“No. The station’s too dangerous. I’ll bring the equipment to them.”
“That’ll take longer.”
“I know.”
The Hothian shook his head but kept pulling items from shelves and organizing them into a neat pile on the workbench. Identity chips, a portable biometric scanner, clothing in various sizes, ration packs, medical supplies. Everything they would need to survive and stay hidden.
“Where are you taking them?” Rjmar asked as he worked.
“I don’t know yet. Somewhere the Grorn can’t follow.”
The Hothian’s hands stilled. “The Grorn are involved?”
“They’re looking for the infant. Don’t ask me why.”
“I wasn’t going to.” But Rjmar’s expression had grown more serious, the easy camaraderie replaced by something harder. “Doren. Whatever you’ve gotten yourself into?—”
“I know what I’m doing.”
“Do you?” The Hothian turned to face him, his dark eyes searching. “Because I’ve known you for ten years, and I’ve never seen you look like this. Not when you were running from your father’s people. Not when you were wanted in three systems for that job on Callista Prime. Not even when you came to me half-dead after the Syndicate caught up with you.”
He said nothing.
“This human female,” Rjmar continued quietly. “She means something to you.”
“She’s under my protection.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
The silence stretched between them, filled with the hum of the shop’s environmental systems and the distant sounds of the station beyond.
“I don’t know what she means,” he finally admitted. “I barely know her. But when I think about something happening to her—” He stopped, unable to find the words.
Rjmar nodded slowly. “Then you’d better make sure nothing does.”
He returned to his work, and Doren sighed. This was dangerous territory and they both knew it. Emotional attachments were liabilities in his line of work—distractions that could get you killed. He’d learned that lesson early and well, and he’d built his entire life around the principle of never caring too much about anything or anyone.
But Emma...
She’d slept in his arms all night. She’d kissed him like she wasn’t afraid of him. She’d looked at him with those warm brown eyes and seen someone worth trusting.
Idiot.He was a complete, hopeless idiot, and the worst part was, he didn’t even care.
“How long before you can have everything ready?” he asked.
“About an hour. I’ll need to program the identities myself. Forged documentation that will hold up to scrutiny isn’t something I can delegate. Have a drink while you wait.” Rjmar gestured toward the back room, where he kept a collection of alcoholic beverages that could probably buy a small planet.
“I can’t. Not this time.”
The Hothian nodded, his expression softening slightly. “She must be very special.”
“She is.” The admission came out more easily than he expected.
Rjmar finished packing the supplies into a large satchel and handed it over before turning back to the documentation.
Doren hesitated, torn between waiting in the shop and returning to the ship. Even though he knew additional trips would increase his visibility, he hated that thought of Emma alone andwondering what was happening. Before he could decide, the door to the back room burst open, and a small Tethrani female rushed in, her scales flushed purple with agitation.
“Boss!” She skidded to a halt, her eyes darting between Rjmar and Doren. “Boss, we have a problem.”
