Killbox (2010) by Ann Aguirre Page A

right, I'll tell you a story, man. She was a pretty thing. Looked nothing like you, bless her. I remember thinking you had to be joking me when you first introduced us, that there was no way you could be related to a fair little kitty like that."
    "Don't call my sister that," March warns him.
    "You want the story, you get my words."
    I figure they're exchanging looks right about now, testing who's the most serious, but in the end, March agrees, "Fine."
    "As I was saying . . . I'll confess now, once I tried to score her, but she knew your friends, and she was having none of it."
    "You tried for my sister ?" March sputters, torn between outrage and amusement that Svet shut him down.
    Now I wish I'd met her. Small, fair? Does that mean blond? At any point, I could've called up a picture from Farwan's records. I don't know why I didn't, except that perhaps until this moment, Svetlana didn't seem quite real to me. Setting my handheld on mute, I tap a few commands and access the records via the station satellite uplink.
    Within seconds, I have an image: heart-shaped face, mouth curved into a gentle smile, and eyes of a shade that wavers between blue and green. Warm, shallow seas have water like that. I can see nothing of March in her, but I know he loved her.
    "After that," Hon continues, "I made point of looking out for her whenever I was on Gehenna. I stopped by that place she worked, two or three times a trip. We got to be friends, but don't go telling that around."
    "Of course not."
    "Most of all I remember she liked shiny things. Didn't matter if it cost ten credits or ten thousand; she loved the sparkle. Sometimes I'd bring her back a little something, just to see that smile. No strings," he hastened to add, doubtless forestalling March's wrath.
    March lets out a heavy sigh. "Yeah. I've got a bagful of stuff I never gave her. I kept thinking I'd surprise her, then I'd take another tour working for some Nicuan asshole. It was always going to be, 'Just one more, and I'll be set. I can get a ship and get Svet out of there.' "
    My legs are aching, so I shift quietly. I hadn't realized his guilt went quite so deep, but I should have. He blames himself for everything, even when it doesn't make sense. Thankfully, Hon is on his game.
    "You can't beat yourself up over that. You didn't make her turn to Farwan when she got in trouble."
    Wait, what? What trouble?
    That's exactly what March wants to know. "What're you talking about?"
    The pirate inhales sharply, and I can hear his chair rock back, a nervous shift. "I saw Svet for the last time on Gehenna, maybe five turns back. She didn't know about our contretemps on Nicu Tertius, so she still had a smile for me."
    "And?" March demands.
    "She was with child, man. I thought you knew."

    CHAPTER 15
    There's a crash from within the room, and I figure that's my cue. Pushing away from the wall, I head for the lounge at a dead run, and when I come in, I find March on the verge of pounding Hon's face in. Probably out of respect for March's shock, the pirate isn't fighting back, but he's not going to take a beating docilely, nor should he.
    "Let him go." My tone brooks no refusal, but I'm still a little surprised when he listens to me. "Now, you two want to tell me what this is all about?"
    March spares me a scathing glance. "Cut the crap, Jax. Do you really think I don't know anytime you're nearby?"
    I hadn't, actually. I didn't realize his Psi worked in that way. Sheepish, I duck my head and shrug. "I didn't want to interrupt."
    "Better to spy," he growls.
    But I know he's just angry , not necessarily with me.
    "Let's sit down and talk about this." I put my words into practice.
    Hon straightens and gives March a narrow-eyed look. "You go after me again, for any reason, and I'm outta here, bwoy."
    "I'm sorry," March says grudgingly. "I was just . . ."
    "Shocked?" I supply, when it becomes obvious his clenched jaw it makes it hard for him to speak.
    "What else can you tell me?" he asks at