Then he glanced at her and tapped his temple. “I sent him a message to let him know you were here.”
Ah, right. Cyborgs had built-in channels that allowed them to connect to their batch-siblings and others. That would be useful.And it meant there was always someone around to talk to.She envied them that. Some days between shifts, she didn’t speak to another soul. She’d thought a station as big as Defiance would mean she wouldn’t feel so alone.
She’d been wrong about that.
Xaber climbed the ladder faster than she’d thought possible. Mace called him pretty boy, and the moniker fit. He looked like an actor that specialized in action vids, a dangerous combination of muscle and charm with hazel eyes that seemed to sparkle when he smiled. The male even had dimples.
“Hey, Tix. I hear you’re our mystery mechanic. If you can get our girl up and running again, we’ll owe you a lifetime supply of pizza.”
“Challenge accepted. But pizza is a bonus. I still want scrip for my time.” She winked to soften the statement, but she didn’t want there to be any confusion.
“Of course you’re getting paid,” Mace stated. “Those of us who work get paid.” He inclined his head toward Xaber. “Whichis why he’s doing this next job solo. The most he’s done this week is burn our dinner. Twice.”
“That was not my fault,” Xaber protested.
“Says you,” Mace retorted. “I think you just wanted pizza.”
Xaber laughed. “I admit to nothing. Speaking of work, don’t you have shit to do? I’ll let you know what Tix finds and what parts she’ll need once she’s had a look at theTrue.”
“I’m going.” He turned to look at her, his ice-blue eyes locking on to hers. “Thank you for trusting us.”
She felt the weight of his words in her soul.
“Thank you for trusting me with your livelihood.” She nodded to Mace and then jerked her chin in the direction of the engineering deck. “Let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER SIX
Xaber chattedas he followed behind Tix. She moved through the ship like she already knew the layout. That had to be a good sign.
“How long have you had her?” she asked.
“Less than a year. It took years of work and some lucky investments to pull together enough scrip to buy a ship at all. TheTruewas in rough shape when we got her. She was going cheap, and we thought we could handle all the repairs ourselves.” He grimaced as he barked a rueful laugh. “We were so wrong about that.”
Tix stopped and turned back to face him. Her expression was gentle as she explained, “Don’t let it bother you too much. You’re not the first to make that mistake, and you won’t be the last. Thousands of beings spend their lives on ships and stations, but very few of them ever notice the ones working in the background to keep things running.”
He appreciated her words. They eased the sting of admitting their mistake and gave him a bit of insight into her character.
“That’s what you do. Isn’t it? You’re one of the ones doing the work that makes things better for everyone.”
She smiled, her brown eyes lighting up with appreciation. “I am. It’s not glamorous, but it’s necessary work.”
Her confidence made her even more attractive. This was someone who believed in her skills and her ability to put things right.
Xaber understood that, and he said so. “That’s why we chose this job. We want to make things better somehow. It doesn’t matter if anyone else notices, so long as we feel like it’s worth doing.”
It felt like her gaze pierced straight to his soul. “I know. That’s why I decided to help you. I’m still not entirely comfortable with it all, but…” She smiled, and it was like watching a star appear out of the darkness.
“Like I told Mace earlier, I trust the two of you to do what’s right,” she said.
He was still processing what she’d said—and what she hadn’t said—when she turned away and set off down the corridor again. She trusted them. That was good. So was her honesty. Something niggled at the back of his mind, though. A sense that she had good reasons for her wariness about bounty hunters.
He couldn’t see her as the type to do anything illegal, so it was unlikely to be personal experience. Maybe someone she’d known? A boyfriend? Family? He couldn’t begin to guess, and he didn’t intend to. If she wanted them to know, she’d tell them. She trusted them, and he wanted to return the favor. Besides, it wasn’t as if he didn’t have secrets of his own. He and Mace had things they didn’t talk about to anyone else, and some they barely discussed even with each other.
They didn’t speak again until she reached the ladder leading up to the engineering deck.
“If I remember correctly, the standard engines should be above us. Yes?”
“Yes.” He held out a hand. “You go first, and I’ll carry your bag. Those must be your tools?”
