Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tish finished the repairs on the True as quickly as she could. Xaber had places to be, and she had promised Grotta she’d come by to see if there was work to do.
She’d taken her payment and exchanged contact information with Xaber before wishing him a safe trip. “She’ll get you there and back again. After that… we’ll talk.”
Once she’d gotten most of the work completed, Tish asked Livy to run a full diagnostic on the jump engines.
She’d only skimmed the results, but she could already tell the task of overhauling the Live True would not be quick, easy, or cheap.
She could do it, though. By the time she was done, she’d have earned a good amount of scrip, especially if she could figure out how to keep her under-the-table arrangement with Grotta as well.
If she could manage both, she’d be tired but with a decent amount of scrip saved by the time the True was finished.
Not for the first time, she wished she had medi-bots like the cyborgs did.
Rumor had it that the military had started offering the tech to some of its more valuable assets.
It would be years or even decades before beings like her would have a chance to access it, and it might never happen.
That was a pity because the ability to forgo sleep and manage on minimal calories would certainly make her current situation easier.
Her stomach growled at the mere thought of food, but she ignored it. She’d skipped the midday meal again today. She’d come straight from the True to Grotta’s to find out if she had any work today.
As luck had it, there had been. So now she was elbows-deep in the mechanical guts of an air recycler. It was dirty, tedious work, but she could do it with her eyes closed, so it left her mind free to consider the challenges of repairing the Live True’s jump engines.
She was wondering if the cyborgs would be willing to help with some of the heavy lifting when her comm chimed to indicate she had an incoming text message. It was strapped to her wrist, which allowed her to see the screen, even while her hands were full.
It was from Mace.
Fraxx. Was something wrong with their ship? It had been almost two hours since she’d left the True, confident that the standard engines were performing well. Had she missed something?
She moved several meters away from the partially dismantled machine and leaned against a bulkhead. Only then did she pull off her gloves and the full-face respirator she wore to protect herself from mold, spores, and other ick that often took up residence in poorly maintained air filters.
Then she unclipped her comm and read the message.
It wasn’t bad news at all.
Hey Tix,
It’s Mace. I wanted to say thank you again. Xaber is on his way, and he says the ship is flying better than ever.
We paid to hold on to the same berth. I figured you must work nearby, so that should make it easier for you once the True is back and you’ve started work on her.
Take care of yourself. See you soon.
M.
Relief hit her first, followed by amusement. Xaber spelled his name with an X? She hadn’t realized it because she hadn’t seen his name written down anywhere.
Her smile faded when another thought occurred to her.
She’d known that Mace wasn’t going with Xaber, but she hadn’t considered what that meant.
Their home was the ship, so where was he staying?
She didn’t know him well, but he was a good male who had helped her without asking for anything in return.
She didn’t like the thought of him being homeless and alone.
She knew what that felt like, and as tough as he was, she felt like she needed to say something.
Tish tapped a few letters to ask where he’d be staying, deleted them, typed a few more, and stopped.
Was this a smart idea? Something told her that if she reached out, it could lead to more than a friendly conversation.
Xaber had almost asked her out earlier, and he’d made it clear that he and Mace were a package deal.
That wasn’t what she’d expected, but it wasn’t entirely surprising either.
No, her concern wasn’t how to make a three-way relationship work.
It was much simpler than that. Getting involved with bounty hunters was complicated and risky.
On the other hand, they were both hotter than a supernova and had treated her with nothing but kindness and respect.
Fraxx.
She stared at the blank screen for several minutes while she tried to think logically.
If Hamish put a bounty out for her, she’d have to disappear.
That was true no matter what. It didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy some male company, even if it couldn’t last. And really, what were the odds her former owner would pay to get her back?
He was a cheap bastard, and she was certain he wouldn’t want to admit she’d knocked him out cold. His ego wouldn’t allow it.
“You’ll never hit the target if you don’t pull the trigger,” she whispered a piece of advice she’d heard countless times from her fathers. It wasn’t a perfect fit for the situation, but it was good enough.
She called him before she could change her mind.
“Hey, Tix, everything okay?”
She smiled at the way his voice rumbled through the speaker on her comms.
“Hi, Mace.” Now that she’d made the call, her brain decided to purge the databanks, leaving her with no idea what to say next.
“Uh, I hope you don’t mind that I called you instead of answering with a text message.”
“Why would I mind? It’s nice to hear a friendly voice that is not my batch-brother.”
“The link between you two won’t work once he gets a certain distance away. Right?”
“He will be forced to stop yapping at me about two hundred minutes from now. Not that I’m counting.” His deep laughter made the comm vibrate in her hand.
“And how long until he’s back?” she asked.
“Depends on when the delivery happens. He could return tomorrow night if it all goes quickly. It could take longer if there are delays with traffic control, docking, or with the client. If you’re worried about a start time?
Let’s say three days from now. That way he has time to clean up after a few days of living like the slob that he is. ”
She smiled at that. She hadn’t seen anything on board that made her think either of them was messy. “What will you do while he’s gone? I mean, you live on the True, and it’s not here.”
“Me?” He sounded surprised to be asked the question. “I don’t need to sleep every day. Medi-bots will keep me on my feet and functional. I’ll pick up extra work if I can. The rest of the time I’ll wander around the station and explore a little.”
“That sounds…” She paused, searching for the right word.
He finished the sentence before she could. “Boring?”
“I was going to say lonely. I know what it’s like to be alone here. It’s a big place full of strangers with their own problems to deal with.”
He didn’t answer immediately. Tish hoped she hadn’t said the wrong thing and was relieved when he finally replied.
“I wouldn’t be alone if I had someone to talk to.
Like you and me are doing right now. And it would be better if I had some company.
So, uh, I guess this is a good time to ask if you’re busy tonight.
There’s a new band playing at the club I work at.
It’s called the Quantum Forge. I’m allowed to bring guests in so long as it’s not too busy. ”
Her heart did a tap dance on her ribcage, but she managed to keep her voice calm and level when she asked, “You won’t get into trouble having someone with you while you work?”
“I won’t. Xaber has come by a few times. I’ll confirm it with my manager later today, but I already know she’ll say yes. You could hang out with me and enjoy the music. It’s something called the blues. I don’t know what that is, and I haven’t looked it up yet.”
“Blues?” She perked up. “My dads love that genre. I grew up listening to it.”
“Is that a yes?”
She laughed as she realized she’d left him hanging. “Yes. Thank you, I’d like that.”
“Good. I’d like that too. And uh, if you like, we can grab dinner here? The food isn’t as good as Flek’s, but they make a decent burger.”
“Burger and blues sounds good to me. Apart from last night, I haven’t been anywhere on the station other than work and my hotel.” She glanced at the disassembled air recycler. “Speaking of work, I should get back to it.”
“You’re working right now? After all the time you spent getting the True ready to fly?”
“I am. You know the old saying. There’s no rest for the wicked… or the broke? I definitely fall into the latter category.” Then she realized what she’d said. “But don’t worry, I can afford tonight.”
“No.” His tone held a note of command that sent a thrill down her spine and had her wondering if she needed to check the thermostat. She gave herself a mental shake. Nope. She wasn’t going to let him do this.
“I bet that deep, growly voice intimidates plenty of beings into agreeing with you, but it does not work on me.” That was technically true. She wasn’t afraid at all. She might be hot and bothered, but she was not intimidated. “You paid last night. If anything, I should be buying you dinner.”
“You’re not paying.” He chuckled. “But I won’t be either. The pay is lower than at some of the other clubs, so they offer the staff free meals.”
That sounded like a good deal. “Okay. When does your shift start?”
“I start at nineteen hundred, which is when the doors open. How about I meet you at your hotel an hour before? We can walk over together and then have something to eat before it gets busy.”
“That would be great. Moving through a crowd is so much easier when I have you with me to clear the way.”
“We’ll work on your scowl and growl technique on the walk to the Forge.”
She laughed, and her next words slipped past her filters and escaped into the wild before she could stop them. “It’s a date.”
There was a moment of silence on the other end, and she couldn’t tell which of them was more surprised.
“It is. You and me. On a date.” Mace chuckled. “Xaber is going to go nova when he hears about it. He thinks I’m hopeless at this kind of thing.”
“I’m no expert, but I think you did fine. You actually asked me out. He just asked if I was single. No follow-through.”
His laughter boomed over the small speaker. “Please point that out to him the next time we’re all together. I’ll record it all and then send him the video every time his ego gets too big.”
“If I see an opening, I’ll take it,” she said.
“That’s all I can ask. I should let you get back to it. See you tonight, Tix.”
“Looking forward to it. See you then.”
She ended the call and allowed herself a few seconds to enjoy the moment. She had a date. That hadn’t happened since before she’d voluntarily signed the indentured employment contract. For the first time since she’d gone on the run, she felt hopeful. Like maybe she could really start over.
Maybe.
She knew better than to expect the universe to be kind. You had to find happiness where you could and then hang on tight because nothing lasted forever.
“Way to be your own wet blanket,” she scolded herself as she pushed off the wall. Enough with the grim outlook and dour musings. Tonight she would listen to music, eat food with actual flavor, and spend time with a sexy-as-sin cyborg whose deep voice made her insides go gooey.
She pulled the respirator over her face and moved back toward her unfinished work. She’d need another hour to finish it. That left her just enough time to get back to the hotel and spend some of her newly earned scrip on a luxurious fifteen-minute shower.
That’s when her brain slammed on the brakes. With a curse, she yanked up her mask and stared down at herself. Battered work boots and a grease-stained coverall would not work for tonight’s outing.
Fraxx. She had to get this thing working in half the time she’d intended so she had a few minutes to go shopping. Nothing in the handful of items she’d managed to cram into her bag before fleeing her home was suitable.
She waited to feel guilty about spending money on herself, but nothing happened. All she felt was anticipation about tonight and a warm feeling she couldn’t really describe.
It might not be happiness, but it was close enough. She intended to hold on to this feeling as long as she could.