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“No, you’ve got me to yourself for two days.”

“Are you sure you can take time away from work?”

Avel shifted in his seat. “It won’t be a problem. I run my own business, so I can take time off when I need to.”

She turned toward him. “I figured you worked for someone else collecting their debts. I didn’t know you ran your own business.”

“That’s chump work. I used to do that before I had experience.” Avel shrugged. “It’s not difficult work, so long as you’ve got the start-up capital. You have the money, loan it out, and then collect it.”

“You’re not tempted to expand and take on staff, so you don’t have to do the, well, the dirty work?”

“You mean chasing people who refuse to pay their debts and twisting their arms until they remember what they owe me?”

Holly nodded. “That must happen. It can’t be nice having to rough someone up.”

“Is that what you think I do?”

She noticed Avel’s hands flex on the control panel. “Not for certain. I mean, Dackins have a reputation for, well, you know, playing hardball.”

“We have a reputation for being thugs when the money doesn’t arrive when it’s supposed to.”

Holly nodded. “Space bankers who always collect.”

Avel snorted. “Late payment is more common than not. But this is what I do. I’m used to it. It’s easy when you know how to convince somebody to do the right thing.”

Holly glanced at his knuckles and the pattern of scars lacing his skin. His work sounded dangerous. She guessed he must enjoy it, or he wouldn’t keep doing it.

Avel glanced at her. “Have you ever been through the wormhole?”

“Yes, only once when I was helping my friend, Sinead.”

“It feels odd the first time, but it’s straightforward enough.”

She nodded. “It felt like going through a wind tunnel.”

He smiled. “That’s right. Your ears might pop, but we’ll be through in no time and back in solid space, so to speak.”

The ship slowed as they reached a short line of other vessels entering the wormhole.

Holly’s pulse quickened as they grew near, and she leaned forward in her seat. When she’d gone through the wormhole with Sinead, they’d been so focused on getting to Sinead’s mate, Talyn, that she hadn’t had time to be worried.

Avel surprised her by reaching over and grabbing her hand. “I’ve done this trip hundreds of times. I can do it with my eyes closed.”

“No! Keep your eyes open. I don’t want the ship to veer off course and destabilize the whole thing.”

He grinned and let go of her hand. “You’re safe with me.”

To calm her sudden nerves, Holly ate another chocolate from the box she’d given Avel.

The sweetness from the creamy cherry bomb she sucked helped, and her ears only popped a little as they entered the wormhole.

It seemed like only a few seconds and a few flashes of white light before they were on the other side.

Holly looked around and the tension left her shoulders. That had been easy.

Avel lifted his chin. “Feed me one of those chocolates before I faint with hunger and you have to fly us the rest of the way.”

Holly bit her bottom lip as she looked at the options. “White or dark?”