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Marcus waved a hand in the air, seeming unconcerned. “She’s always got a little stashed away somewhere. When we bought an apartment together, she put down most of the capital. She’ll come good when it comes to my ship. Well, I guess it would be our ship. She can decide where we go on our first spaceflight. I could even call the ship after her. Do aliens do that, name their ships?”

“She’s not even your girl. It might be a bit premature to go painting her name on the side of your ship. When she turns you down, you’re going to look like a dumbass.”

“She’ll love it. Ivy loves grand gestures. I took her away to Paris once. She didn’t stop talking about it for weeks.”

“Did you pay?”

Marcus shrugged. “I don’t remember.”

Karn snorted. He’d got the measure of this guy. He didn’t want Ivy because he was in love with her. Marcus wanted her assets. He’d figured he could manipulate her again and take what he wanted. He would be disappointed. There was no savings account. Ivy lived from pay day to pay day and surrounded herself with beautiful things.

Karn tilted his head, remembering the laser he’d handed over before being chucked in the holding cell. He had the same habit as Ivy. He liked the newest and shiniest things and liked to surround himself with them to feel good about himself. Was Ivy the same? Were they more similar than he’d realized?

Maybe Karn was wrong about Ivy. From the outside, she seemed strong and capable. She sure as hell knew her own mind, but she kept people at arm’s length. She never let anyone in. Never let anybody see the real Ivy. Beneath that gorgeous veneer, there was someone who’d been badly messed up by the moron in front of him. Maybe Marcus was the reason Ivy had no friends or hobbies and kept herself apart from everybody else.

“I tell you what,” Marcus said, “since you’re keen on Ivy too, how about we use a tool to decide who gets her?”

Karn squinted at him. “What do you have in mind?”

“We toss a coin. Heads or tails. Winner takes all.”

Karn walked over to Marcus and punched him in the face.