Page 31 of Smuggler's Beauty

Evelyn had relaxed a little while they were teasing him, and Aiden was pleased the tension in her shoulders had lessened. Relaxed and focused was better than stressed and hyper-fixated.

Aiden watched Nannette approach the rock. She nudged it with her toe before picking it up. She plucked the hidden key from the camouflaged container and replaced it on the path.

They all followed Nannette to the door and watched as she tried the key in the lock. The door swung open, and at Nannette’s signal, they followed her inside. Stepping into the foyer, Aiden saw a house that he knew in his gut hadn’t changed in all the time it had stood empty. The walls of the main space were painted that same calm purple shade that Evelyn’s chamber in the medivessel had been. A squishy-looking charcoal-colored sofa took up most of the living room, and Aiden could picture how Evelyn would have sprawled on it while devouring her latest read. A matching loveseat draped with a mustard yellow throw blanket and a green armchair framed the coffee table, scattered with trinkets. Framed movie posters and shadowboxes full of concert memorabilia battled the walls for space against overstuffed bookshelves.

Standing in the middle of the living room was the very same short, formidable woman Aiden had grown to mistrust over the past few days. She was dressed in one of her signature sensible silver pantsuits. A violet silk shirt buttoned to the throat wasaccented with a plum necktie secured in a complicated knot. Her graying auburn hair was slicked back in a chignon.

Evelyn took one look at her and screamed, launching herself forward. His blaster was out and aimed by the time she had wrapped herself around Vinnie in a crushing hug.

“Corrie!”

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“Corrie!”

Even though ninety-five years had passed, Aunt Corrie was not much older than Evelyn remembered her being; the auburn in her hair was threaded through with icy gray strands, the perpetual stress lines between her eyes deeper. The familiar smell of her soap, amber and rose petals, were a balm to Evelyn’s frazzled nerves. The calming influence helped her come back to reality.

Galactic standard health screenings had prolonged human life well past the century mark, but one tended to look the part when one was over a hundred years of age. Enough time spent in stasis would have kept Aunt Corrie from aging just at it had Evelyn, but it was clear to her that Corrie hadn’t spent the majority of the last century in her own pod. She looked closer to sixty than one hundred and sixty.

Corrie set this all up.

She stepped back and glanced at the crew, cringing when she realized she’d completely ignored Nannette’s admonitions to stand behind her. She and Aiden both had blasters in their hands, pointed at the floor. The look in Aiden’s eyeswas furious enough to melt glass. Lillian had a firm hand on Elenor’s shoulder, murmuring something soothing in her wife’s ear. Evelyn turned back to Corrie and saw her wince under the weight of Aiden’s glare.

“What the fuck, Corrie? What is going on?” Evelyn asked. She crossed her arms over her chest and did her best to prevent herself from shaking, unsure if it was the shock at seeing her aunt or the cold.

“Corrie?” Aiden asked with a frown. “Is that what we should be calling you? Not Vinnie?” He took a few steps closer to Evelyn. She appreciated the silent show of support and shot him a brief smile.

“Oh, I’ll answer to anything. I’ve grown used to being Vinnie, but my true name is Corvinia Moreau.” She adjusted her tie. “Why don’t we sit? This is going to take a while.”

Evelyn stomped to the plush gray sofa and took the seat nearest the arm. She folded her legs up to rest her chin on her knees and hugged her legs close. Aiden perched on the arm next to her. It warmed some of the freezing chill Evelyn was battling off to know he felt so protective. Nannette sat next to Evelyn on the sofa, and she heard her mutter something into her comm under her breath.Probably telling the others not to rush; we’re not being shot.Lillian and Elenor took the loveseat, leaving Corvinia to sit in the battered green leather armchair. Evelyn watched her cross her legs and settle herself.

“Tea? Water?”

“Stop stalling, Corrie,” Evelyn said. She was used to watching Corvinia delay with pleasantries, but now was not the time.

Corvinia sighed. “I’ve grown unaccustomed to plain speaking, darling. You’ve been gone too long, and I’ve been too mired in bullshit.”

Nannette snorted. “That’s politics for you.”

“But she’s not a politician. Corrie’s an actor. Minister of Arts and Culture. At least, you were,” Evelyn said, turning her head. “What happened?”

“What happened is the plan went to shit.”

“Funnily enough, I did sort that out myself.”Understatement of the century.

“Things chugged along as you’d negotiated for almost a year. What none of us realized was that behind the scenes, Emil had an entirely different framework planned out.”

Evelyn heard the door softly swing open behind her, and at the noise, Corvinia tensed, reaching her hand toward her pocket. Lillian’s view of the door was clear, and she gave a quick wave down the hallway. Aiden was stock still beside her, maintaining his glare.

This may be the most impressive case of resting bitch face I’ve ever seen.

Veronique, Tariel, and Veselko streamed into the room. Veronique was holding a takeout cup with a clear dome threatening to overflow with whipped cream. She popped a straw into it and handed it to Evelyn.

“Thought you might need this.”

Evelyn arched an eyebrow. “Is this a milkshake?”

“It’s medicinal.”