On the SAT ride back to her unit, a contented Kate leans into his side. “James?”
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“The woman you met with today—she was from your time?” Kate tenses, waiting for his answer.
He sighs. “She was, but I don’t think she had the money to make the purchase.” That put the woman in a similar position to him, which he didn’t like at all—for either of their sakes. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do about it until he figured out his own precarious situation. A fact that in his past, he would have blown right by, but now . . . nowit bothered him more than it should have. “She said she’d be in touch.”
Kate’s body relaxes. Was she jealous? Was that why she was with someone else when he found her? One fight and she thought they broke up. Surely she’s got the message now. Never hurts to double down. “Kate, you are the only woman I want, okay? If that changes, you will be the first to know—explicitly—but I don’t think it is going to.”
She nestles into his side, humming pleasantly.
He gives her thigh a squeeze, clearing his throat. “And you’ll let me know explicitly if things change for you, right?”
She sheepishly grins up at him, saying, “Yes, I will do that,” before tucking back in.
Back at her apartment, he changes the particle panes to a starry night sky scene, noting the two packages sitting by her desk. He stifles an exasperated sigh, because if it were during his time, he’d already be making sure she had enough money to do whatever she liked. But as it stands, he is still a work in progress.
He tells her about Astra and Lucas from A Quadrant and the PalmPrint they bought.
“I doubt they’ll last a year,” she says, and he readily agrees.
She keeps stealing glances at the two packages as he rushes through the rest of his story. Clearly, she has something on her mind.
“Yes?” he asks when he finishes.
She points to the packages. “Those are the only two I was unable to return.” A proud grin lights up her face. “In three to seven days, I will have enough funds to pay for an additional month. Maybe more, depending on if you sell another PalmPrint.”
His chest squeezes tightly, and he wraps an arm around her waist, drawing her close. “You’re dying to say I told you so, aren’t you?” he teases, but he can’t help but feel staggering gratitude.
She shrugs, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him.
“I don’t deserve you,” he says.
She gives him a look that says,Not that again.“This means we can finally relax. Now you have breathing room to get IdenTECH off the ground, and maybe even solve your identity!”
She’s so hopeful that he can’t bring himself to mention Viper is still out there, capable of causing trouble, though James can’t think of what else the man could do besides turn him in . . . But how could he have known James is a reincarnate? He couldn’t. Getting their accounts frozen is as far as Viper can take it. They are probably in the clear.
“Sure, a little downtime won’t kill me.” He smirks, and her eyebrows twitch at his attempt at humor. “Once enough of the returns go through, we’ll make the extension. Go change into something more comfortable.” He makes his way to the kitchen to pour them a glass of Vine. His thirty-five-year-old body needs time to recover. He plans to spend the entire night making sure she knows how much she means to him.
He’s closing the cold storage when his device pings. It’s a message from Sable. In all caps. Hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
JUST FOUND OUT INSPECTORS ARE COMING IN THE MORNING. THEY’RE TEMPORARILY SHUTTING US DOWN FOR AN INVESTIGATION AND SENDING EMAILS TO ALL GROW CUSTOMERS REQUIRING THEM TO TURN THEIR MANUPARTNERS IN BY CLOSE OF BUSINESS ONE WEEK FROM TOMORROW. DECOMMISSIONINGS WILL BE HALTED. IF WE WANT TO INITIATE PLAN B, WE’VE GOT TO DO IT FIRST THING!
James’s heartbeat stutters. It shouldn’t have come to this. They were supposed to have three more days. With Kate’s sales, her returns that would show up over the next couple days, and the PalmPrint they sold, they could have made the next payment in plenty of time. Were there other reincarnates like him that would get caught up in the recall, too?He shakes his head. There’s no point considering it since he can’t do anything to help them. He can’t help anyone if he’s dead.
Viper?he asks Sable.
Plan B was a big risk, but what choice did he have?
Possibly, she responds.Too many recent violations. They want to inspect the entire facility. If he alerted the authorities, it would be enough to push them to act. We need to get you out of GROW’s system before they shut us down.
His mind flashes between the image of Kate beaming at him, proud of herself for returning her precious purchases, which somehow signifies everything meaningful in this new version of his life and the very real possibility he might not survive this.
He types,Did you find a candidate ready for a Peaceful Passing Procedure?
I identified a 298-year-old lab tech. I’ve already messaged him. 07:00?Sable asks.
He takes a deep breath. Sable has kept her word until this point, becoming a friend, albeit the strangest one he’s ever had. Well, besides Jett. She wouldn’t let him get decommissioned, and she was upfront with him about the risk. His stomach rolls, and he’s uncertain if he can handle the Vine he takes a sip of.
