Read Online Rebels and Lovers by Linnea Sinclair - Free Book Online
Authors: Linnea Sinclair
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the potential for very real trouble, unless … She scanned the crowd. Not a Guthrie anywhere in sight.
Shit. That was not good news.
She was probably wrong. It probably wasn’t Trippy. But she knew it was.
And with Imperial destroyers sitting out there and the likes of Horatio Frinks in here, that fact worried her. She changed direction back to Pops’s with more than her own troubles on her mind.
——————
“A luxury star yacht?” Pops looked up from his deskcomp as Kaidee crossed her arms over the high back of the empty chair opposite his desk.
“There can’t be that many on Dock Five.”
“Actually, there are four or five here regularly—not that you’d know what they are. Most are pirate rigs, heavy-duty conversions.”
Actually, she would know what they were, but that wasn’t the topic. “No conversion. This would be either a PanGalaxus Splendera or a BGR-750. Or something top of the line like those.”
“I don’t have access to every ship that makes dock here, Kaid. Just my clients’.”
“Don’t know why, but somehow I thought you’d hear if there was a Splendera on dock.”
Pops sighed, but he was grinning. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
“The answer’s no. I’m sorry. And, yes,” he continued, because Kaidee did little to hide her disappointment, “I would tell you. You’re good people, and I know you wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.” He glanced back at his screen, then up at her again. “There are two pirate rigs stuck here with the rest of us, but no PanGals or BGRs or anything of that caliber. So.” He raised his chin. “Why is it important?”
Kaidee leaned a little more heavily against the back of the chair. Pops trusted her. She had to do the same. “I saw Trippy Guthrie on dock not fifteen minutes ago, and not a GGS bodyguard in sight.”
“I get the Guthrie part. Who’s Trippy?”
“Jonathan Macy Guthrie the Third. The old man’s grandson—
eldest
grandson. Son of the eldest. All that stuff.”
Pops let out a low whistle. “How do you know the Guthries?”
“Kiler and I flew for them for five years.” Pops’s eyebrows shot up into his bald pate as Kaidee continued. “Trip used to like to hang out in the cockpit of the BGR, to get informal flying lessons. He’s a good kid. A
real
good kid. He doesn’t belong here. And it looked like he was just figuring that out.”
“You think he’s a runaway?”
Kaidee narrowed her eyes, thinking. “He’d be in his first year at Montgomery University. So, no, I can’t see him running away. He’d have too much freedom there, even with his required bodyguards. Granted, he has a strong adventurous streak—he’s like Philip Guthrie in that. That’s why they put Ben Halsey on him. Halsey’s ex-ImpSec and real seasoned.”
“You’re worried.”
Kaidee nodded reluctantly. Like she didn’t have enough problems? “Yeah.”
“Young men his age often do stupid things.”
“Like borrowing one of Grandpa’s sailing yachts, loading it with friends and beer, and partying for three days straight? Absolutely. But they don’t end up on Dock Five alone.”
Pops blew out an exasperated sigh between thinned lips and poked at his compscreen for a few minutes more. “Nothing, Kaid. Sorry. Not a ship that I’d think would be associated with GGS or even a university transport. He must have gotten here by freighter or commercial passenger shuttle.”
“Can you, um, access passenger records?”
Pops snorted. “You do have a too-high opinion of my abilities. But if I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
She nodded her thanks. She in no way saw herself as the savior of wayward university students, butpeople had watched after her when she was that age and crazy and had saved her unruly ass more than once. And if there was a problem with Trip’s over-domineering family, Kaidee felt fairly sure Trip wouldn’t see her as one of the oppressors. She’d get him to tell her
Shit. That was not good news.
She was probably wrong. It probably wasn’t Trippy. But she knew it was.
And with Imperial destroyers sitting out there and the likes of Horatio Frinks in here, that fact worried her. She changed direction back to Pops’s with more than her own troubles on her mind.
——————
“A luxury star yacht?” Pops looked up from his deskcomp as Kaidee crossed her arms over the high back of the empty chair opposite his desk.
“There can’t be that many on Dock Five.”
“Actually, there are four or five here regularly—not that you’d know what they are. Most are pirate rigs, heavy-duty conversions.”
Actually, she would know what they were, but that wasn’t the topic. “No conversion. This would be either a PanGalaxus Splendera or a BGR-750. Or something top of the line like those.”
“I don’t have access to every ship that makes dock here, Kaid. Just my clients’.”
“Don’t know why, but somehow I thought you’d hear if there was a Splendera on dock.”
Pops sighed, but he was grinning. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It is.”
“The answer’s no. I’m sorry. And, yes,” he continued, because Kaidee did little to hide her disappointment, “I would tell you. You’re good people, and I know you wouldn’t be asking if it wasn’t important.” He glanced back at his screen, then up at her again. “There are two pirate rigs stuck here with the rest of us, but no PanGals or BGRs or anything of that caliber. So.” He raised his chin. “Why is it important?”
Kaidee leaned a little more heavily against the back of the chair. Pops trusted her. She had to do the same. “I saw Trippy Guthrie on dock not fifteen minutes ago, and not a GGS bodyguard in sight.”
“I get the Guthrie part. Who’s Trippy?”
“Jonathan Macy Guthrie the Third. The old man’s grandson—
eldest
grandson. Son of the eldest. All that stuff.”
Pops let out a low whistle. “How do you know the Guthries?”
“Kiler and I flew for them for five years.” Pops’s eyebrows shot up into his bald pate as Kaidee continued. “Trip used to like to hang out in the cockpit of the BGR, to get informal flying lessons. He’s a good kid. A
real
good kid. He doesn’t belong here. And it looked like he was just figuring that out.”
“You think he’s a runaway?”
Kaidee narrowed her eyes, thinking. “He’d be in his first year at Montgomery University. So, no, I can’t see him running away. He’d have too much freedom there, even with his required bodyguards. Granted, he has a strong adventurous streak—he’s like Philip Guthrie in that. That’s why they put Ben Halsey on him. Halsey’s ex-ImpSec and real seasoned.”
“You’re worried.”
Kaidee nodded reluctantly. Like she didn’t have enough problems? “Yeah.”
“Young men his age often do stupid things.”
“Like borrowing one of Grandpa’s sailing yachts, loading it with friends and beer, and partying for three days straight? Absolutely. But they don’t end up on Dock Five alone.”
Pops blew out an exasperated sigh between thinned lips and poked at his compscreen for a few minutes more. “Nothing, Kaid. Sorry. Not a ship that I’d think would be associated with GGS or even a university transport. He must have gotten here by freighter or commercial passenger shuttle.”
“Can you, um, access passenger records?”
Pops snorted. “You do have a too-high opinion of my abilities. But if I hear anything, I’ll let you know.”
She nodded her thanks. She in no way saw herself as the savior of wayward university students, butpeople had watched after her when she was that age and crazy and had saved her unruly ass more than once. And if there was a problem with Trip’s over-domineering family, Kaidee felt fairly sure Trip wouldn’t see her as one of the oppressors. She’d get him to tell her
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