Page 7

My gaze shifted over Doc as she shrugged off the compliments. “Impressive.”

“We’re all impressive,” Tambi said. “That’s why you hired us, right?”

Monica gestured at my ship. “Mind if I take a peek?” She was already stepping over the threshold, boots loud on the deck plating, giving the corridor a slow once-over like she was pricing it for parts. “And Tambi’s the boss. So, anything tricky, you go through her.”

“We’re all equal owners of Dead Stick,” Tambi said. “And I only hire the best, so you’ve come to the right place to get a fix on this vessel. And I got to say, she’s spectacular. You really got her at an auction? Who would ditch such a stunner?”

“That’s why she’s here,” I said.

Cass turned to me. “What we dealing with?”

I hesitated. My gaze went round the crew, who all studied the ship with almost lust in their eyes, and gave a satisfied grunt. My repair crew needed to be as obsessed with this ship as I was. It was the only way to learn what troubled her.

“You asked for discretion when we spoke.” Tambi flipped open a handheld device. “But we need all the details if we’re gonna fix her.”

How the hell did I explain what the last month had been like? Start with the experiences? There’d be a logical reason my ship wanted me dead. “She runs hot and cold.”

“Could be a temperature regulator misalignment.” Monica was already tapping on the internal system monitor.

“Most likely.” It was true. It was also the smallest, safest problem to start with.

Cass’s fingers stopped exploring the glossy surface for a second. “Regulators don’t throw someone through an airlock. You got shoved out before landing on me. Who else is on board?”

That was an experience I’d never forget, but I kept my eyes on her face and not her body, even though I had a memory of her imprinted against me. “Just me. I let the last crew go.”

“I heard they left.” Cass arched a dark eyebrow.

“It was a mutually agreed leaving.” The lie sounded smooth, although I didn’t enjoy saying it.

“You a problem to work with?” Cass’s fiery attention was on me.

Her stare had weight to it, and so did every other part of her body. She wasn’t letting me off easy, and I respected her for that. If this crew was boarding a ship that might try to kill them, they needed to know the risks.

“I’m not the problem. I pay fairly, and I expect hard work in return. My ship’s just... temperamental,” I said.

Cass turned fully and looked at me straight on, unimpressed, deciding whether I was worth the trouble of calling a liar to my face in front of my own ship.

Every light in the corridor died, plunging us into darkness. Voices rose out of the walls, layered and pitched low enough to hit my chest before it reached my ears.

Doc’s breath caught. Cass’s hand went to her belt. Monica stopped moving.

“What the shit was that?” Tambi muttered in the gloom. “You said there was no crew on board.”

“There aren’t. It’s a... tech glitch,” I muttered. “It happens. That’s one of the things I need you to fix. You need to stop the voices.”

The lights came back up, like nothing fucked up had happened, and my ship hadn’t just sung a mournful tune that could break a weak heart.

A door slammed shut, hard enough to echo along the corridor, making me flinch.

Cass looked at me for a long, level second. “You want to start again and expand on this issue being just temperature regulation?”

Chapter 3

Cass

“There’s nothing else to tell you.” Rennick said it slow, like repetition might make it true, or I’d be dumb enough to believe him if he said it at the right speed.

But I wasn’t a dumb-dumb.