“What happened?”
“He divorced my sister and went away, never to return.”
“You hate him for it?”
“I call it hatred, but it’s not. It’s shattered trust. I never had anyone who protected me. Anyone who picked me up when I fell, except him. And I miss him so much that I can’t help but hate him. I will never understand why he left me, how he could do it, knowing I had no one else.”
Now they were both crying.
Until Thia started laughing. “Thank the gods you sent Darice ahead. I’d have to gut the little booger if he saw us like this.”
Sumi joined her laughter as she wiped away her own tears. “Why does life have to be so hard?”
Thia sniffed back her tears. “Aunt Mari says that the assholes in our lives are our biggest blessings.”
“How so?”
“Without them, we’d take the ones who aren’t for granted. Assholes give us needed perspective to appreciate the people who really love us.”
Strange, she’d never thought of that before. “I really need to meet your aunt Mari one day.”
Thia hooked her arm in Sumi’s and started walking again. “Now that you’re family, you will. Just don’t wake him too early in the morning or he’s a beast. As he says, his maternal instincts don’t kick in until midday, and after his first cup of tea.”
Sumi laughed at that. “Does he know you call him your aunt?”
“Of course. It’s how he introduced himself to me when we met the first time.” She pushed playfully against Sumi’s side. “To clear your confusion, he’s gay. As I said, we’re a motley bunch. You’ll fit right in.”
How she wished that were true. But it would never be.
It couldn’t be.
And once she turned her intel in to save her daughter, she had no doubt that Thia would be the first one to kill her for it.
CHAPTER 10
Sumi slowed as she saw Hauk and Darice waiting for them. He handed a bottle of water to Thia. Smiling, Thia rose up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek before she went to sit beside Darice.
Hauk handed a bottle to Sumi. Scowling, he brushed his thumb against her lower lashes. The concern in his eyes was almost enough to get her crying again, but somehow she managed to keep her emotions leashed.
“We’re okay. Thia just needed some girl time. We’re weird that way.”
He grunted in response.
She shook her head at him. “Is that really your idea of an answer?”
He shrugged.
Sumi gave him an irritated stare. “You’re not helping yourself, big guy.”
“Don’t be so hard on him, Sumi,” Thia said while she watched them with an amused grin. “He’s never spent much time around females so we’re all like alien beings to him.”
“Really?”
Hauk moved to check supplies. “Just Jayne, and a female cousin who used to severely kick my ass when I was a kid.”
“And Jayne ain’t typical,” Thia said in an exaggerated tone to illustrate how odd this Jayne was. “She’s a fierce Hyshian assassin lunatic. Love her dearly, but she ain’t right, and you never know what’s she’s going to say or do.”
Sumi let out a low whistle as she remembered the pictures of the tall, dark-haired woman with the men. That explained a lot about the woman. “I understand now what you meant by scary.”
“Actually,” Thia said, grinning, “scary is the fact that she has children and hasn’t eaten one of them yet.”
Hauk snorted at her words. “You should ask her about Sway’s older brother sometime.”
Thia scowled. “Sway doesn’t have an older brother.”
“Exactly.” Hauk’s tone was flat and his expression quite serious.
Thia laughed, then sobered. “I know you’re joking, Uncle Hauk… right?”
His features were still stony and gave nothing away. Though to be honest, he was a bit distracted. “The fact you have to ask says it all.”
Darice stretched out on his side. “Can we stay here, Dancer? I’m tired of walking.” He yawned like a small child and folded his arms under his head before he closed his eyes.
Hauk looked at Sumi, then Thia. “How are you two holding up?”
Thia stood and did an adorable little dance. “I’m good to go. Always nocturnal. Which might be helpful, if my father wasn’t more nocturnal than me.”
Smirking, Hauk met Sumi’s gaze.
“League trained. Sleep is overrated.”
He stroked his goatee with his thumb as he considered their answers. “Thee? Can you carry Darice’s gear?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Grab it.” He pulled his blaster out and handed it to Sumi while Thia slung Darice’s gear over her back. “Mind the recoil.”
Sumi arched a curious brow.
“It’s twice the range and blast radius of what you’re carrying.”
She still didn’t understand why he’d given it to her. Not until he picked up Darice and cradled him against his chest. For once, Darice didn’t protest. He draped his arms around Hauk’s neck and placed his head on his shoulder.
Thia made an exaggerated gape at Sumi. “Well, if I’d known being carried was an option, I’d have called dibs!”
In those arms and against that rock-hard body… “Definitely.”
Hauk scoffed at them as he led them forward. “I wish one of you had. You weigh a lot less… Now let’s get a little more distance from the bodies. There should be a small oasis a few ticks from here. It’ll give us cover from exposure and should hide us if another group comes after me.”
As they walked, Sumi noticed that Hauk kept visually checking on her and Thia to make sure he wasn’t overtaxing their strength. Meanwhile, he said nothing about the load he carried. Darice probably weighed a good 150 to 170 pounds alone.
And judging by the boy’s snore, it was dead weight.
Not to mention the fact that Hauk was carrying all the water and the heaviest part of their supplies and his sword. No wonder they called him their TAM.
She frowned at Thia. “Is Hauk good to do this? I’m thinking if he goes down, none of us can carry him.”
“He won’t go down.”
She arched a brow at the certainty in Thia’s voice.
“I’ve seen Uncle Hauk spar with my father and his brother. Trust me. Our TAM is stronger than a fortified League cruiser.”
Sumi wasn’t so sure about that. “Yeah, but that’s practice.”
Thia scoffed. “Not the way they do it.”
Okay then. She would rely on Hauk’s knowledge of his own tolerance and limitations. Her senses alert, she dutifully pulled up the rear.
It was almost dawn before they came to the oasis. Yawning, Hauk waited until Thia had pulled out a sleeping bag and unfolded it before he put Darice down and tucked him into it.
When the young woman stumbled away, he swung her up in his arms and carried her to where Sumi had opened Thia’s bag. Identical to Darice, Thia snuggled against him like an infant as he carried her.
Her father might be skittish with her, but Hauk wasn’t. He treated her just like she was his own as he gently kissed her head and tucked her in. Thia snuggled in just like a contented child.
He rose into that sexy predator pose with all his weight on one leg, while he scanned the landscape around them, and made sure that they were adequately shielded by the clump of shrubs. Without a word, he pulled out his bag and placed it near Thia.
Then he held his hand out for his blaster. Sumi returned it to him, and moved to stretch out to sleep. She’d barely moved before he picked her up and took her to his bag.
Apprehensive and yet strangely excited and aroused, she arched a brow at him. “What are you doing?”
“Putting you to bed.”