She paused, staring at the neat row of stitches, running her thumb over them.
Something inside her cracked open.
How long had this taken him?
When had he decided she’d need such a thing?
She’d assumed he’d try to stop her from coming onto the transport, but he’d had to have started work on this as soon as they’d known they’d be chasing down the other ship. He had planned for her to come along, even as he had cautioned her about the danger. She knew he wanted her to stay on The Lady, where it was safer. She stared sightlessly at the stitches.
He knew her. He knew that she would find a way to go, so instead of preventing her, he’d found a way to keep her as safe as he could.
Oh, Gark.
The stitches blurred under her fingers.
Gark cleared his throat, and she blinked rapidly, making a show of tightening the straps as she’d seen the others do and adjusting the fit.
“We don’t have time for translation chips, so I need you to convince them to come with us.”
She nodded. There would be no time to waste. She didn’t want to think of the math of how many people they’d need to move per minute. “That’s assuming they speak English.”
Gark frowned, running a hand over his face. His eyes were a little bloodshot, the red startling against the lilac of his iris. There were dark circles under his eyes, and his usually well-groomed hair was standing up in spikes like he’d been running his hands through it.
“Do whatever you can.”
She nodded. “I’m not going to let the fuckers win.”
Gark barked out a laugh. His lips tilted up briefly. “I need to know you are safe.”
There was a universe of emotion in his eyes. Words unsaid, apologies left unspoken, declarations that might never be?—
“Boss, we’re good to go.”
Gark pulled away with obvious reluctance, following Arik through the now-open airlock and down the short tunnel that connected the two ships. Aletta followed closely, her breath creating clouds of steam in the cold air. She bounced slightly in the reduced gravity and almost smacked into Gark’s back, only saving herself with a hand to the middle of his back. He reached a hand back to hold her still, the protective gesture bringing a small smile to Aletta’s lips.
Get a grip, girl!
She squared her shoulders. The entry to the transport was nothing more than a reinforced doorway. Arik attached a device with flashing lights to the door and then pressed a button. Aletta winced at the metal-on-metal noise of a bolt being drawn back, then the door swung open, revealing the interior of the transport.
She blinked, trying to focus on the darkness inside, and strained around Gark.
“Keep back,” Gark warned, hand outstretched to prevent her from rushing forward.
They had agreed that he and Arik would go first to make sure it was safe to enter the ship, and then Jarden, Klath, and Aletta would follow. Lara was waiting on The Lady, ready to help calm the survivors and make them feel more comfortable. And Vox was waiting with his foot on the proverbial gas, ready to escape the moment they were back on The Lady.
She shifted with impatience, shaking her hands in frustration. Dylan was on this ship. The weeks of anxiously wondering if she was alive or dead were finally coming to a close.
Aletta wrapped her arms around herself, shifting from foot to foot. She knew another minute or two wouldn’t make much difference, but now that she was this close, it was unbearable.
But she knew Gark only wanted to keep her safe, so she waited as patiently as she could as she watched him.
He turned his head, profile standing out against the darkness of the transport. His brows were drawn down in concentration, nostrils flaring as he gestured to Arik. The two warriors stood on either side of the door, like she’d seen actors do in action movies, with their weapons held ready, and peered around the corner.
“There really is nobody here. I don’t like this.” His voice was low as he shared a look with Arik.
“Neither do I. But what can we do?” Arik shrugged. He readied his weapon, and the two warriors stepped through the airlock and into the transport.
Aletta trotted after them, almost running to keep up with their long steps.
