died. It was possible Big wasn’t even staying at their home base anymore. He hadn’t had any contact with them in just over eleven and a half months. A lot could happen in that time. Blade was more than aware of that fact.
He reached out blindly and touched the console, opening his eyes to punch in the coded signal he had memorized to link the ship to the satellite relay they’d stolen and reprogramed. “Dad, this is your lost sheep. Please respond.” He eased back in the seat and waited.
Long minutes passed, and he sighed. He was about to flip off the coms when an incoming message finally came through.
“I’m glad to hear from you, son! You sound as sharp as ever, but I was worried sick.”
Blade grinned, feeling immense relief. “I’ve done some dumb things and got into a bit of trouble. I’d like to come home.”
“You know you’re always welcome here. Is it the kind of trouble that might come with you?”
His amusement died as quickly as it had sprung up. “I met a girl and…you know how it goes. Shit hit the fan and a bunch of people weren’t real happy about it.”
“How much shit?”
Blade had to word it carefully. It was possible someone could hack the transmission signal and overhear their conversation. They always made sure their exchanges appeared innocent enough. “Her big brother wants to strangle me, and I didn’t make any friends with the guys I worked for when I quit my job to leave with her.”
“Can you make it home or do you need me to come get you?” Worry sounded in Big’s voice.
“I found a ride. I just didn’t want to show up out of the blue if you have things going on.” In other words, he wanted to call to make certain someone remained at the base.
“You’re always welcome here, son. I’ll have mother cook up a hell of a meal.”
“She shouldn’t have to go to any trouble. I just want to slip in quietly and relax.”
“Get your ass home, son. We’ll be ready to throw a party in case you change your mind. How far out are you?”
He glanced at the shuttle’s location and calculated. “Two days. I’m bringing the girl with me.”
“I’ll be seeing you both then. Is there anything else you can tell me? We’ve all been really worried about you.”
“I’ll tell you everything when I get home. I need to let you go now. Thanks, Dad.”
“Be careful, my sharpest son. Out.”
Blade flipped off the coms and began to change course—when he heard a slight noise behind him. He rose fast and spun around.
Hailey’s wide eyes met his. She had crept inside the door he’d left open.
“I don’t have a brother, and you lied to me. You said you were a clone but you were talking to your father. You even have a mother!”
“That was Big. He’s another clone, and we call him Dad. The transmissions can be hacked into, so we always speak in code. It’s less suspicious if we address each other as typical family members. We don’t want anyone to suspect we’re clones. ‘Big brother’ is what we call the authorities. I said they want to strangle me, so Big knows they might be trying to pin down my location. Mother is what we call the defense systems on our home base, and Big was inferring he’s on high alert and preparing for a fight if someone’s following us. We hate surprises, hence the party reference. He’s going to be waiting to blow up any ship that isn’t ours as we approach.”
She didn’t seem convinced when she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. He figured she was attempting to look threatening, but she didn’t. And angry Hailey was actually cute. He liked the way her cheeks flushed pink and her lips pressed together.
“Big called me ‘sharpest son’ because my name is Blade.”
“Why do you call him your dad? Is he a lot older than you?”
“He’s the most paternal of us, and he occasionally likes to give lectures. Someone had to take that role if we were using family titles to contact each other, and he also chose to remain at our home base. It just made sense. I’m actually a few months older. I was produced the same year as Big.”
“Do you regret saving me?”
“No. Why would you ask that?”
“You told that man you’d done something dumb.”
“Anytime we do something that puts us in danger, we call it a dumb move.