“You’re being ridiculous! The necklace is gone and we aren’t getting it back. Why not take this as payment?”
“Even if I could accept that, I wouldn’t take money from the Raven. This is dirty money! He’s a pirate! A thief, Evie!”
“Who cares? Can we really afford to split hairs now?” Evie’s pale features were flushed, her eyes bright. Ally’s little sister was usually a bastion of calm but not today.
“If we don’t stand for something, we’ll fall for anything!”
Evie’s mouth flattened into a line. “That’s what Dad used to say. And he’s the one that got us into this mess. So forgive me if I’m not affected by his trite platitudes anymore. We need this money. I’m not letting you destroy it or give it back.”
Ally breathed heavily, surprised that her younger sister was standing up to her. Usually, Evie trusted her judgment. Ally had been taking care of Evie for her entire life, their parents too busy living the good life with their friends. A life of endless soirees and theme parties didn’t leave much time for raising two little girls. Ally ended up taking charge of her little sister, teaching her how to tie her shoes and put on makeup, along with other more important lessons.
“How can we walk away from the necklace?” Ally asked, her voice cracking. She felt like a failure. Nothing she’d done so far had gotten them anywhere, and now she couldn’t even keep a hold on their last possession of value.
“The same way we walked away from our old lives. We’ve lost everything already. Why not give up the necklace if the credits are our ticket off this rock?” Evie’s face was serious, but her tone was soft, conciliatory.
“What if the Raven is only toying with me? What if he gave me that money just to see what I would do? What if he comes back for it, and he wants more than the money?”
Evie nodded. “All the more reason to get the hell out of here while we can. The sooner, the better.”
Ally fell into the cramped room’s only chair, all of the fight going out of her at last. Maybe her sister was right. Maybe it was better to let go of everything, to start fresh.
Evie knelt beside her, taking her hand and squeezing it. “We can’t afford passage on a transport ship, but we can probably manage a ride on a cargo vessel. It might even leave us with enough funds to get started back on the Rings.”
Ally decided that it was time to come clean with Evie. She’d underestimated her little sister, had tried to keep her sheltered from reality, but now it was Evie who was telling it like it was. “The Rings are too expensive, and we don’t have any way tomake ends meet reliably. How are we going to afford living there on our own?”
Evie frowned, some of the light in her eyes dimming. Ally instantly regretted her decision to confide in her about her fears. “Maybe… maybe we could ask some of our old friends for help. I’ve always been good with children. Maybe some of our parents’ friends would hire me as a nanny.”
Ally nodded, but inside, she had her doubts. Most families used holograms or robotic entities as a means of minding their children on the Rings. Human nannies were out of fashion. “And what about me? You know kids are frightened of me.”
Evie laughed. “Well, if you didn’t walk around scowling all the time, that might make a difference.”
Ally stuck her tongue out at her sister, making Evie laugh and releasing some of their tension. “You’re sure you want to go back to the Rings?”
Evie nodded, her smile gentle. “It’s home,” she said simply.
Ally took a deep breath, her purpose renewed. “I’ll head down to the spaceport and see if I can find us a lift. You get busy packing.”
Evie looked around her. Cocking an eyebrow at her sister, she laughed. “That should take less than five minutes.”
Ally chuckled. “It pays to travel light.”
Evie dropped her hand and slapped her sister playfully on the arm. “You’re hilarious.” Evie straightened, stretching languidly. “Try to find something that leaves soon.”
“Let’s see if I can find something that gets us off Gamma-17 by lunchtime.” Without hesitating, she pulled on her old coveralls and slapped a cap on her head. “Wish me luck.”
She waved and ducked out the door as her sister’s voice called after her.
“Good luck!”
CHAPTER 5
LYK
Rigellus’s vessel glided along its path past the outer reaches of the asteroid belt—which was where the Raven’s sleek battle cruiser lay in wait, ready to pounce.
“You know for a fact that we can disable his weapons?”
Celdrake nodded. “I’ve got an inside man, Captain. He wants to join us. He did it for the promise of the tattoo alone.”
