Tess snorted. “Definitely Frank.”
Enthusiastic drumming echoed down the corridors along with more hoots and hollering.
Fiona got up first, grinning. She left the kitchen and half jogged toward the racket, her high ponytail swinging. We followed, our boots adding to the thumping that reverberated throughout the ship. A group of two men and three women stood just below us outside the starboard doorway. Fiona squealed and threw herself out at them with zero hesitation. The man at the front caught her and swung her around, laughing. He gave her a loud, smacking kiss on the lips before setting her down next to him and keeping one arm around her.
My focus automatically shifted to Jax. A now-familiar walled-off expression rose to mask whatever he was feeling, but there was no concealing the steel rod that replaced his spine or how stiff his shoulders looked. He’d never said a word to me about Fiona, but some things were obvious. He’d completely shut down when she’d been injured—no sleep, no food, that blank look giving away whatever he thought he was hiding. I didn’t know what he was waiting for. If he didn’t get his head in the game soon, she might find another player for herself.
Fiona pulled away from the tall blond guy with a laugh. He was undeniably good-looking, about thirty-five with fair coloring and electric blue eyes. She turned to the others with a big smile.
“Asher!” Fiona opened her arms. The second man shuffled forward and engulfed her in a hug that was as stout as he was. She disappeared for a couple of seconds before emerging again, flushed with happiness.
She hugged two of the women at once next—twins with the same light-brown hair and eyes, medium height, and sharp, angular features. They all bounced a little before launching into a secret handshake. It was the kind of thing kids do behind buildings before getting into trouble. Fiona looked different, genuinely lighter. A part of her was so often on edge, like a pot ready to boil over. I had a feeling a lot of that simmering was due to Jax—who did his own fair share of stewing.
Fiona turned to the third woman. “Nic! When did you join Frank’s crew? I thought you were taking it easy for a while.”
The final crewmember, Nic, smiled and hugged Fiona. She was striking and tall, with high, pronounced cheekbones, a wide mouth, straight black hair, brown skin, hazel eyes, and a jaw that was squarer than most. Her voice came out low and gravelly, hinting at damaged vocal cords. “About three universal months ago. Taking it easy got boring. Too much air traffic controlling and not enough blowing shit up and stealing.”
“We’ve had plenty of that lately,” Fiona said wryly.
“Then we’ll follow you guys around for some action.” Nic’s face brightened, but her rusty-gear words triggered a shot of adrenaline inside me.
I tensed and looked at Tess. We were headed to Starbase 12. I sure as hell hoped they wouldn’t follow us.
Tess grinned and didn’t look worried. “Yourhangar, Frank?” She hopped down from theEndeavorand tossed a light play punch into the blond guy’s shoulder. She didn’t give hugs, and no one seemed to expect it. She moved toward the stockier, brown-haired Asher, though, and gave him a special smile I couldn’t interpret. He smiled back, his ruddy cheeks dimpling.
Jax, Merrick, Mwende, and I exited the ship after her. Jax offered handshakes and a wide but slightly strained smile, especially when it fell on the strapping captain.
Frank looked us over and then peered into the open, empty doorway of theEndeavor. He frowned, asking softly, “What happened to your crew, Bailey?”
Tess glanced down. It took her a second to answer. “Miko got hit. A bullet. She’s gone. Shiori was captured. The Dark Watch has her.”
Frank paled, his eyes widening. “I’m so sorry. Shit, I’m sorry.” His hand moved to his chest, pressing like it hurt suddenly.
His crew echoed him. Every single one of them looked sick, shocked, and saddened. One of the twins took a shuddering breath. Asher sniffled.
Tess swallowed hard, squared her shoulders, and introduced us. “This is Shade: navigator and mechanic. Merrick Maddox: hard-core rebel and all-around badass. And this is Sanaa.” Tess hesitated. “Personal security expert.”
Tess hadn’t outed Mwende, which meant she’d just given us all the signal to treat the lieutenant like anyone else here, like a rebel Nightchaser.
We all did some nodding and mumbling that felt pretty generic before Tess launched into the remaining introductions.
“This is Frank, Asher, Macey, Caeryssa, and Nic of theUnholy Stench.”
My brows shot up. “You named your ship that?”
Frank nodded, humor glinting in his eyes again. “I named her after the state of the galaxy. If we ever get rid of the stink, I’ll rename her.”
I smiled, relaxing. Tess seemed comfortable with these people, and I trusted her judgment. “Sounds fair,” I answered.
Asher turned to Tess. “Have you seen Coltin lately?”
“Yes!” She lit up like a firecracker, and something twisted in my chest. Her joy was magnificent, but the fact that I had no fucking idea who Coltin was stung hard and fast.
“Starway 8 just got hit by a big epidemic—a really nasty virus. We brought some cure-alls we’d managed to gather, and it was exactly what they needed.” She sobered. “Coltin looked bad. He scared the crap out of me, but he came around. I saw him getting better before I left.”
“Wow. That’s a relief.” Asher scrubbed a hand through his hair. Despite his words, worry still cramped his face.
Tess glanced at me. “Asher is Coltin’s uncle. Coltin is this amazing kid on Starway 8, kind of like my little brother.”
