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“Sometimes I do. Especially in bed. Someone who takes control.”

“Someone who doesn’t take your crap,” Wren said.

Eden nodded. “Exactly.”

“If you’re looking for muscles and someone who speaks in sentences shorter than five words, you can have Rexx,” Daisy said.

“But does he go all night?” Eden winked at Daisy.

Daisy choked out a laugh. “I have no plans to find that out.”

Wren smiled as they continued to banter, but her attention was on the horizon. It wouldn’t be long before they met the Gente.

“How’s everything going out there?” Cleo came over their shared comm link.

“All quiet,” Wren said. “There’s no sign of movement.”

“The Gente ship is open. Two Gente have come out as agreed.”

“Any news on the animal cargo?” Wren said.

“It’s being unloaded. If the transfer isn’t complete by the time you see the ship, you wait. I don’t want them holding anything back and snatching you before we’re ready.”

“They can try to snatch us,” Eden said. “I’m itching for a fight with these assholes.”

“So far, they’re holding up their end of the bargain,” Cleo said. “If anything changes, I’ll let you know.”

“I bet they try something,” Eden said. “Gente are greedy. They want it all. And they’re dumb enough to think they can keep the animals and have us as well.”

Wren slowed and raised her weapon, her eyes narrowing and her stomach tightening.

“You see something?” Eden was by her side in an instant, Daisy joining them.

Wren squinted at a pile of rocks in front of them. “Do they look strange to you? For a second, they blurred as if something moved in front of them.”

Eden lifted her gun and sighted along it. “They’re just rocks. Maybe it’s the atmosphere. We could slow our pace. There’s no point in getting dizzy.”

“ELVIS, run a scan on our immediate location,” Wren said. “Are you picking up any life signs?”

“Processing your request,” ELVIS said. “I can confirm the only three life signs within a half-mile radius are yours, Daisy’s, and Eden’s.”

Wren slowly lowered her gun. “You might be right, Eden. Let’s slow down. We don’t need to get too close to the ship yet, anyway. Not until the animals are clear.”

They continued walking, keeping the pace steady.

Wren’s senses tingled. She had the sensation of being watched. She turned in a slow circle, scanning the environment, but it was barren and empty. There was nothing to see. But still, this felt wrong.

“How are you doing?” Striker’s voice was quiet in her ear.

She inched away from the others. “We’re good.”

“Why did you get ELVIS to scan the area?”

“You should be focused on the Gente ship, not on our movements.”

“I can do both. What did you see?”

“It was nothing. The atmosphere’s playing tricks on me.”