“Are you sure?”
“Ask the crew if you don’t believe me. Or check the ship’s log.”
“Huh.” Arabelle stared ahead in confusion while wrapping a curl around one finger. “Maybe I lost track of time. That’s easy to do in space, right?”
Cassia nodded, though a year was a lot of time to lose. More likely Arabelle had blocked out large chunks of memories that were too painful to relive. “So what’s next for you?” she asked, changing the subject. “Do you have family on Earth?”
“A few cousins, but I can’t go home and risk Zhang finding me. I think I’ll stay here for a while.” Belle peeked up, and her cheeks turned pink. “It’s nice to have Renny back. I’m trying to take things slow, but it feels like a second chance for us.”
“What changed your mind about him?”
“The way he fought for me yesterday,” Arabelle said with pride. “He would’ve died before letting Fleece take me, or any of you. He’s always been like that, completely devoted to the people he loves.”
“You still love him.” It wasn’t a question. Words were easy to fake, but Cassia had never met anyone who could blush at will.
Belle propped both elbows on the table, leaning in as if to share a secret. “I never stopped. There’s no one like Renny. He’s the kind of man a girl can’t forget.”
Cassia agreed on all counts.
At that moment, the boarding ramp’s motorized pulley whirred from the level below, followed by the clattering of boots against metal. Doran and Solara reached the galley, with Kane right behind them. They brought the scent of fire on their clothes.
“Why do you smell like smoke?” she asked, and then instantly forgot the question when she saw Kane’s hands. They were swollen and streaked with blood from where the skin across his knuckles had split open. “What happened?”
He shrugged and peered longingly at her tea. “I fell.”
“Uh-huh,” she said, handing him her cup. “Fist-first into someone’s face.”
“No, really—”
“Save it.” She could tell he’d been fighting. Physical evidence aside, he had that drowsy sheen in his eyes, the mark of someone coming down from an adrenaline high. “You need sutures. Whoever you hit had a sharp jaw.”
“Yeah, well, it was worth it.”
The loathing in his voice made it clear that this had been no ordinary brawl over a missed payment at the warehouse. This fight had been personal.
“Oh no.” She began to see the real reason for this detour. “What did you do?”
He dodged the question by chugging her tea, and then Renny came power-walking through the galley like his boots were fueled by Infinium. Without a backward glance, he continued up the stairs to the pilothouse and called over one shoulder, “We ruffled a few feathers in town, so everyone hold tight and prepare for takeoff.”
“Renny!” she hollered after him. “You didn’t have to do this!”
“Priorities, Cassia.” Before his voice faded into the distance, he left her with one last reply. “Now, quit arguing and strap in.”
The next evening Kane returned to his quarters to change before dinner. He was so distracted by the tomato sauce he’d spilled down the front of his best shirt that by the time he noticed the sock tied to his door handle, it was too late. He flung open the hatch and caught a fleeting glimpse of Renny and Arabelle in all their glory.
He whipped around and darted into the hall, but not fast enough to stop the image from haunting his retinas. It reminded him of the time he’d caught his parents in the act during one of his father’s rare visits, and he felt the overpowering urge to shampoo his eyeballs. Why couldn’t Renny bolt the door like a normal guy?
Arabelle came out a minute later, her face nearly as red as her hair as she straightened her skirt and fled down the hallway.
It was going to be an awkward supper.
Kane knocked twice. “You decent, Captain?”
“Rarely so, but it’s safe to come in.”
Even though he’d watched Arabelle leave, Kane peeked around the room before stepping all the way inside. Thankfully, Renny was clothed and facing the rear wall. “Sorry,” Kane said as he slipped the sock free and tossed it onto the top bunk. “I wasn’t paying attention.”
“No, it’s all right,” Renny told him, though the strain in his voice indicated otherwise. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.”
Kane didn’t really want to talk, not with the image of his captain’s keister fresh in his mind. But as Renny blocked the path to the clean clothes, there wasn’t much of a choice.
“I’ve made a lot of progress with Belle,” Renny said.
“Yeah.” Kane scratched the back of his neck. “I noticed.”
“Things are going well.”
Kane didn’t like where this discussion was headed.
“Really well,” Renny emphasized.