Wasn’t he?
The more time I spent around him and his crew, the less sure I became. It was hard to think of the people you shared meals with as the enemy—that was the whole point of the shared meals—but for me, it had worked a little too well.
Eli was right, my heart was too soft. I was beginning to think of the Valoffs as allies, maybe even friends. And that was potentially a very dangerous mistake to make.
Before I could figure out how to fix it, Torran set a plate in front of me, then handed me a glass of water to go with it. He joined me at the bar with his own plate and drink.
“Thank you,” I murmured. The dish appeared to be noodles and veggies in a dark sauce. I took a bite and flavor exploded on my tongue—sweet and spicy, with just a hint of sourness to balance it out. He’d combined familiar spices in a way that I never had, but the combination worked incredibly well.
I glanced at Torran in surprise, only to find his eyes already on me. “This is delicious. Will you share the recipe for the sauce?”
He inclined his head.
We ate in silence. Luna finished her snack and leapt up to her perch to watch us, just in case we planned to give her more. Unfortunately for her, I was too hungry, and the food was too good. There were no leftovers.
I felt better after eating. I cleaned up while I organized my thoughts into reasonable arguments instead of irrational shouting. Still, Torran beat me to it.
“You are upset about the parts,” he said quietly from his seat.
I turned and met his eyes. “You knew I was going to be upset, or you wouldn’t have gone behind my back.”
His expression didn’t even flicker. “The parts were the payment I promised for allowing me to accompany you. You might not expect me to keep my word, but I will keep it nonetheless.”
I blew out a slow breath. “You had already bought parts. Your promise was fulfilled.”
Torran shook his head. “I heard your conversation with Kee. You agreed only because she persuaded you to get everything you needed at my expense. My promise was not fulfilled.”
“That doesn’t explain why you went behind my back.”
One of his eyebrows rose a millimeter, but he remained silent. His look spoke volumes, though.
I huffed out an unamused laugh. “If you had explained that it was a matter of honor, I would have agreed to let you buy the rest. Unlike Valoffs, I can’t read your mind. You have to communicate using words. If you fail to communicate, then you can’t be surprised when I get upset.”
He stared at me for a long moment before his chin dipped in agreement.
I tried to shake off the uneasiness I felt about the additional parts. Torran didn’t view it as an obligation that I would be forced to repay. In his mind, he had fulfilled his obligation by purchasing them. But knowing didn’t always translate into feeling.
“Do you need anything else before we depart?” I asked.
“No, I am ready to leave when you are. If we are departing soon, I will let Lotkez know.”
I’d almost forgotten the Valovian ship that had tailed us from the previous station. “Do you want to go see your crew before we return to open space?”
Torran shook his head. “I spoke to the officers earlier. They do not require my presence.”
I needed that reminder that the people he’d brought with him were his underlings, not his friends. “Let them know. I’m going to get us ready to fly.”
Chapter Thirteen
Lexi found me on the bridge while I was running our prelaunch checks. She slid into the operations terminal like she’d never left.
“So, Torran Fletcher,” she said at last. “I never thought I’d see the day when you voluntarily worked for a Valovian general.”
I glanced over my shoulder. The door to the bridge was closed, so our conversation would be private enough. “I never thought so, either, but his money spends as well as anyone else’s. And he’s offering a lot of it.”
Lexi laughed. “Kee already confessed that she talked you into it.”
“She did,” I agreed, “but it was the right call. And now we get to spend a few weeks with you. How have you been, Lex, truly?”
Her smile turned brittle around the edges. “This last job was a lot. The client was a real piece of work, but, as you said, the credits spend the same.”
“Some money is not worth making,” I said gently. “If you ever need us, we’ll always be there for you. And you can join us whenever you need to escape. You know that, right?”
Her expression warmed into fond affection. “I know,” she said quietly. “And I love you for it.” She waved a hand. “Overall, business is good, and I’m happy. This last job just got to me. But now I get to hang out with you and Eli and Kee for a few weeks while milking a Valovian general out of some of his ill-gotten gains. Has he given you any details?”
“Yes. Over a week ago, a group of four or more humans stole an heirloom ring from his house on Valovia.” A thought occurred and I looked her over. “You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
She laughed lightly. “I’m reckless, but not that reckless. I haven’t been to Valovia in six months.” Her amusement died. “And I wouldn’t be going back if it wasn’t a personal favor for you.”
“Is there something I need to know?”
“No. I met someone interesting, but he stole my job and left me sitting alone in a hotel bar like a dumbass.” Her mouth twisted into a bitter line. “Lesson learned.”
My eyebrows rose. “Someone got the better of you?”
“There’s a reason I was in the bar,” she said with a self-deprecating grimace.
“I’m sorry.”
She waved off my concern. “Has Kee found anything?”
“No. She’s hoping for better results when we get to Valovia. General Fletcher is keeping it quiet, so there’s not too much information to be found yet.”
“I’ll poke around and see if I can uncover any details on the heist crew,” Lexi said as she stood. “I’m not as good as Kee, but maybe I’ll spot something that she overlooked. I’ll at least see if the rumor mill has anything.”
“Thank you.”
Lexi left with a wave, and I returned my attention to my terminal. The prelaunch checks came back green. I hit the ship’s intercom. “Launch in five. Eli and General Fletcher, confirm readiness.”
A minute later, both Eli and Torran confirmed that their teams were ready for launch. I went through my mental checklist one last time, but I couldn’t think of anything else I needed from the station. At the five-minute mark, I lifted away from the deck and eased Starlight out into space.
It took nearly forty-five minutes before traffic thinned enough that I felt comfortable turning on the autopilot. There were two wormhole traversals during this section of the trip, and the first wasn’t until early tomorrow morning.