Page 70 of Radiant Exception
Xavier’s entire life’s communications should have been stored within the files. There was no reason that even early emails from Cassidy, from when we were in school together, should have been scrubbed as well, but all of it was gone. Even emails between Xavier and me where Cassidy was mentioned, which I confirmed by looking at my own communications archives, had been deleted.
Someone had systematically removed every single email that contained Cassidy Paulson’s name.
There was only one answer as to why. And only one person who would do such a thing.
My comm pinged, disrupting my realization. The program had finished running through the encrypted code.
My stomach filled with dread.
Xavier’s program had deciphered every single string, because Cassidy had used my brother’s proprietary and personal ciphers to run communications through theRadiantout to his network of miscreants.
Shoving the comm in my pocket, I dashed out the door to find Vaughn.
“I’m going to kill that motherfucker,” I raged.
“Keep your voice down,” Lark hissed, covering my mouth with her hand.
She was seated next to me in the window seat in my office, just off the bridge. Cassidy was two levels below, in his office, but Rion was fixing some wiring at one of the stations, just outside the closed door.
I gingerly removed Lark’s hand, but kept it in my own. “I could easily make it look like an accident.” I seethed.
She cocked her head, understanding my fury, but curiously, more composed than I was.
“I expected more wrath from you, given your history with the prick.”
She shook her head, casting her gaze at her lap, where our clasped hands rested. “I’m beyond livid, but we can’t afford to allow our anger to cloud our judgment and miss this opportunity.” Her eyes met mine. “I want hishead.” She growled low, turning me on in a way that didn’t make sense, but my hunger for her never did.
“Ever since you boarded, I sensed a change in him, but when we got closer, I assumed it was jealousy or possessiveness that was swaying me.”
The corners of her lips curled at the edges, her gaze turning sultry. “You were jealous and possessive?”
My cock surged to life, but this was not the time.
“You have no idea,” I grumbled, breaking eye contact to look out into the vast darkness, other than Jupiter, which loomed at the edge of the window.
Lark leaned forward, her lips grazing the stubble at my jaw. “Is it bad that I like the thought that?”
Unable to resist, I pulled her forward so she was practically straddling my lap, capturing her lips with mine. I didn’t have the will to be gentle, but Lark welcomed my rough edges and demanding efforts, our appetite for one another having only increased once our feelings had been laid bare between us. She consumed my thoughts more with every passing moment.
I was so damn proud that she had figured all of this out on her own, but perhaps more so that she had put her feelings and history with Cassidy aside to be open to the idea that he was the person we were searching for.
Despite the fact that I still hadn’t decided if I’d allow him to exit theRadiantin one piece, my heart hurt for Lark, knowing that she had lost yet another person she’d trusted, and one of the last remaining connections to her brother.
Had this turn of events tainted every good memory she’d had of her youth? The fact that she had all but skipped the yelling-angrystage, which I’d often found myself ensconced in earlier in our voyage, meant that she was nearing the more dangerous phase of her ire. Normally, I would have felt bad for whoever was on the receiving end of whatever she was about to think up, but Cassidy—or maybe I should start thinking of him as the Phoenix—deserved every bit of what was heading his way.
She was magnificent when provoked to become villainous.
And she was mine.
For the first time in my life, she allowed me to envision a future. All I saw was a life full of adventure and love with Lark.
Before things could derail too much further, Lark pulled away from our kiss, panting into the crook of my neck. “You’re distracting me.”
“I refuse to apologize,” I chuckled against her, pressing a soft kiss to the top of her head, noting how warm she felt, and how perfectly she fit in my arms. “So what now?” I rubbed a reassuring palm against the small of her back.
Lark heaved a sigh before extricating herself from my lap to sit at my side, her thigh still touching mine, unable to sever the contact we both craved. “I don’t know.” She shook her head. “We need to gather enough evidence to prove that he’s the Phoenix, or involved in all of this. He’s already planning on leaving the ship at the end of this run, so we need to do something fast, to stop him for good.”
“Would it help if I told you I have backdoor access to every system on this ship, even the ones I’m not supposed to, including the Starlane surveillance footage, access logs, and keystroke trackers?”
