“They’re on my ship?”
Well, fuck, Mack. It took you long enough to catch on—and he reached out and gave me a clip upside the head. I might have had something to say about that, except I was too busy pulling a freshly-cooked ship suit from the replicator. I wished it would do boots, but I already knew nothing it produced would be worth my feet slipping on the decking. I was just going to have to work a clear path to the supply section to get myself another set of footwear.
“And what makes you think there’ll be a pair waiting?”
I raised my eyebrows at Mack as I stepped away from the replicator and slipped into the ship suit. I could have told him I’d checked the cargo manifest, but I hadn’t, and I didn’t want to lie. Whatever else I yanked his chain about, just how much snooping I did wasn’t one of them.
He grunted something that sounded like ‘good to know’, even as he pushed buttons and set the replicator humming.
“It’s my birthday, tomorrow,” but, when I checked, my implant showed a different date. “Oh.”
“Oh?” and he looked and caught the same date that had made me feel weak at the knees. “Well, crap, Cutter. Exactly how long were we out, anyway?”
He swung around to glare at Tens.
“And where are we headed?”
I kept getting dressed as Tens did the leg-work to answer Mack’s question. I could probably have found it just as fast, but I was busy. I had clothes. I needed shoes. I needed weapons. I needed—
“Cutter!” Abby’s voice cut through the spiral of panic building up in my skull.
“Abby!”
“You need to lock the wolves down, before they realize that you’re out. Secure them, and then go for your weapons—and your weapons master.”
I froze, trying to work out who she might mean, but Mack was faster.
“Stepyan.”
“Yes, Hunt Master.”
Mack stopped, halfway into his ship suit, and then he cast a glance at me.
“Hunt Master, Cutter?”
I nodded.
“Is that what they called me?”
“Only the Pack Leader.”
“Which one?”
And just how had he known that there was more than one pack? For that matter, how had I not known?
“Rovan.”
I watched as Tens replicated his ship suit and dragged it on. Personally, Mack was hotter.
And they both stilled, and turned their heads towards me.
Oh.
I turned away, feeling my skin flame at my undisciplined thinking. Mack wrapped his hand around my arm, and stopped me.
“It’s okay, Cutter. None of us are ourselves.”
I nodded, but I didn’t look at him. Honestly, if the deck had opened up and swallowed me, it would be a mercy. Mack rolled right on, as though there were more important things to be done.
“Where’s Stepyan?” he asked, and I dove into the ship’s data-stream, sending out a stream of code set to locate the supply officer.
“They put him into stasis in the supply center.”
“He’s a no-go, then,” Abby informed us. “That section is too densely occupied for the three of you to take.”
“What about Cutter’s quarters?” Mack asked. “I know she had spare boots—and I’m pretty sure she’s been storing her weapons in her quarters, again.”
Well! He shook my arm, and caught my gaze when I turned a reproachful look at his face. I rolled my eyes and couldn’t stop the slightest twitch of a smile touching my lips.
“I’m not a lending library, you know.”
He smiled back, and let my arm go.
“Tens, you’re on point.”
“But I haven’t managed to unlock the file storage, yet.”
“Cutter can’t keep moving, while she checks the ground’s clear ahead. Let Abby handle the hack.”
“I’m surprised you’d trust me with your secrets,” Abby said.
“I’m not, but I’m facing limited options, right now.”
Way to flatter a girl, Mack.
“Abby understands.”
“Of course, I understand, Mack. You will be receiving an appropriately padded bill for my services, and your lack of manners.”
Mack groaned.
“Abby…”
But she wouldn’t be swayed.
“I believe you have more important matters to attend to, Captain.”
Tens whistled.
“A bill and your rank. I think you upset her, boss.”
“Abby. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…”
“I disagree, Captain Star. You meant every word.”
“I spoke without thinking. Come on, Abs. I’m only human—as you keep reminding me.”
‘Talk to me later. Perhaps we can come to an agreement.’
“Thanks, Abs.”
“Don’t thank me, Captain Star. You haven’t seen what I have in mind.”
I stifled a snicker, and reached out to grab the mop as I went past. At least I hadn’t used it to clear the floor, yet.
“Doc, ain’t gonna thank you for that.”
“Doc will forgive me.”
“Halloran won’t.”
This was true. I was going to have to owe Halloran a round.
“Or six.”
I glanced at the mess we’d made between us.
“I’ll split the debt with you.”
He followed my glance, and his mouth twisted with distaste.
“Deal.”
“Sweet as you are, we need to move,” Tens said.
He’d moved up to the corner that made up Doc’s main work area. I took his word for it, and trotted over. He glanced at me, noted the mop, and then looked forward, again.
“What’s that for?”
“Only weapon I could find.”
“You done much stick fighting?”
“Odyssey’s training was thorough.”
And Ax had consistently ignored the presence of mops, brooms and other cleaning equipment in a training zone for at least two weeks after I’d noticed them and used every opportunity I had to beat him like a drum with every stick that came to hand. He’d gotten pretty good with sticks, himself, after that, and I’d had to move to frypans, food particles and plates.
Damn that boy had learned fast!
“Fine. You can keep your damn mop. Get back to the present, Cutter.”
I shook the memories from my head.
“We good to go?”
“Corridor’s clear to your quarters, and I’ve locked down everything on the way. Nothing gets in or out of the rooms en route.”
“What about the wolves in the barracks’ area?”
“The what?”
“They talked about a barracks. Can we lock it down?”
“Down near the supply store,” Abby said.
