'd expected. His eyes sparkled.
There was no point in wondering if she was going to fall in love with him anymore.
It was already too late.
It had already happened.
"What happens to us now?" she asked, completely ignoring the important matters. She couldn't imagine being around him and feeling like this and not being able to act on it.
He tucked her hair behind her ears, and said, "I've stolen you away from a powerful man with all the money in the universe. Seeing if we can manage a relationship doesn't seem like a very big risk anymore."
She beamed, and kissed him deeply, losing herself in this happiness she’d never felt before. Nothing had ever fit into place like this in her life. There’d been happy moments, but there’d always been the confines of the compound and the watchful eye of Damien looming over her. Here, flying away from her old life, her heart was ready to burst out of her chest.
She’d deal with the fact all of this was being said in the heat of the moment when the adrenaline and relief were still running high later, when doubts started knocking on the door.
She rested her head against his chest again. “Really, though, what are we going to do now? We’re going to be running forever. Your job…”
He stiffened for a moment at the mention of his job, and ignored it when he replied, “We have to find somewhere to refuel and see a mechanic about any kind of tracking device in the ship. I know someone who won’t ask too many questions at the edge of the solar system. We can think about what to do after that when we’re definitely not being tracked anywhere. We might even swap ships if he has something. Find something more comfortable.”
“Sounds good to me.” The ship she’d chosen had been built for speed, and there wasn’t even a bed. It was meant for short distances, and the fuel tank wasn’t up for a multiple solar system chase. She left the topic of his job alone, ignoring the possibility that the resentment he was inevitably going to feel would tear them apart. “What did you want to do with my information? You know I’ll be in just as much trouble. I was the one hacking into their computers. It was illegal.”
“They’ll make an exception for your circumstances. I’m sure.” He didn’t sound entirely sure, though.
So devoid of real contact with the outside world, Maddie had always read the news. She loved knowing what was happening in the universe, even if she couldn’t engage with it. She knew the limits and the reputation of the Intergalactic Union. All their criminal investigations were reserved for things that interrupted with fair trade within the universe, and Damien’s crimes fell within that umbrella.
If they went to the IU, they would snatch her hand off for the information.
But she’d been the one to make it all happen. She’d been committing a crime, too.
They might lock her away when she’d only just escaped confinement.
“You really think they’ll make an exception?”
“Yes.”
She couldn’t blame him for saying it. If she didn’t hand over the information, they’d have no choice but to be on the run for the rest of their lives. Maddie thought being on the run and seeing the entire universe would be something she could cope with, but it wasn’t fair to put that life on Redek, too. Not when he’d given up everything for her.
She hoped that, at some point, the nagging guilt would subside and she’d be able to enjoy the fact he was there; that he’d made that choice for her.