different than his relationship with her. Different in a thousand ways.
Of course, he’d never really used the word
Which was why he wanted her to understand how he felt about Rikki.
“I need to tell her about him,” Jack said. “And I need to do it as soon as possible.”
“I don’t see why it can’t wait,” Skye said. “If you’re that close to her, the Rovers have to know it. They’ll be waiting for a communication between the two of you.”
“They might,” Jack said. “But they might not. I told you, they’re not always sophisticated.”
“It’s a risk, though,” Skye said.
“Which is why I’m telling you,” Jack said. “I can’t put this off any longer.”
Her lips thinned. His heart was pounding. He could tell from her expression that she knew what else he was talking about. The idyll was almost over.
“We still don’t have a plan,” Skye said. “I’ve been thinking about it. We need to hire someone to go after Heller.”
Jack had thought of that too. But he didn’t want to take such drastic action. Not yet. They still hadn’t finished their research.
“So let’s wait,” Skye said. “I’m sure she won’t mind—”
“She was in a hurry when I talked to her on Krell,” Jack said. “And she looked more upset than I’d ever seen her. I
Skye stared at him for the longest moment. He could almost see her thought processes. She didn’t quite understand what he was talking about, but she was trying to.
“Is something wrong between her and Misha?” Skye asked.
“I don’t know,” Jack said. “But she doesn’t know their entire history together, and she needs to.”
“Because…?”
He let out a small sigh. Rikki had told him most of her past in confidence. He doubted she would want anyone else to know, particularly another member of the Assassins Guild.
“Because it might make a difference in a few things she does,” Jack said, hoping to leave it at that. “I wasn’t really asking your permission. I wanted you to know that I’ll be contacting her as soon as we can move the ship near the asteroid belt.”
The belt would give them some protection. Their trail would be hard to follow because of the asteroids.
“Then we can go back to what we were doing,” he said.
But something in Skye’s face told him that going back might not be possible. He reviewed what he had said. She had started to frown when he said he wasn’t asking her permission.
“I thought we were a team,” she said.
“We are. But we are individuals as well, and I have an obligation to Rikki.”
“It could risk your life,” Skye said.
He nodded. “Friends do that sometimes. You have, with me.”
She let out a small sigh. “What’ll happen if you continue to wait?”
“That’s what I don’t know,” he said. “Rikki has her own life. But she relies on me for information. She makes judgment calls because of it.”
Skye leaned back for a moment, then shook her head. “In life and in work. You’re the information guy.”
“You’re an information person too,” Jack said.
“Only I’ve never had the kind of friend who needed information from me,” she said. She thought for a moment, then said, “It’s important to you.”
“Yes,” Jack said.
“You made it sound like it was more important to her,” Skye said. “Don’t risk your life on something you don’t think important.”
It was good advice. He knew that. “I’ll keep the conversation short,” he said.
“I know,” she said. “I hope that’s going to be enough.”
Chapter 43
Skye gave Jack privacy. She left the entertainment area and wandered, feeling lost. At first she wondered if she were jealous, but she couldn’t be, right? She didn’t have a real relationship with Jack.
Although she had no idea what she should call these past several days. A vacation? A momentary lapse of judgment?
It didn’t feel like a lapse of judgment.
She walked into the galley and made some coffee. Then she took out one of the self-baking cookies she had ordered. They prepared themselves when the stash got low, and the stash had gotten low several times. She hadn’t paid attention to her exercise regime or to her diet during this trip.
Of course, she had gotten a lot of exercise. Just not the type she expected.
She almost smiled, and with that near-smile came the explanation for that lost feeling. When Jack talked to Rikki, this trip was officially over. The privacy, the sense of being alone in a vast universe, the way that Skye and Jack had pretended they were the only two humans of consequence anywhere was over.
Real life had intruded again, and with real life came real problems.
And thoughts of how real relationships worked.
She bit into that cookie, tasting molasses, chocolate, and sugar. It didn’t satisfy like it had before. The coffee was done as well, so she had some.
She couldn’t check if Jack was done because he had a special communicator that allowed Rikki to contact him, and he carried it with him at all times. He hadn’t lost it, even in the chaos of leaving Krell.
He called it the CFA—the Communicator for the Assassinator—which spoke of a fondness between Jack and Rikki that Skye didn’t entirely understand.
She was beginning to realize that in keeping herself from friendships, she had kept herself from a lot of warmth, a lot of closeness, and a lot of silly jokes.
She glanced at the time. Jack had said it wouldn’t take long. Then he would probably return to work. He hadn’t asked for privacy either, although she’d given it to him.
And she did want to know how the discussion went, because it would have a bearing on what the two of them would do next.
She grabbed another cup of coffee, put a few cookies on a plate, and carried it all back to the entertainment center.
The door was open, and Jack was talking. She stopped, about to turn around, when he nodded her in.
He had attached the small communicator to the wall. He was sitting in front of it. He beckoned Skye with a hand that wasn’t visible to the tiny woman on the screen.
Skye stayed out of visual range as she set the coffee and cookies down.
“You know, Rik,” he was saying, “he seems legit, but I have the sudden urge to kick his ass.”
Skye stiffened. Did brothers and close friends respond that way? She knew that lovers did.
“Jealous?” the small image on the screen asked. Her voice sounded tiny and far away. Yet Skye could hear the fondness, and the comfortable banter in it.
“Hell, no,” Jack said quickly. “You know what I mean. It’s just that he better treat you right. A man has to protect his family and you’re all I got.”
Skye wondered if that last was for her. Jack didn’t look at her as he said it, but his hand was out as if he were waiting for her to take it.
She wasn’t going to get close. This was a private conversation, and she felt awkward enough as it was.
