Drying off as best I could with the rough towel, I wrapped it around my hair turban style and then redressed in the sheet.
There was still plenty of time before my clothes were done, so I grabbed the packet and sat at the desk.Opening the envelope carefully, I tipped the contents into my hand.The metallic data chip landed in the middle of my palm, its dull silver coating weakly reflecting the light.Slightly bigger than the tip of my thumb, it loosely resembled an octagon and looked to be intact, despite my adventures.
The chip may still be intact...but I didn’t have the key.
I pinched two of the chip’s corners between my fingertips and turned the little mystery this way and that.It looked like any other data chip.Was this what they had been looking for?“Where did you come from?”I murmured.The chip didn’t answer.
No matter.I’d figure it out.
I set it on the desk and picked up the envelope again.There had to be something to indicate who had sent it.I blew into the opening and then turned it over again.A small piece of paper fluttered out.
Unfolding it, I stared at the message that had been delivered with the chip and my stomach plummeted.
Hey, Lace.This is my fail-safe.If you’re reading it...well, shit, I guess I missed a check-in or two.The logs have the coordinates.Same password as always.Get here quick.Love ya!Layla
My breath came in pants and I felt lightheaded, woozy.
This could not be happening.
I dropped my head to my knees and tried to calm my racing pulse while my thoughts spun out of control.
When I could think without wanting to puke or pass out, I sat up and read the message again, trying to parse another meaning, one that didn’t make me panic.One that basically didn’t just tell me that my sister was missing.
12
Dax
The alarmI’d set on my comms blared to life and I switched from asleep to awake in the blink of an eye.After hours of scrolling through cargo ads, my eyelids had been heavy so I’d caught a catnap on the bridge.Until I knew why Lacy seemed to know my ship better than I did—or until I picked up my team—I didn’t want to leave the bridge unattended unless she was secured.Or off the ship.
I stood, rolling my shoulders and running through a series of stretches.The captain’s chair wasn’t the most uncomfortable place I’d ever slept, but after four days sleeping in the captain’s quarters, my body preferred a comfortable mattress.
Despite the time I’d spent reviewing the want ads for cargo haulers, I was no closer to having a plan for cargo than I had been.There were a lot of enticing offers, but some of them appeared too good to be true.How the hell did you calculate what made a run profitable and what made it a waste of time and money?
That was a problem for later—later being a few hours, since I couldn’t put this off indefinitely.Right now, I wanted a shower.The question was, did I dare leave the bridge unattended?It should be safe enough with Lacy Dupree locked in her room.She’d been exhausted, so I was hopeful she was still asleep.
I toggled through the screens that monitored the ship’s systems.Everything looked stable, except... What was that?
The chart showing the ship’s energy use was higher than it had been last night.I dug deeper into the data.The unusual draw was coming from the crew quarters.Where, surprise, my uninvited guest was.
What the hell was she doing?
The crew cabins were bare bones, not because I wanted them that way, but because I expected that my team would want to put their own stamp on the rooms.The cabins had come with the basic amenities: bed, desk, chair.The only thing in any of the rooms that drew power, outside of the lights, was the computer terminal.It was a dummy system, tied into the ship’s network.
I pulled up the data feed for her terminal.A black screen greeted me.“What the hell?”That shouldn’t happen.
I re-entered the command.Same result.Frowning, I pulled out the manual to make sure I was doing it correctly.
Yep, same steps.I drummed my fingers on the console.The ship’s captain—that would be me—had access to all aspects of the ship.For her to have cut my access...
My stomach dropped.Pretty little Lacy Dupree was proving to be a much bigger problem than expected.I’d underestimated her and I couldn’t afford to do that again.
I locked down the ship’s primary console and reset the password.When I left the bridge, I did the same.
What a pain in the ass.I hated remembering passwords.
Then I strode quickly down the corridor to the crew quarters to find out what Lacy Dupree was up to.
My steps on the metal floor were loud enough that she should have heard me coming.That didn’t stop me from pounding on the door.I may have had the key and a good head of mad, but I still had some manners.Plus, nothing good ever came from barging into a room.
