Chapter Thirteen

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Staring at the small window of his cell, Jaylin couldn’t see through to the other side. The glass had yellowed and been scratched so badly it had become opaque. Not that it mattered. Lost in thought, he wasn’t seeing anyway.

Anger and frustration warred for prominence within him, however, both were beaten out by remorse. He regretted not being honest with Dani about who he and Malik really were. He should have corrected her misperception immediately, instead of using it to needle his stubborn twin and letting the lie grow out of control for days. Now, as Malik had warned, he had dug a hole so deep and wide, he worried he might not be able to climb out of it and get to Dani.

As monumental a problem as it seemed, earning her forgiveness was the least of his problems. The primary issue being, stuck in jail with Alltryp on the outside, free to play whatever twisted games he wanted with Dani before tomorrow, the day she’d become both legally and financially independent, and free from his clutches.

He wanted to put his fist through the dingy window pane, like so many fools before him had apparently tried. Jaylin knew better. Similar to the glass used on the Renegade, it was impenetrable. Attempting to punch through it would do nothing more than shatter bones. It wouldn’t get him closer to Dani, nor would it assuage the incessant worry gnawing in his gut.

A shadow at the door made him pause mid-pace. The door swung open to a guard behind him, Malik waited. Hair a mess with furrows from his fingers, and lines of stress around his mouth, his brother without a doubt as restless and agitated as he was.

“What’s going on?” he asked sharply.

“Someone posted your bond,” the guard informed him. Moving aside, he motioned him out.

“Who?” Jaylin stepped into the hall where his brother shook his head.

“Says it’s a friend,” the man answered, while he moved down the hall to another set of doors.

“Don’t argue,” Malik muttered. “Be thankful and let’s get out of here. We need to find Dani.”

“You’ve got to be processed first,” the man called over his shoulder. “And if you’re thinking of pursuit, your ship is impounded. To get her out will cost twenty thousand credits.”

“You’re joking!” Malik exclaimed. “Such an amount is usurious.”

“Of course, it is,” Jaylin griped. “This is Earth. There is always one barrier thrown up after another, and everything costs dearly.” It seemed fate conspired against them.

“It ain’t cheap to hold a ship in space dock, ya know,” the guard grumbled in reply. “Especially an alien craft we don’t know anything about—”

“Wait a moment,” Jaylin interrupted, the pieces coming together into a picture he did not like. “Why would we need our ship to go after her?”

“Daniella Alltryp took off for Elzor this morning. News of a royal wedding always makes headlines. And when there’s a sex scandal involved, it’s all they can talk about.”

“What sex scandal?” Malik asked, short of growling.

The doors now open, the guard turned and looked at them, curiosity arching his shaggy, graying brows. “You mean the three of you didn’t, you know... Have a ménage a trois?” Except he called it “manage ay twah” slaughtering the French pronunciation which Jaylin, a visitor to the planet, knew was wrong.

“Quit talking to this idiot,” Jaylin barked at his brother. To the guard, he said irritably, “You’re wasting time with gossip when we need to focus on other important things.”

Not fond of being called names, apparently, the man’s curiosity fled, replaced by anger, as evidenced by his flushed cheeks and his mouth which took on an unpleasant twist. He opened the door to another room and gestured them in. “Wait here while this idiot processes your release. I hope you’re not in a hurry to get anywhere. It might take me some time, since I’m such a moron.” The automatic doors whooshed shut behind him. And though they were soundproof, Jaylin swore he could hear his laughter echoing on the other side.

Malik whirled to face him. “What the hell is wrong with you? We are at the mercy of the man you just pissed off, and so is Dani.”

“Fuck,” he exploded, lashing out at the nearest thing to him, a chair, which he sent flying across the room, courtesy of his boot.

“Calm, brother. Getting charged for property destruction isn’t going to get us to Elzor to save her from marrying a cold, calculating blue prince.”

He nodded, then closed his eyes while breathing deep. It worked to calm him a fraction, although his voice remained raw when he spoke. “If she’s harmed in any way...”

“How do you think I feel? She was taken on my watch.”

Jaylin grabbed his brother behind the neck and pulled him near, looking him in the eye. “We’ve both fucked up with her, but this isn’t on you. Tranquilizing a target in the middle of a crowded spaceport is a ballsy move no one would have expected.”

“We have to get her back.”

“We will. And until we do, I promise to keep it together.” When he received Malik’s nod of acceptance, he moved his hand to his shoulder and squeezed in a show of support before releasing him. He couldn’t stand still and wait, he had to move. Pacing the confines of the holding room, he started thinking aloud. “If what our ticked-off friend said is correct, we have less than a day to get the Renegade ready, travel to Elzor, find a way through their security onto the surface, and get inside the royal residence. Then we find Dani and do it in reverse.”

“That sounds about right, which is not good.”

“We’ve been in worse predicaments.”

“With a payday on the line, brother. Never our woman.”

“Which gives us extra incentive—”

They fell silent at the sound of door locks releasing. Jaylin expected to see the guard, but the double doors he’d left through remained shut. Instead, a man he didn’t know entered through a single slider on the far side of the room. Older, close to fifty, wearing a blue suit with a lapel insignia, and a cap—not military—and he wasn’t alone. Behind him, an old woman walked in, reed thin, hunched shoulders, leaning on a cane. She had to be ninety, at least—her wrinkles had wrinkles.

“Gentleman,” she said in a surprisingly strong voice. She eyed Malik first, taking his measure, then green eyes, as bright and sharp as if she were no more than twenty, bored into him. Jaylin blinked, he knew those eyes. The color identical to Dani’s.

Malik moved to his side and stared at the elderly woman along with him, his twin clearly as stunned by the resemblance. Jaylin, do you see it?

How could I not?

“Who are you?” Malik asked, an edge to his voice.

“With respect,” the older man barked. “Are you sure they’re good enough for her?” he said in an aside to the woman. “They look too rough for Daniella.”

“Maybe a bit around the edges, Blake, dear.” She patted the man’s forearm. “But I’ve done my research. They’re not the usual scoundrels mercenaries tend to be.”

Not getting answers, Jaylin asked Malik’s same question, though tried for a little more tact. “Considering we are standing inside a jail, you’ll pardon if I dispense with the pleasantries. Who are you, and how do you know Dani?”

“My name is Elise Alltryp. Daniella is my granddaughter.”

“This can’t be true. She told me you were dead.” Malik said this with patent skepticism, nearly as rude to her as he’d been to the guard, short of the name-calling.

“A lie, obviously, since I’m standing here. More apropos, a ruse perpetrated by my bastard of a son, which I’ve only recently become aware of.” Her wrinkled face tightened with anger, creating more furrows and grooves. “It galls me to no end that cad is the fruit of my loins and my dear departed Joseph. He’s spinning in his grave, I just know it.”

“Are you here to help us get her back?” Jaylin pressed, needing to move the conversation along.

“Hotheads,” the man grumbled.

“Yes,” she said, “but very handsome hot heads.” Her shrewd gaze scanned him from head to toe before giving Malik the same very thorough once-over. “I can see how the two of you could catch a young woman’s eye, although your manners leave much to be desired. Too long flying around space is to blame, I’m certain. I’ll leave that up to my granddaughter to fix.”

“We don’t mean to be short, ma’am, but we don’t have much time. I assume you were the one who posted our bond.”

“Yes. I’m also prepared to pay the impound fee on your ship so you can go after Daniella. Before I help further, I’ll need assurances, however.”

“Name them,” he and his twin said at once.

She smiled. “Ah, I do admire enthusiasm and conviction. Which leads to my request.” She straightened, or as best she could at ninety, and, with steel in her aged backbone, she stared them down one at a time, though her gaze ultimately zeroed in on Jaylin. “There have been quite a few salacious headlines. I want to know your intentions. If this is a game—”

“Far from it,” he said without hesitation. “We are quite serious about Dani. Our top priority is to stop this arranged marriage to Ivar.”

Her mouth twisted with distaste. “That cannot be allowed to happen. I’ve heard some awful rumors they are killing off brides.” She shook her head, shuddering at the thought. “After you rescue Daniella from this horrible fate, then what?”

“Once she is safe with us, we don’t plan to ever let her go again. It may take some convincing because we have some issues to address, but I feel certain she will understand we were meant to be together, that she is the perfect third for our triad.”

“This is what you call marriage in your world?”

“It is similar, except our bond will be for life.”

“As it should be. I was married to my Joseph for sixty-three years. It should be a lifetime commitment, not a game of round robin like our young folks play these days.” She tilted her head thoughtfully. “Both of you intend to marry her, to complete this triad as you say?”

Jaylin stiffened, tired of the constant judgments and head shaking. Nusapphra had same sex unions, Elzor was killing off infertile brides, the Artruvians had turned asexual when their mind power increased and now procreated in a petri dish, but Trilor got the brunt of the criticism for their practices, although divorce didn’t exist in their vernacular. “We are Trilorian,” he explained. “It is our way.”

“Don’t get your back up, young man. I’ve lived a long time and have seen a lot. Live and let live, I always say. Your arrangement doesn’t concern me if it is what my granddaughter wants.”

His defensiveness eased somewhat. “It is, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

Her smile reappeared, as did the twinkle in her green eyes. She considered Malik a moment. “And what about you, young man. Are you of the same thought?”

“I can barely think about anything other than finding Dani and getting her into our safekeeping. From what she’s shared, there has been little joy or love in her life. Jaylin and I want to change that. As far as our triad is concerned, I can assure you, it will indeed be for life.”

Hearing his twin’s vow, Jaylin had a hard time containing a shout, such was his relief. But he would celebrate later once they had Dani in their arms again. A task they needed to get on with.

“Something about this doesn’t make sense,” Malik stated while frowning down at the woman. “If you care for Dani as you claim, why weren’t you a fixture in her life? Why come forward now when she could have used your help dealing with her father’s animosity any time in the preceding twenty-five years?”

A good question, one Jaylin wanted answered, too, but he didn’t like the rising volume in Malik’s accusatory tone. Calm, brother. To get Daniella back, we need her cooperation, as much as the guard’s.

An almost imperceptible nod of his chin was the only acknowledgement Malik gave him while he awaited Elise Alltryp’s answer.

“It saddens me to hear my son treated her so poorly. Trust me, I would have stepped in had I known. Like Dani, I was lied to and led to believe she was dead.”

Malik stiffened beside him, equally as shocked. Before either of them could say more, the old woman’s face fell, making her appear more wizened than her years, which he didn’t think possible.

“I can see you are surprised. Imagine my reaction when I saw the recent headlines. First, I was overjoyed to learn Daniella lived, but it turned to fury at Daniel for keeping her from me all this time.”

“Why would he do this?” Jaylin asked.

“I’ve asked myself the same thing over the past several days, and I don’t like the answers I’m coming up with.”

“Explain what you mean,” Malik urged.

“I think he may have been responsible for his wife’s death, and his business partner.”

“You think he had them killed? Why?”

She shook her head, glancing at her escort. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. I have no proof. And it’s hard for me to believe Daniel would do such a thing.”

“They need to know what they’re dealing with, Miss Elise,” the older man told her. “Especially if your boy is capable of killing his own wife.”

“Perhaps you should start at the beginning,” Jaylin suggested.

She nodded, drawing in a steadying breath before she began. “Daniel and Ella were married for two years before Daniella came along. I didn’t approve of the marriage. Years younger than him, I thought her only interest she had in my son was his money. It ends up I was correct.”

Her voice dropped to a murmur, hands tightening on the crooked handle of her cane as she spoke of distant memories.

“Despite our differences, Ella never prevented me from seeing Daniella whenever I wanted, mostly because she was rarely home. A horrible mother, she left her to the care of a nanny most often. I wondered why because she was always such a sweet, good-natured child.” Her faint smile over a fleeting memory held a wistful sadness. “I saw her once or twice a week, arranging my visits to avoid Ella, or doing so when I knew Daniel would be home. Holidays were strained, otherwise, this arrangement worked well for almost two years. One day, when I arrived for a prearranged visit, they were all out. I blamed it on a schedule mix up, but my calls to my son went unanswered. I became worried as the days went by, and I phoned Ella, something I never did, except she didn’t respond either. A week became two. I went by his office, demanding answers, but was told he was on a family holiday in Europe.” She looked up, not trying to hide her distress. “No one had said a word to me. I called every day until Daniel returned. When he did, over a month later, I barged into his office ready to rake him over the coals for such boorish behavior. That’s when he told me Ella and Daniella had been in an accident while abroad and died instantly.”

She appeared stricken, pain ravaging her face.

“Perhaps you should sit,” Jaylin murmured.

Her escort moved closer and put his hand beneath her arm.

She went on as though she hadn’t paused. “A glider collision he told me. I was devastated, and the blows didn’t stop coming. He told me there would be no services because he’d already had them cremated. I didn’t know what to do or how to grieve. And Daniel had become distant, the spark gone from his eyes. I blamed his grief. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“I don’t understand,” Malik said.

“Neither do I,” he agreed. “How do you jump from a tragic accident to murder?”

“Maybe we should discuss this later. These are my suspicions, nothing more, and you don’t have much time.”

Jaylin glanced at his brother. What do you think?

I think it’s bizarre, but so is lying to your mother about your daughter’s death and keeping it a secret.

Bizarre is an understatement. “Please go on, ma’am, just try to be brief.”

Uncertain, she looked between them, at her man Blake, and then did something that convinced Jaylin more than her green eyes did Dani was absolutely her granddaughter. She bit her lower lip.

Are you seeing what I’m seeing? He sent Malik the question through their telepathic link.

The tears in her eyes are real, and that mannerism is all Dani. I have no doubt now, despite all these wild tales and incredible lies who she belongs to.

I almost wish she weren’t the bastard’s daughter.

His brother grunted his agreement.

Dani’s grandmother didn’t notice, too busy saying to herself, “How do I make this brief?”

“You were telling us your suspicions,” he prompted.

“Oh, yes... Daniel wasn’t right after the tragedy. He immediately went back to work like business as usual.”

“This isn’t unusual, for a man to deal with loss by keeping busy,” Jaylin suggested, he’d done much the same thing after Mahlia.

“I thought so too, but other things didn’t add up. Like his business partner’s sudden departure from the company. He told me Derek needed to retire early for health reasons and that he bought out his shares of the company. He changed the name about the same time.”

“And you think Ella was cheating on Daniel with Derek?” Malik asked.

“I know so because his wife told me.”

“Woman,” her escort groaned. “You did not go snooping around on your daughter-in-law’s lover.”

She harrumphed. “I’d known the boy for years. He and Daniel were college roommates. It was acceptable for me to go round for a visit and express concern for his health.”

“You’re like a dog with a bone,” Blake observed with a slow shake of his head.

“Yes, and it paid off. His wife was a basket case when I arrived. It seems while on a business trip to Europe, Derek died tragically.”

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Blake breathed.

“Yes, all of them off in Europe at the same time... Coincidence? I think not. Granted, as I said, these are merely my suspicions. I’ve never mentioned it to anyone until now. I’ve tried hard to convince myself I’m making more of it than it was, but Daniel has never been the same since. And there were all the lies. I’m sure he never expected me to find out he’d bought out Derek’s shares from his widow. I wasn’t much for business dealings and never kept up with financial news. I pay a man to do it for me.”

Malik cleared his throat, like he was anxious for concrete answers. “None of this explains why he has been so distant with his daughter, and why he lied to you about her death.”

“I’m coming to that. Time went by and Daniel never moved on after Ella. He dated, but had a different woman on his arm every night, never settling down. I wasn’t getting any younger and wanted grandchildren. I told him so, repeatedly. I also suggested he get professional counseling for his grief. Something which went over like a lead balloon. We argued, which is all we ever seemed to do when together.” With strain showing on her face, she walked to one of the molded plastic chairs and sat down. “About five years after the tragedy, during one rather contentious exchange, Daniel let something slip. He’d had a few shots of whiskey, so the whole lurid story came out. He caught Ella in the act with his partner, and during the heated exchange that followed, he told her to pack and get out, and not to think of taking Dani with her. That’s when she told him the daughter he loved wasn’t his.”

“Alltryp isn’t her father,” Jaylin restated. Though shocked down to his toes by the revelation, it explained a lot.

“It’s what he believes,” she added.

“And you don’t?”

“Look at my eyes, young man. I can’t deny her, and I never will.”

“But he did, by hiding Daniella away from the world,”

“Back then, the world didn’t follow Daniel’s every step, and didn’t give his two-year-old daughter another thought. I had no cause to suspect he would lie about something like this, until my granddaughter came back to life two weeks ago.”

“None of this makes any sense,” Malik muttered.

“I agree. I’ve puzzled over it long and hard. The best I can come up with is Ella gone, no one would ever know the truth. Daniel’s a proud man, and his hard-as-nails reputation means everything to him in business. It was either disown Dani, a motherless child of two, and admit his wife had duped him into raising another man’s child, or quietly raise her as his own, hoping no one notices she exists and doesn’t ask questions.”

“Punishing an innocent child for her mother’s actions is the definition of insanity,” Malik exclaimed.

“I suspect Daniel of having many things, my boy, sanity isn’t one of him. That she grew to be the spitting image of her mother and served as a constant reminder of how she’d used him, lied to him, and betrayed him with his best friend and business partner is terribly unfortunate.”

“You two better turn out to be the men of Daniella’s dreams, or you’ll be answering to me,” Blake said in a low grumble. “The sweet girl has had enough crap dumped on her for a lifetime, and she’s barely started living it.”

“I can’t argue with you about the crap part,” Jaylin replied, “and I can say with one hundred percent certainty, we are the men of Daniella’s dreams.”

Elise Alltryp grinned and nodded her approval. “Good, good. Knowing the sordid details, you can now sally forth, get our girl, and start making her dreams come true. And between the two of you, big strong strapping boys that you are, I expect you’ll protect her from all of Daniel’s plots in the future.”

Jaylin glanced at Malik. They didn’t need their mind link to agree on this fact. “I can speak for the both of us when I say, once we get Dani back, she won’t have to worry about seeing your son, let alone becoming a pawn in any more of his malicious schemes.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” Blake stated baldly. “And no offense, Ms. Elise, but your son is an ass.”

“You’re not telling me anything I don’t know, dear.”

“He is also a hateful, narcissistic bastard who loves only himself and his precious money,” the older man stated, his face angling down to the old woman, his brow arched. “And for the life of me, I can’t figure out how he can be kin to you. It must be a personality defect, or perhaps you dropped him on his head as a child.”

She lightly slapped her driver’s arm. “Blake, you are too droll, and so very honest. I’m glad I lured you away from Daniel’s employ.”

The older man, silver glinting at his temples shrugged. “I call ’em like I see ’em, Miz Alltryp. Besides, a head injury would explain it quite well.” He raised his gaze and met Jaylin’s head-on. “I met Miss Dani on her trip to Elzor. She’s a sweet girl and doesn’t have any business with the likes of Ivar who would use her as coldly as her father has done all these years.”

Malik corrected him on one point. “Dani has no business with anyone except me and my brother.”

Jaylin walked to her grandmother and took her hand. “Have no fear Dani will blame you in any of this. She knows the man her father is. And though she’ll be hurt and angry because of his lies, her biggest regret will be lost time with you. She’ll be thrilled to know you aren’t gone, and her grandmother is a kind, intelligent, considerate woman. And, after meeting you, I can say on my own behalf, I am heartily glad it is you she takes after.”

The old woman blinked up at him in surprise. “You are the dominant one in the pair, the one your people call the first twin?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m genuinely surprised you are so intuitive. I heard you were all hard asses.”

His eyes flew wide, and Malik laughed outright. “He has his moments, ma’am, believe me.”

She reached up and patted his cheek in a motherly gesture. “Nothing a good woman can’t fix, dear. Now, before you go, and I know you must, I mentioned assurances. I have one more. This condition you’ll find on a much smaller scale than rescues from faraway planets and lifetime vows, but it is important to me. I ask before you whisk Daniella away to the other side of the universe you bring her for a visit. With my husband gone, and my son not the kind of man I’d hoped he’d be, she is the only family I have.”

“Agreed.” Jaylin would do anything to get out of here and get to Dani—give up a kidney, pay daily penance, stand at a whipping post for a thrashing—which his lovely third might demand if given the option. This minor task was nothing in the scope of things.

“And I’d like for this visit to occur soon. I’m not a spring chicken to be waiting at your leisure.”

Malik moved beside him. “It will be one of our top priorities after we leave Elzor with Dani safely on board.”

“Now,” Jaylin added, “about our ship.”

“It’s stocked, fueled, and ready for departure. Blake arranged it all. He knows more about it than I. I have also paid your outstanding fines which were coming due soon. You and The Renegade are a closed case where the Council is concerned.”

“We will repay you,” Malik promised, moving toward the door.

“Consider this a wedding gift. Now, snap to and go get my granddaughter before the unthinkable happens and my son marries her off to a walking, talking, blue Elzorian corpse.” She shivered. “I’m not a racist, truly, but those people give me the creeps.”

Despite the gravity of the situation, Jaylin, who agreed with her assessment of Ivar, smiled at the old woman’s candor.