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“Okay, Cal. This entire situation is officially turbo-fucked. I—”
Her sound system was overridden by the pirate’s greeting. “Map girl. So youwerecurious.”
“Did he just make overtures at you?” Caligher cut in, bristling with a territorial bite in his tone.
“Let’s not reveal that you’re here just yet. I might be able to distract him.”
“Perfect,” said Caligher. “You do that and I’ll sneak into his ship.”
God, he had a fuck-ton of self-confidence. “I can provide maybe ten seconds of distraction, but then he’ll… oh god, wait, he might shoot me. Hang on a sec. I’m bringing up my shields. Stand… by.”
They were really doing this.
Her hands trembled as she made her final adjustments. Picking fights in a spaceship wasn’t exactly her jam, and this could turn deadly all too easily.
“Okay,” she said, wiping sweat off her face. “I’ll talk to him while you get on. But if you get even a tiny hint that you’re in over your head, get out of there.”
“Will do, Lucca. Do your thing.”
She flipped to the pirate’s line.
“Sorry for the pause. I was…” The only thing she hadn’t prepared was words. Shit. What did she say to him now?
“Curious?” he guessed.
“Curious!”
The pirate’s body flickered too brightly to make out details, a signal of interest. “About my wares or something else?”
“Yes, your wares. You said you trade things.”
“I trade many things.” He settled into his chair, playing with some trinket in his hands. “Is there something you’re looking for?”
“Um.” Thinking on the spot wasnother biggest strength. “You said you had an update on the translator?”
He scoffed, sounding genuinely offended. “You deleted the one I sent you?”
“…Yes.”
“I was trying to help you, believe it or not.”
“By putting a virus on my ship?”
“A virus? What—” He cut his thought off to mutter something she didn’t catch. “I’m serious about your translator—some of your words don’t sound how you think. It will lead todeadlymisunderstandings.” The more he spoke, the more annoyed he sounded. “I’m afraid to ask how you’realive. No guns. Speaking in aberrations. I’ll send you an updated headset but I want something in return—”
His ship shuddered, cutting him off.Dammit, Caligher. The pirate shot a look over his shoulder.
“That was surprisingly fast. What payment have you sent?” He paused to check his ship. “That’sthe game we’re playing?”
Seconds later, a video feed was projected to Lucca’s screen, showing Caligher in an enclosed hallway on the pirate’s ship. The doors were sealed shut around him, trapping him.
“You’ve teamed up with a bounty hunter? To hunt me? Not a good choice, map girl.”
Her mind crawled at a delayed pace, caught off-guard by how suddenly he’d wrestled away control over the situation. In the on-screen view, the hallway grew hazy. Liquid droplets rained out of the ceiling. Every hair on her body stood on end.
Caligher clawed at his throat, trying the doors, failing.
Then trying harder, again. Again.
