She shrugged. What did it matter? She had to get to Dylan; it didn’t matter if she looked like death warmed up. Her sister was all that mattered. If she couldn’t find Dylan, then she’d never forgive herself.
Aletta was the big sister. She was the one who was meant to make sure her little sister was safe. She had taken care of her for years, ever since their parents had died and they’d been left with their grandmother.
Everyone she loved left. She rubbed the center of her chest. Dylan was all she had left. Who was she without her sister?
She didn’t want to contemplate a life without her only family. Dee was her best friend. And she wouldn’t let her down.
Aletta left the bathroom and tried the hallway door again. Nothing.
She banged on the panel, sending sparks flying. The lights flickered and then went out.
What the hell was happening?
She banged the panel again, and this time the door opened.
She didn’t waste a second. Aletta was going to find her sister.
CHAPTER 4
GARK
The alarm's wail and the orange warning lights were starting to get to Gark. The ship jolted as Vox dodged and weaved to avoid being hit.
He’d found his mate. The one person in the entire universe suited to him perfectly. It was a miracle.
And, of course, it would have to happen with the worst possible timing.
“Who is firing at us?” Gark demanded, his hands gripping the arms of his seat as he leaned forward, straining to see on the viewscreen in front of him. “A’Kar!”
A’Kar’s voice was shaky as he replied. “I’m…I’m not certain.”
Gark growled in frustration, turning away from his less-than-adequate security officer to someone more reliable. “Vox?”
“Purists.” The usually smiling pilot practically spat the word. “They have a scout ship.”
Gark frowned. What would a group focused on the supposed preservation of the Taurean race want with The Lady? And how did they get a Taurean fleet scout ship? It made no sense. He shook his head.
“Jarden?”
The navigator had been tapping away on his screen since his butt had landed in his seat. Ever reliable, Gark hadn’t needed to tell him to chart a course to get them the hell out of here. So Gark was unsurprised when Jarden swiped across his tablet and, with a flick of his wrist, displayed a map on the main screen. He quickly outlined a plan that involved a loop around the planet’s moon.
“It should give enough additional velocity to outrun them,” Jarden said.
“It’s the best chance we have,” Vox added his agreement to the plan.
Before Gark could give the command to do it, a second hit shook the ship. The siren stopped, and all the viewscreens flickered and went out.
“Arik?” Gark was thankful the comm system ran on a backup, so any power outage didn’t kill their ability to communicate. That was one upgrade the big mechanic had insisted on.
“On it.” Arik would already be hunting for a solution in engineering.
The inter-ship comm beeped with an incoming message. Gark displayed it on the main screen, keeping their own video off. It wouldn’t do to give too much away until he knew what their attackers wanted.
The image flickered, then a Taurean in black—not military but close enough to make Gark snort—appeared on the screen.
“You have something we want.”
Gark ran a hand over his face. Pirates were always so predictable. Sometimes, Gark was paid extra to see just who else wanted what he was sent to retrieve—intelligence gathering, of a sort he supposed. But today, he did not have the energy to deal with the posturing. He sighed.
