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Emerson rolled his eyes but looked at Julia. “Don’t let him get out of line. And please, don’t let anyone on the crew know you’re a cop. If that happens, I make no promises about keeping you safe. If word got out that I was helping an IPF agent, I would lose all credibility. Clear?”
“As a bell.” Julia nodded. “I’ll be good. I managed on your ship before without anyone suspecting.”
“That’s because most of the crew thought we were sleeping together.”
I nearly spat out a mouthful of coffee. Emerson lifted an eyebrow at me, amused by my reaction. “I had to keep her safe somehow. Laying a claim is the easiest way. No one messes with the captain’s girl.”
Julia rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe anyone would think we would sleep together. Just goes to prove that your crew is blind.”
“Watch it, Carter.” Emerson stood up and set his cup in the sink. “You want food before we go, Ethan?”
“No, I’m good. Thank you.”
Steel drained the rest of his cup and set it in the sink with Emerson’s. “Where’s theHawk?”
“Waiting for us. We should be on our way now.”
Julia got up and deposited her dishes in the sink, steering clear of Steel. “I take it your crew doesn’t know about this place.”
“No, and it’s staying that way. Only a few know about it, and it’s too many as far as I’m concerned. Not a word. Got it?”
She nodded. “My lips are sealed.”
“Then let’s get out of here.”
Reluctantly, I emptied the rest of my cup in the sink and followed the others out of the kitchen. Julia paused before we reached the front door. “Do you happen to have a coat I could borrow? It’s freezing out there.”
Emerson said nothing. He produced two coats from a closet and handed one to her and the other to me. I put it on without comment. I was happy to have a little protection from the cold.
Both of Emerson’s men from the day before were waiting outside in the vehicle. None of us spoke as we went speeding back to the city. I watched the ground pass below us. Large patches of white snow were scattered here and there. I studied the sky as well, noting that it would probably snow again later and silently thanking Emerson for the coat.
We landed at a spaceport, and Emerson led the way to a modest Charger—Beta class if I were to hazard a guess—with mounted plasma cannons. A few men stood guarding the outside, and they all straightened when they saw Emerson. He waved them off and snapped a command at them to keep their posts. We followed Emerson up the ramp and onto the ship.
Julia’s face turned to stone, and I wondered if that’s what she had done when she was on the ship the first time. She looked decidedly less cop-like. Her hand stayed near the gun on her hip, and her eyes constantly moved. I couldn’t imagine what it had been like for her as a cop to be aboard a mercenary vessel like that. I was hazy on the details surrounding her first time on board, but I doubted it had been a pleasant experience for her.
We reached the bridge, and Emerson walked straight up to a massive man who towered over all of us, and who had skin darker than mine and dreads that were shorter. I took an extra second to study him. I wasn’t sure what his ethnicity was because he seemed to have some mixed blood. He was just so…large. Tall. Intimidating.
He didn’t look happy, either. He looked at Emerson, and then looked at Steel. He nodded to them, but then his eyes moved to Julia, and he scowled. He barely even glanced at me.
“Captain.” His voice held a warning, but Emerson shook his head at him.
“Reuben, how did it go?”
He continued to scowl at Julia. “Not well. The suppliers are clean. We checked everything. It wasn’t them.”
Emerson sighed and sat down in the captain’s chair. He pressed buttons on the interface and scanned a private screen. “That eliminates some suspects at least.”
Reuben crossed his arms. “Why is she here?”
My eyes scanned the rest of the room, but there were only a few people present, including a woman who sat at the station in front and to the left of Emerson. Not the best time for Emerson to have this conversation.
Emerson didn’t even glance at him. “I hired her to help us find the merchandise. She was in town.”
Reuben continued to glare. “That’s not necessary.”
Julia gave him a look of her own. “Calm down, big guy. I’m not here to threaten your manhood or your position.”
Steel smirked and covered it with his hand. Then he reached out and smacked Reuben on the arm. “She’s cheeky, isn’t she?”
