He leveled a look at me. “You know what I mean.”
Wordlessly, I looked between him and his creature, and then at him again. “They think I’m helping you?”
“Well, you kind of did.”
“I did,” I realized. My thoughts fell on the lightsabertucked into his jacket. I remembered what the leader had told him in the shop. “Why’s that saber so important?”
“It’s not,” he replied quickly, looking out the window at the passing speeders.
“Is it yours?”
“No.”
“Then whose is it?”
“No one’s,” he replied, flicking his gaze to me.
A whole lot of helpful answers there.
I studied his easy demeanor. There it was—that strange pulse again in his eyes, white pinpricks widening before retracting again. I made him nervous, or did my questions? “Do you normally lie to people you just met?”
Knowing he was caught, he smoothed an easy smile over his lips. Italmostmade the lie easier to swallow. “I’m usually better at it,” he said decisively, “but my charm doesn’t seem to work on you.”
“And what charm is that?”
His smile widened, and it reached his glittery eyes. “You’re fun, Ardent.”
“Well,you’reinfuriating.”
“I aspire to nothing more.”
He laughed again, disarming the tension that had built in the taxi, and we made small talk for the rest of the ride to hangar eighty-nine.
CHAPTER FOUR
The Smuggler
The taxi landed a short walk from the docking bay, and Sian walked me all the way to the entrance. At first I wondered if it was simply because he was invested in my opinion of the most recent galactic pop star who had found themself in another auto-tune scandal or the artificial weather of Coruscant and why it was always somuggy, but no. Maybe he was just being chivalrous?
I had my suspicions.
I had my suspicions right up until he cursed and ducked behind a large crate waiting to be moved into the docking bay. He pressed himself flat against it and quickly motioned for me to follow. I didn’t see what he was so concerned about until two men emerged from the crowd, heading toward the hangar.
Which sent me quickly behind the crate with him.
He thumped his head against the back of it. Noola chirped inside his jacket. “How does word travel sofast?” Then he squeezed his eyes tightly closed and massagedthe bridge of his nose. “They’re going to be looking for me in every ship out of here,” he muttered. “This isnotmy day.”
“Well…” I glanced around the crate at the men again. “It looks like they didn’t see us. They’re leaving.”
Noola chirped again, and he absently scratched her head as he peeked around the crate with me. “Yeah…”
Suddenly, my communicator crackled, making us both jump.
“Hello? Arie? Helloooooo?”
I quickly pulled it out of my leather jacket, about to answer, and then thought better of it and turned it off. I’d see Kotti in a few minutes anyway. “I should get going. I’m sorry I can’t be of more help, but I hope everything works out for y—”
“No—wait!” He caught my wrist and then quickly let go of it. A muscle in his jaw throbbed. “Wait,” he repeated, as if the words pained him. “I…have a favor to ask. I’m not going to get off this planet otherwise.”
