Of Smoke and Stardust [[COMPLETE]]]

CHAPTER 18-PARKER

Parker was in shock. His feet wouldn't move. Ice flowed through his veins, colder than the ice baths at Mallowmont he had endured. His brain couldn't comprehend what the hell just happened—any of it.

"Shit." He cursed, his fists clenching. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit." Over and over and over, he cursed, throwing out every expletive in every language he'd ever learned at the blasted prison. Most would probably make even Kizer lift a brow.

He had put a lot of work into getting that tab—all that information. It was a chance he'd never get again in a million years, and now it was gone. His life-line to find out where they took Jayden—and even worse, the look on Alya's face...Parker couldn't decide which one was worse, losing the Tab or the girl he began to genuinely care for.

"SHIT." He swore, turning to the wall and punching it. He could see the hurt on her face flashing through his mind—the way her face twisted and those brown eyes glistened. The thoughts churned inside his head, accusing him of fuck knows what. She probably thought he was the hacker; that it was him who let those rebels in—that he seduced her, used her, just like the secretary. If he could get just one chance...one chance to make her understand, that what they had was real, not an act...

"Fuck!" He plowed out a half dozen more punches into the wall. His fists made hollow THWAKS, the skin on his knuckles split, smearing the cracked wall with red. He ran his hands through his hair, over his head and down his face, as he threw himself backwards onto the bed. "What the fuck should I do now?" He groaned out.

Maybe I can get it from her...if she takes it to her bunk, back on the ship, maybe I could sneak in and get it—if she doesn't delete everything—or worse, show it to her father and have me arrested for treason. Not even Zion would be able to help me then... Parker thought, then swore, again.

Alya had no idea what kind of person her father really was. He could tell by the way she gazed at him, desperate for his affection. And her father knew it. He knew it, and used it against his own daughter, to keep her in his pocket. The filthy bastard.

There wasn't an expletive that felt strong enough for the situation he was in, so he just kept repeating the same ones over and over again.

The door clicked open without a knock, and Parker jolted up, hope flaring in his heart that maybe Alya had come back. But his face fell in crushing disappointment when Zion walked in.

"Oh, sure, fine. Come on in why don't you?" Parker sighed, sitting back on the bed. He didn't feel like dealing with the Captain.

Zion gave him an annoyed look that made Parker feel more at ease as he sat in a chair. It meant Alya hadn't told Zion—not yet. It also meant she could be running to her daddy at that very moment.

"Make yourself at home, Captain." Parker flourished a hand to the seat Zion already occupied. "What do I owe the pleasure of the mighty captain of the Hawk's company, hm?"

Zion fixed him with a serious look that had more weight than his usual stern Captain face. "I want the information you promised on—" He stopped, swallowed, then finished, "on our deal."

"Ah." Parker raised his brows. "Well, if you were going to double-cross me, this would be the perfect place to do it. So why should I trust you to uphold your part of the bargain, and not just toss me in a holding cell?"

"I know Jayden is your brother, Parker."

Parker let his bemused look fade. "That's not much of a secret, Captain."

"I also know that he's not in a prison." Zion added, leaning his elbow on the table casually.

Now, that got Parker's attention. He sat up straighter with the new knowledge that this had turned into something more than the deal they originally made. "How could telling me where he is make me trust you more than a second ago? I'm still at a disadvantage, being on your turf." And since Alya took the tab, he lost any leverage he might have obtained from it. The only card he had to play was Ela's.