“Right.”
Ryker tossed an arm around my shoulders. “What were you thinking about?”
“Nothing.”
“You were dead silent throughout breakfast and didn’t hear the captain call us out.”
Said captain waited by the door like he had to watch all the kids leave the classroom without issue. With his visor under his arm, his expression lay bare for the few of us remaining. That expression hardened, and his eye twitched, like it used to, and I gave him a peculiar look that had him clearing his throat.
“Move it, Ryker,” Roys warned.
“Hey, why are you only calling me out?” Ryker squeaked at Roys’ snarl and, since he had his arm around me, urged us both out the door. “Someone’s in a mood.”
“Guess so,” I said.
We meandered onto the shuttle where Maddy sat by Galya. They chatted about their plans for the day. Maddy glanced at me. My heart lurched. I wanted to fall at her feet and cry in her lap like a child until she smiled, and I soared.
A start. A real fucking start.
I returned the gesture and then went into the cockpit to begin the preflight checks. Roys called out to the others in the cabin, ensuring everyone had everything. By the time I finished the checks, Roys took the copilot seat and removed his visor. His cheeks had color to them this morning, even if a slight tremble remained in his hands.
“Feeling alright? You were glaring earlier. I wasn’t even bugging you,” I said.
“I wasn’t glaring.”
“Yes, you were, when Ryker,” I stopped and stared. Roys cocked a brow. I smiled, feeling hot and giddy, like all the energy in me wanted to jump out at once. “Jealous.”
“What?”
“Earlier. Ryker had his arm around me, and you were jealous.”
“And what if I was?” he challenged in that low voice he had to know made me hot under the collar. He leaned over the console to grasp my neck and bring me in for a kiss that sucked the air from my lungs. Then it was over, and he sat back, grinning. “I’d much rather be the one with my arms around you.”
“You disgust me.”
“Liar.”
Completely.
With the last of the checks complete, we took off. Roys got sick once on the flight over. We had plenty of flight bags for that purpose, but it was good he sat up front. I offered to toss the bag once everyone was gone. He gave a confirmed moan and slept the rest of the flight. Roys got everyone ready after we landed, and they headed off. We kept a private chat open for the two of us on the commlink where I regularly checked in.
Roys:I never expected you to be such a worrywart.
I didn’t bother writing a response, even if he wasn’t entirely incorrect. My nerves were fried after these weeks of emotional torment. Everything with Roys, Maddy, on top of Arana’s predicament had me checking over my shoulder. I opened the cockpit doors to inspect the cabin and then returned to run a perimeter check. The shuttle buzzed while inspecting the area, then the holo screen flickered. A brief interruption easily explained by poor weather or shitty equipment. But Arana had a hit on her, and I was a paranoid bastard. The diagnostics came up clean, which meant we were fine…
Or someone had equipment capable of jamming our less than state-of-the-art systems.
After sending a message to the team about the flicker, I inspected the cabin a second time. Nothing out of the ordinary. I would have heard if anyone got in because the shuttle doors were not quiet. Nothing warned of disaster, save my gut clenching after the prolonged absence of communication. They could be busy, but Roys, at least, would have sent confirmation of receiving my warning.
A chill ran down the back of my neck. Iopened our private comm. “Roys, did you receive my message?”
He didn’t reply. My stomach dropped, and the cargo doors opened.
Blaster fire landed on the back of my pilot seat. Had I been sitting there, the hit wouldn’t have been fatal because the bastards had them set to stun. Mine wasn’t.
I took their surprise as an opening and fired. The doors were halfway open, revealing the right side of an armed, suited body. My attack hit them in the shoulder. A scream followed blood splattering across the entry.
They expected me to be in my seat, fooled by their jammer so I wouldn’t see them coming. They couldn’t shoot through the cockpit’s glass, so they were banking on surprising me from the cargo bay.
