“You’re welcome.”
A few minutes went by as she struggled with the sleeves and redressed her new shield. Her eyes flared suddenly and her fumbling ceased.
Shit! I just gave myself away!
Elodie turned to stone, her mouth opening and closing like a suffocating fish. His eyes burned into her.
“I’m not a woman,” she mustered out in defense, trying to calmly convince him and wishing her heart would stop its pounding. “But I don’t want to give the others more fuel to that fire. Eventually, they might stop caring about what I really am and just focus on what I appear to be.”
Gunner rolled his head to face her directly. “Not a comforting thought.”
“No,” she whispered.
“I’ve completed the end of my bargain. Now it’s your turn.”
Elodie nodded. “Did you kill Royce?” She watched his face but it gave nothing away, only leaving her with more questions than before.
“Does it matter?”
“How did you do it?” she asked.
Gunner dropped his head on the bars and flicked his fingers at Royce’s cell. “I powered down the lights to the brig, broke through the security on my cell door, left, and when I returned, remembered our agreement and entered his cell. The rest you already know.”
Elodie couldn’t tell if he was taunting her or not but her stomach went queasy and she turned to look at the other prisoners around them, to see if anyone was listening in on their conversation.
“They’re asleep.”
“I don’t believe you.” She turned back toward him.
“You don’t? You don’t even know me.”
“Then why did you come back? If you can escape so easily, move through an unknown ship without getting lost, why would you come back?”
His lips lifted again. Elodie still couldn’t read him.
“Maybe I came back for you.”
His words left a mark and she shook off the shiver of fear that wanted to crawl through her. “Tell me the truth.”
“I did. I’m truth incarnate.”
“Prove it,” she hissed and his smile widened into a smirk.
“Why should I?”
“You can’t.”He can’t because it’s illogical and not possible.“So how did you really kill Royce?”
Suddenly several ration bars and a couple water gels appeared in his hand. Gunner shoved them through the bars where no one else could see.
“I told you.”
Elodie stared at the food as if it answered all her questions.Proof.Or was it?He could’ve been saving them up...Her fingers drifted over them lightly to prove to herself that they were real.
“Where did you get these?” she asked.
Gunner smirked but didn’t answer her. Several minutes passed and her belly groaned.
“That’s my proof,” he said, “Now eat something before you die.”
