“Ari said you guys might sort of stumble into the bathroom and then back to bed after a while. None of you did, that I know of. I had to leave you here with Trenton for a little bit to go see Diana. She’s back and not doing well.”
He furrowed his brow. “I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can do?”
“No. She…” The door to my bedroom opened, and a bleary-eyed Keith swayed his way out.
He grinned at us. “Hiya, Paloma. Hi, Clay.”
“Hi,” Clay and I answered together. I set down the wooden spoon I was using and rushed over to Keith. I opened my arms, and he came into them.
As tight as I could manage, I squeezed him. Keith lifted me into his arms. “Morning, Paloma.”
“Morning. Or evening. Whatever. You’re up.” I rubbed my hand down the side of his face. “You’re up.” It bore repeating.
He grinned. “I am. You’re so pretty. Isn’t she, Clay?”
“Most beautiful woman I’ve ever known.” Clay leaned against the counter. “How you feeling, Keith?”
He kissed my cheeks, one and then the other. “Never more relaxed. Damn Ari for being right. I could solve the problems of the known universe today. Anyone want to consider time travel?”
“No.” Clay extended the long ‘o’ as he spoke. “That’s over my head. But I’m glad it’s not above yours.”
Keith sniffed the air. “I wasn’t hungry until I smelled that sauce.”
The sauce. I’d forgotten all about it. I shrugged out of his hold and rushed over to the stove. It wasn’t burned, which was such a relief. We had to eat those potatoes because it was all we had in the suite at that moment, and I wasn’t eating them without the dang sauce.
I poured a little sauce into a pan. Keith yawned before leaning on the counter next to Clay. “Quinn is out cold. Like I poked him and he didn’t move at all.”
Clay nodded. “How hard did you poke him?”
“Hard.” His gaze followed every move I made. “Paloma, do you need to cook? Like, could Clay take that over for a few minutes, and you and I could have a conversation—say—against that wall?”
He wanted to have a conversation against the wall? “What?”
Clay snorted. “He wants to fuck you against that wall.” Clay stepped around and took the spoon from me. “Go.” He patted my ass. “Then come back and feed me. Please.”
“Ah.” This was such a bizarre moment. The sex on the kitchen table aside, this was a new moment. We weren’t really doing this yet. Keith extended his hand, and I took it.
His breath was warm on my cheek. “Nervous? To do it in front of Clay?” Keith’s eyes twinkled. “I didn’t get to play in the group fun a few days ago. I want to play now, and I never got to show you how sorry I was for what happened with the fight. You wouldn’t even let me hold you.”
I smiled at him. “Then I helped Ari knock you out.”
“That’s right. You did.” He picked me up in his arms, and the next second my back was against the wall of the living room. Okay, so this was happening. “Nervous?”
“To be with you? No, that’s exciting. To do it on the wall with Clay watching? Little bit.”
Clay set down the spoon in the kitchen. “You’re going to find it exciting. Keith fucking you. Me watching. I know you will.”
Keith palmed my breast from outside my shirt. Beneath his touch, my nipples hardened. I raised my hands and he yanked away my top. His eyes travelled over my exposed chest. “Who bought your bras and panties, baby? My twin?”
I was transfixed watching his mouth move. The bizarre factor was not lost on me. I was up against the wall. Clay watched. And Keith wanted to talk about my bras? “Ah, yes.”
“I’m buying you more.” He nodded, and I couldn’t help but the think the movement was to some internal dialogue he hadn't shared. I’d not said anything that required an answer or a nod.
“I think I have enough.”
Keith licked his bottom lip. “Quinn has you in pastels, and that’s beautiful. But I want to see you in white. White lace against your olive skin? You were made for it. By the universe, that will be so hot.”
“I’ll wear whatever you’d like.” It had been a very long time since I’d given much thought to my personal appearance, and my recent foray into trying to get my hair done hadn’t changed that.
He took off my bra and threw it behind him. The wall was cold behind my back. I didn’t have time to think about that, not when he was kissing me. Hard. Again and again. He dragged out these kisses. I closed my eyes. Keith’s mouth owned mine. I loved it.
I was on fire, and all we had done was kiss.
He pulled back, only long enough to take off his shirt. I leaned forward and bit down on his chest. Keith moaned and then proceeded to rain kisses all over my shoulders.
“Fuck,” seemed to be the only thing he could say. I loved having this kind of power over him. I made him lose his power of speech.
I pulled at his pants until I could undo his zipper and button. I pushed them down to the floor, freeing him from his underwear after I did. The need to have him inside of me rode me hard. I looked over his shoulder to see Clay watching. His eyes met mine, heat in his gaze.
“I love to watch you get off, Paloma. No matter who’s getting you there.”
Keith bit down on my shoulder, bringing my attention back to him. “I knew you would love this, gorgeous.”
He pressed inside of me, jolting my already-ready-for-him body into pure alertness. It took him no time to fully sheath himself in my warmth. I closed my eyes. I was so full, so complete with Keith. He would always be mine. I could feel him in my soul.
“Give me your eyes, love.” He asked, and I answered, opening my lids. His gaze was full of need. “I need your eyes on me. Please.”
He’d never have to ask twice for what he wanted. “I love you.” I hoped he understood all the ways that I meant that.
My head would have hit the wall, but his hand was there to catch it. He tugged lightly on my hair, and that was it. I exploded around him, and he cried out my name.
My ears rang. The room seemed to shift on its axis. Was the space station plummeting out of the sky? No, I was just consumed by the moment. Keith inside of me. Clay watching. I sighed. They weren’t lost on the other side of the universe. They weren’t dead. They weren’t a million things that would mean I would never get to hold them again.
I clung to Keith. I didn’t let go for a long time.
With two of my husbands awake, I sent the still-on-sentry Trenton back to his room and headed out to buy food. Everything on the station had to be brought in except what they could farm in the agricultural floors. We needed more than potatoes to eat.
I was halfway through looking at some chicken when I heard a voice I’d never expected to hear again in my life.
“Why, Paloma Delacroix, it really is you.”
I stopped breathing and didn’t turn around. Rocky Douglass. The buffoon I had decided to lose my virginity with had called out to me. He’d gone around telling so many people that we were going to have sex that my father had caught us and shipped me off to the Sisterhood.
He’d been lousy in bed, and his big mouth had destroyed my life. I turned around slowly. Why wasn’t he somewhere else? Anywhere else? Somewhere around the dark lands? Anywhere but standing in the food court of Mars Station with me right then.
I’d been raised to be charming when I was anxious. I put my hand on my hip. “Why, Rocky Douglass. As I live and breathe.”
13
The Other Gold
Rocky hadn’t aged well. In five years, he’d lost his hair and apparently two teeth. I stared at him for a second, trying to find anything that I’d once deemed attractive—so much so that I’d let him inside of my body.
Maybe I simply couldn’t see past the way that he’d run away when my father came in and never looked back. He was cowardly and acting like we were old friends.
“I heard you were back. I’ve been trying to get a l
ook at you since the news first surfaced that you’d returned. And married. I used to wonder what happened to you at that Sisterhood, but it clearly didn’t hold you back.”
I cleared my throat. “Well…”
I never got to finish. “Hey.” A voice I hadn’t expected to hear right at that moment shouted over the food court. This time I whirled around. Diana?
Ari stood next to her, and then a second later my best friend, still looking like death warmed over, stormed through the food court.
She screamed again. “You heard me, dipshit. Don’t talk to her. You ruined her life.” Diana picked up a piece of fruit. I didn’t know all the various kinds that came up from Mars. They seemed to be inventing new ones all the time. This one was blue. Diana turned out to have a great arm. In less than two seconds, the fruit splattered in Rocky’s face—right in the center of his nose.
He jolted.
“Diana.” Ari tried to grab her, and she scooted out of his way. This time I knew what she held, an apple. Boom. She hit him right in the face again.
“You. Don’t. Get. To. Talk. To. Her.” She launched herself at Rocky and managed to grab onto his shirt before Ari hauled her backwards. They both fell into a pile of yellow, sticky looking fruits. The manager started yelling, running towards us.
Rocky had fire in his eyes. He roared, and I knew he was going towards Diana. I’d never punched anyone in my life. Well brought up ladies didn’t get into fights. But I wasn’t that anymore. I punched him, right in the jaw.
My hand burned. How had my husbands done this? It briefly occurred to me that I wasn’t having any stress reaction to this violence before he swung around like he was going to hit me back. I ducked, falling into the peaches.
Sirens blared on the promenade. I didn’t care. I kicked Rocky hard, right where the sun didn’t shine.
I’d never been in jail before, and although I missed part of her life, I didn’t think that Diana had either. Security hadn’t cared about the details of what had happened or that Diana was an Alexander. Ari, Diana, Rocky, and myself had all been taken down and put in separate cells. They were sound proof, clear plastic bubbles. I’d had to give them my tablet so they could download my contact information, and presumably, at some point, someone would come and talk to me.
I was in jail. The thought was… ridiculous. I started to laugh. Harder and harder until I had to hold my stomach to keep all the laughter in. From across the way, Ari stared at my writhing form, and he started to grin.
Apparently he could see the amusement in this, too. Diana wasn’t laughing. She stared straight ahead. My best friend had thrown fruit at Rocky, and I’d punched him. What had happened to us?
Rocky looked worse for wear. Before security had come in, Ari had decked him once too. I wasn’t sure why—maybe just for good measure or to stop him from going after Diana. Still, Rocky had a black eye, fruit all over his clothes, and a bloody lip that I’d given him.
He’d been punished for sexing and telling.
I finally managed to quit laughing. The door opened and closed. People were coming in to claim us. We’d all have to pay credits and make amends to the poor man whose store I had helped make a mess of. That made me feel terrible. I had to work the next day, but afterward I would go over and see what I could do.
Quinn stood in front of the enclosure. He pushed a button so I could hear him. “P, you’re in jail.”
He did like to state the obvious. “I am, Quinn. You’re awake. It’s nice to see those blue eyes looking back at me.”
My husband grinned. “Sorry to harp on this, but were you seriously in a fight?”
I pointed at Rocky. “That’s the man who took my virginity after he told everyone he was going to. My father heard and came for us. I got sent to the Sisterhood. Rocky ran away. Diana threw fruit at him. I was just trying to stop him from hitting Diana.”
Quinn turned, regarding all the other cellmates for a second. He nodded to Ari who saluted him back. Finally, he spoke to me again. “I see.”
I bet he finally did. “How long do I have to stay here?”
“They’re letting you, Ari, and Diana out now. Nolan made a special request for Rocky to spend some time in the cell. That makes sense now. Although, I’d love to be one on one with him.”
I stood and walked to the side. “Sorry about this.”
“P, for the rest of my life, I’ll never forget this sight. As it is, it’s very helpful for me to have come in here.”
I tapped on the plastic keeping me in. “Why is that?”
“Now I know how we’re getting rid of the traitors.”
I was glad I could be helpful.
Since I couldn’t go back in to the market to buy food, Quinn went for me while I waited outside. He also paid the man for all of his trouble. Apparently I’d be welcomed back the next time I wanted to go. Exactly how many credits it took to get to that point, Quinn didn’t tell me.
Diana came up behind me, touching my arm, and I turned around. She was back to looking withdrawn, the fury of her attack on Rocky having faded away. “I hope I haven’t made things hard for you.”
I shrugged. “I mean, it might be a little awkward with the store owner for a bit, but I’m sure it’ll turn out fine.”
“No.” Her eyes travelled to the food market and then back to me. I noticed Ari hanging back a bit, talking to Geoff. I imagined the conversation went something like, “How did my daughter end up in jail her first day back on the station?” or something like that. “I mean with your husbands. He’s one of them, right?”
She nodded toward Quinn, and I looked at him staring down at a basketful of bread. He had to pick one. I would have just grabbed one, but he was being meticulous. “That’s Quinn. He’s my husband, and I’m also married to his three brothers. Quinn, Keith, Clay, and Tommy.”
Diana didn’t react to what I said. “And they’re Sandlers and related to my jailor—I’m sorry, doctor—Ari.”
A smile threatened to form on my mouth, and I fought it down. She wasn’t kidding. “Ari’s a really good guy.”
“If you say so.” She put her hands on her hips. “Will they be really angry you were in jail?”
“Maybe concerned. But Quinn hardly blinked. That being said, his brain resonates on a different level than most people’s. The other three might be… distressed? Or they might laugh at me.” I didn’t know if what I was about to do was okay or if Ari would tell me I was about to make a huge mistake. Diana was my friend, and I was going to treat her as such. “I missed you. Your letters were one of the few things that got me through my time. I am so sorry your husbands aren’t with you. I would love to know about them if you’d ever be inclined to tell me.”
Tears rushed to her eyes, and she wiped them away. “Shit. Paloma.” She covered her face with her hands. “How am I supposed to go on? Why am I here? Why couldn’t I have died? They’re gone. They’re over there, or they’re not anymore. The time differential. They’ve maybe lived their lives already. Uncle Wes’ machine messed with the time stream. I can’t even tell. I have no means of knowing. Is Sterling still alive? He might be. He had special genes. Is Judge an old man now? I have no idea. Did they get married to other people? Have babies? Stay single? Die?”
She sunk to her knees, and I went down with her because that is what friends do. I held her because she needed me to.
“What were their names?” I rubbed her back. If anyone was staring, they could have at it. I really didn’t care if we were making a scene.
“Sterling. Judge. Cash. Lewis. And Damian.” She sniffed. “They were real. The last twenty-four hours, they’ve felt like a dream, like they didn’t exist. But they did. And they were mine.”
Ari squatted down in front of us. “Are you hungry, Diana?”
She sniffed. “No. You can take me back to my cell. I think I’ve had enough fun today.”
“We were trying to have lunch, not necessarily fun. Sometimes lunch is seriously stressful. All those choices on the menu.?
??
“Don’t be funny right now. I’m really not in the mood.” Darts seemed to fire from Diana’s eyes. Demonstrating her strength, Diana stood, and I rose with her. “I’m not hungry. I don’t want to eat. Let’s go.” She touched my arm. “Hold onto them. They’re gone in a split second.”
Ari smiled at me. “Thank you, cousin. You did save the day.”
I rubbed my eyes. “I didn’t really do anything.”
“You did, actually.” He winked. “See you later, gorgeous.”
He walked off, trailing behind Diana. I watched them leave. This had been the strangest day. I’d been in jail. Quinn came up behind me, slipping his hand onto my lower back. He kissed my cheek, staying there for a second.
“Listen, something is about to happen. I planned it. When it’s over, go back to the suite and tell my brothers exactly what I said. Word-for-word. Can you do that?”
I wrapped my arm around his waist, and he passed me the bag of groceries. “What are you going to do?”
“Catch the traitors.” He kissed my cheek again. “Trust me.”
I did. Completely. I just wasn’t sure I wanted something to happen. “Good morning, by the way, Quinn.”
His eyes sparkled. “Good morning, light of my life.”
Guards came charging down the promenade, Nolan trailing behind them as he held up the end of the charge. When he reached us, they surrounded us in a circle. Nolan spoke for the group, “Quinn Sandler, you’re under arrest.”
I nearly dropped the groceries. “He’s what?”
Nolan kept speaking. “For conspiracy against Mars Station, attempted terror attacks, and plotting to kill Melissa Alexander.”
Quinn smirked. “That’s right,” he spoke loud enough for everyone to hear him before he pounded on his chest. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat. I’m Quinn Sandler. Proud child to Garrison Sandler, and you pigs all deserve to die. Sandler Cartel will rule this station and all others. You will rue the day you didn’t submit, filthy nobodies.”