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That I could do.
“We were on a mission. I missed the pickup, and there wasn’t time for them to come back for me. I got out of the outpost on another ship, but… now I’m lost.”
“Hmph. That sounds about right. Those two were always getting in over their heads.”
“Can you help me?”
There was no hiding the hopefulness in my voice now. If this man knew Tayla and Adreax, and Malik wasn’t coming back for me, I had to make the most of this connection before I lost it.
“Without knowing your location, I can’t come get you straight away.” My heart sank with every word, expecting him to tell me no. “But I know where Tayla and Adreax are holing up these days, and I can get them out here in a hurry. Together we should be able to mount a quick search of the area.”
“Really? A search party?”
“Unless you have a better plan, that is. Maybe there’s a nav map there you can look at to help us? Searching space is no small feat.”
“I know. I’ll look for a map or coordinates or something. I just need some time.”
I was about to click off the headset, ready to go in search of answers, when the stranger’s voice made me pause.
“One more thing. I need to make sure you’re not in immediate danger.”
I swallowed, running a hand over my face.
“I am not in danger,” I said finally. And it was true, more or less. Wherever Malik was, he was not a threat to me.
Memories of our bodies clashing in the tight space of his cabin flooded my mind. He wasn’t a danger to me then, either. Far from it. I smiled to myself, a sad smile full of regret. Or if not regret, maybe it was disappointment. For an evening, I’d let myself believe that the Vaclanheim could be more than just a haven for these galactic outlaws. I’d let myself imagine what it might be like to fall into bed with Malik every evening, spreading my thighs for him and welcoming him into me.
“No danger,” I repeated dully, shaking off the memory.
“Good. I’m going to call Tayla. I will be out of radio range for a while, but I’ll be back. Will you be here when I return?”
“I’ll try. After I look for a map.”
“Stay safe, Cosma.”
The radio went quiet, and I sat still for a long moment, wondering if I had imagined it. What were the chances? Did he really know Tayla and Adreax? Had I just given away the location of the Vaclanheim by sending so many transmissions at once? What if he never came back? How long would I wait?
There was no way of knowing. All I could do now was look for a map and wait. Even if I found a map, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to read it. Star maps weren’t like regular maps. They were complicated, and the numbers and letters meant nothing to me. How would I know which dot was the right dot and which coordinates were the right coordinates? That was not the education I had gotten back on Kychek. Nothing of the sort.
But then, there was Torgus. Torgus who wanted her off the Vaclanheim sooner than later. Perhaps he could help.
I rose from the desk and set the headset aside. If Torgus would not help me, I would make his life hell. I was sure I could come up with at least enough gossip to break him down. Or to get me locked up in a closet, I supposed.
Marching down the hall, I headed for the infirmary, opening the door loud enough to make Torgus level a glare at me. I went to my bed, throwing myself down with a heavy sigh and a creak of the frame.
“Do you mind?” Torgus asked dryly, adjusting his pillow and closing his eyes.
“It’s just weird, don’t you think?”
Torgus grunted.
“I mean, one second, I practically think Malik is falling in love with me, and the next, he’s just… vanished. Does that sound normal to you?”
He groaned, turning onto his side to face me across the room.
“Malik is running from his past. He has never had a chance to experience love, not really. Give him time.”
Damn. Those words sucked the wind right out of my sails. It was like Torgus knew what I was doing, and he went straight for my heart. Deep down, I knew he wasn’t just saying that to cut me down. He had no reason to. No, he said it because it was the truth. And that was a truth I had not been prepared to hear.
