Able and Mali crouched in the pantry, watching the kitchen through a crack in the slightly opened door.
Mom was out there. She was talking to Jax, the man who had checked into their hostel yesterday.
Something about him made Able nervous, although Mali liked him a lot.
Of course, what could you expect from a little sister? Mali wasn't old enough to understand that Jax was dangerous, maybe as dangerous as their father had been. But what could you expect from a three-year-old…at seven, he knew better.
"What are they talking about?" Mali whispered, biting her thumbnail nervously. Able sighed in disgust.
Mali never seemed to understand anything. It was almost scary how much she didn't know about the world. If he wasn't around to take care of her…
But he would always take care of her, he reminded himself. He was the man of their family now. Mali and mom needed his protection, something he'd better not forget.
"You have to be quiet and listen," he whispered back. "I'll explain everything later, but I want to hear what they're saying. If you keep talking we'll miss everything."
Mom was speaking now. She was upset; he could hear it in her voice.
"You know, I'm sick and tired of men who think they need to take care of women," she said harshly. "I had a husband who took care of me regularly, and I wouldn't wish marriage on any woman. It's a trap, and Calla's falling into it. It's a trap," she repeated.
Mom was right, Able thought. They had all been trapped with dad. He hurt them. Of course, Able was able to take dad's licks, but it had been too much for Mali. He looked down at his sister protectively; remembering what her little face had looked like, all bruised. He was glad dad was dead. He wished Aunt Calla wasn't leaving. Mom was right. Marriage was a trap, and Aunt Calla was falling into it. Just thinking about it made the lump in his stomach swell and burn.
Jax was talking now. The sound of his voice made Able's stomach feel worse, but he forced himself to listen.
"That's not true," Jax said. "For a Saurellian—"
"Don't give me your crap," Mom replied. Her voice was strong, and Able was proud of her for standing up to him. She stood and paced across the floor, arms folded in front of her. "Get out of my kitchen, get out of my hostel. You brought him here; you're responsible for this. Go back to Saurellia, because I don't ever want to see you again."
Able's expression turned grim and his head started to throb. Not only was Jax a threat to their mother, it was his fault Aunt Calla was leaving to get married. This was too much…somebody had to do something to stop him. The sound of his voice caught Able's attention again.
"I'll give you some space, Sarai," Jax said. "But I'm not ready to leave Hector Prime just yet. I'll see you again."
"Don't threaten me," Mom replied, her voice sounding tight and harsh.
"I would never threaten you," Jax said. "And I'll never lie, either. I'm not your ex-husband, Sarai. I'm a good man, and I won't hurt you."
He left the room, leaving mom alone. Able sat back on his heels trying to think. Mali watched him carefully, her small face twisted in concern.
"What's wrong, Able?" she asked in her soft, little girl's voice. She plucked at his shirt, looking for reassurance.
"Well, I think he likes mom, and wants her to go with him like Aunt Calla's going with Seth," Able whispered back. Mali's face crumpled, tears welling up in her eyes.
"You mean mommy might leave us?" she whispered despairingly, her small face pinched in pain. "What will we do without mommy?"
"Oh no," Able said, pulling her small body on to his lap. He held her close, rubbing her hair with one hand. It was so hard sometimes, trying to explain things to her. "Mom would never leave us, Mali. You don't have to worry about that. But Jax might want to stay, and that's not good."
"You mean stay and be with mommy?" Mali asked. "Like a daddy?"
"Yes, although we don't need him," Able said fiercely. "You remember what dad was like. He was horrible. We don't want another one of those, do we?"
"I suppose not," Mali whispered back. Daddy had been mean. He used to hurt her, and hurt mommy.
But still…
Jax didn't seem like daddy. He seemed different. Nicer. She had even seen him in the garden earlier that morning, and he'd waved at her. She'd been too afraid to go near him, but she remembered how nice he looked. And he'd been tall enough to get her flying disk out of the tree in the garden. It had been stuck up there for two days. Not even mommy had been tall enough to do that.
"You know," she whispered. "Kally likes her daddy. He plays with her all the time. Kally's mommy seems to really like him, too. Maybe not all daddies are like ours was."
"We don't need a father," Able replied fiercely. "You and mom have me. I'll take care of you."
"I know you will," Mali replied softly. "You've always taken care of me, Able. But sometimes I wish I had a daddy, like Kally."
Able sat up, spilling her on to the floor.
"That's a stupid wish, Mali," he said. "We have to get rid of him. It's just you, mom, and me. That's all we need."
"I don't think it's a stupid wish," Mali said, grabbing the shelf to steady herself. She stood up and looked down on her brother, small fists on her hips. "And besides, I can wish for anything I want, and I want a daddy. There's nothing you can do to stop me."
Able just stared at her in disgust. Sometimes there just wasn't any point trying to reason with a little sister. They just didn't understand.
Chapter One
He was out there. Watching her.
He'd been watching her for days. Seven days, to be exact.
That's how long it had been since Calla left with her new man, Seth. Unfortunately, Seth had forgotten to take his big, stupid friend Jax with him.
Sarai rolled over in her bed, punching the pillow to soften it up. Her room was too hot. She knew how much more cool and comfortable the air would be if she could open the sliding door to the garden, but if she did he might take it as an invitation.
He'd been trouble from the minute he'd set foot in their small hostel. Usually they catered to students.
After all, Hector Prime was one of the best places in the quadrant to study biology. From desert to jungle, the planet-wide nature preserve had something to offer everyone. But the only thing Jax wanted was right in her bedroom.
Sarai rolled again, settling on her back. What was it about him? She hadn't been able to sleep that first night, so she'd gone out into the garden, her private refuge. He had been waiting for her then, too. A twist of desire coiled through her at the memory. He'd touched her in the darkness, and she had lost control.