Some short time later, I woke with a start, sitting up straight in bed, the darkness around me amplifying the sound of my own heart pounding in my chest.
Low lights, I subvocalized to Blue. Once I could see again, my heartbeat slowed. What woke me?
It’s Alder. He’s outside your door. Would you like me to send him away? Blue’s voice would probably have sounded emotionless to most people. But we’d been working together long enough that I could sense a touch of irritation under the expressionless tones the AI used.
“What’s he doing out there?”
Standing. He has raised his hands to ring the call button several times but has not yet completed the action. Blue’s voice went clinical. Gods, she was pissed.
What did he want? I ran a hand through my loose hair. I’d taken it out of its tight braid to sleep, and now the waves had turned to tangles.
I needed a sani-shower and a cup of coffee. But there wasn’t time to bathe, and we’d run out of coffee ages ago. With a sigh, I leaned over and picked up the spacer’s unitard I’d forgotten to toss into the cleaning unit when I’d crawled into bed what seemed like minutes ago. A glance at the chronometer told me it had been hours. Not the eight I’d requested, but enough that I should have felt fairly rested.
I moved toward the door just as Blue said, He’s moving away.
“Stop him. I’m awake now. I might as well see what he wants.”
Very well. Yep. Blue didn’t like Alder. Or maybe she didn’t like any of them.
As the door to the hallway slid open, I found Alder across from it, leaning on a curved outer bulkhead. He grinned when he saw me. “Good morning, sleepyhead.”
I rolled my eyes. “Can I help you?”
His smile faltered a bit and he glanced around as if expecting to find someone attempting to eavesdrop. “Could we discuss this inside your quarters?”
Raising one eyebrow, I turned sideways, ushering him in with one outstretched arm. Once inside, I directed him toward the small galley table. “Take a seat. Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thanks.”
Good. All I had was flat ship water and a strange drink flavoring I’d picked up in a rations-trade on the station where I’d met my new crew. It tasted like a cross between citrus fruit and charred meat. I was happy to avoid serving it to anyone.
I took a seat across from him, waiting to see what he had to say. It took him several long seconds to gather his thoughts and begin speaking.
“What are you doing out here?” he finally asked, placing both elbows on the small table and leaning toward me.
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Your home galaxy is hundreds of thousands of light-years away. Almost no one from the Sol system makes it to the empress’s quadrant.”
Frowning, I pushed my hair back behind my shoulders. “You’re here.”
He laughed. “But I was born here. I know about original humans, but you’re the first I’ve met.”
The sound I blew out was bitter and unhappy, less like laughter, and more like despair. “I never meant to end up here. Blue and I were in the wrong place at the wrong time and got sucked through a wormhole.” I shrugged. “I can’t find it again. If I could, I’d go straight home.”
Alder leaned in closer to me, dropping his voice a little. “And you wouldn’t miss anything here?”
Wait. Was he trying to seduce me?
My eyebrows knitted into a frown and abruptly, I leaned away from him until my spine rested against the back of the chair. “What would I possibly miss? I don’t have anything here. I don’t know anyone other than Blue.” I gave a one-shouldered shrug. “I don’t even know the routes around here, other than the few I’ve mapped out while I’ve been searching for a route back home.”
“You have us now. And we do know the routes.” He paused. “I could even get you home if that’s really what you want.”
“You have my attention.” But not my trust. Not yet. Even if everything about him sent my hormones into overdrive.
Focus, Lise.
Alder’s sly grin didn’t help me trust him more, either, suggesting as it did that he knew exactly what I was thinking. “The problem is that the only known route to Old Earth is through the empress’s space—and she has tentacles everywhere. If I get picked up here, she’s sure to trade me to...someplace I’d rather not go.”
“Let me guess. You can help me get through her territory and help me get home.”
“Exactly.”
“But only if I do something for you, too?”
He shrugged, and I couldn’t help but notice again how devilishly handsome he was. It was a quality I suspected he often used to his advantage in negotiations with women.
“So,” I continued. “What exactly is it you want from me?”
He didn’t even have to think about it. “Take me with you.”
“To Earth?”
“To the Sol system, at least.” The more he warmed up to his topic, the faster he talked. “I have...obligations...to one of the empress’s allies. Obligations that I’m unwilling to keep. I’ve managed to avoid attention, but I can’t keep playing cons in this galaxy. At some point, I’ll get picked up. And if that happens, my life will be over.” He leaned over the table, his voice earnest, his violet eyes beseeching.
I found myself leaning in toward him, too, despite all my good intentions. Alder reached out and took several strands of my hair, letting them run between his fingers. “Please, Lise. Don’t leave me behind.”
Wow. I’d never had a man this sexy beg me for anything. Something about it was intoxicating, even more than the station bar’s Galactic Blasters. His eyes dropped to my mouth, his tongue darting out to swipe across his full bottom lip.
Suddenly, I wanted to kiss him
