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“I understand, Ryek. Thank you for your generosity. I will gather my crew immediately.” Ulrek ended the call and turned to his crew. “We have officially overstayed our welcome on Reka 5. The message is coming from the confiscated shuttle. The bounty hunters must have programmed it to go out if they failed to return to the ship by a certain time. They have someone working on shutting it down now, but it’s too late. It’s everywhere. Ryek is asking us to leave immediately to prevent any danger to his colonists.”
“So much for trying more local food,” Berus said sadly.
“The others should be back soon. We need to leave within three galactic hours. There was no mention of theNew Horizon, but to be safe, no one is to leave the ship alone. Partner rule is in effect. Your partner is your responsibility. Lose your partner, and I’ll tan your hide myself.”
And with that, everyone got up to finish whatever they needed to do on the colony before they once more found themselves having to move on. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, and everyone partnered up as usual, leaving Delaney alone.
“I think my decision was made for me,” Delaney said, looking wan.
“We’ll go pick up your stuff,” Ulrek said, approaching Delaney. “I am meeting with the directors. Angie will be there too.”
She looked unsure at first, but really, what choice did she have? It wasn’t safe for her out there until this died down.
She sighed and agreed.
Delaney
Delaney gave Angie a hug, grateful for everything she had done for her. While Ulrek spoke with Ryek and Holden, she assured her friend that Ulrek was treating her well and that she didn’t, in fact, need to stage a dramatic rescue and hide her in their spare room. After the photo got out, the council had strongly urged Delaney to take the job on theNew Horizon,but Delaney had already made the decision. Craig was gone, but his crazy friends were still around.
She didnotmention to her friend that she’d slept with the infamous captain. That was still her secret for now.
Tahra and Gavin were probably suspicious because they’d been there when Ulrek had snuck a mostly-naked Delaney back to the ship and right into his room. Some of the crew were giving them curious looks as well, but they didn’t have any proof unless someone spilled the beans. Delaney was going to try to keep this under wraps the best she could.
Ryek and Holden had already welcomed them back once the heat had died down, but she still felt as if she was never going to see Reka 5 again. When she left Earth, it hadn’t been by choice, and it had happened in a blink of an eye. Leaving Reka 5, her new home, felt almost as bad. Like she was abandoning it.
Ulrek held his fist to his chest pinky side out to Ryek and Holden, and they returned the gesture. Delaney knew it was a sign of respect. They didn’t need to like Ulrek to respect him. She understood that now.
Delaney reached for her luggage as they walked out, but Ulrek picked it up instead. He hefted it like it barely weighed more than a feather, even though it had all her tools in it. It was for the best anyway. If he was carrying her bag, it was easier to avoid him putting his hand on the small of her back when they walked.
He’d had it there on the walk from the transport to Ryek’s office, and she’d been hyper-aware of it the entire time. She’d thought her body would calm the fuck down now that it had gotten what it needed, but it hadn’t. Instead, it demanded more every time he was close, no matter if he wore his disguise or not.
“Most of this is tools and equipment. You barely have any clothes,” he said as he loaded her bag into the back.
They’d taken his private transport since he had a few other places to visit before returning to theRev— theNew Horizon. She was starting to think of it as theRevengelike everyone else on the ship.
“We will visit Kean’s tailor when we get to Vosthea. He is accustomed to making clothes for human bodies. You will like Sarah and her sister, Chrissy.”
Delaney had heard of Sarah, the human female who had the Vosthean ruler wrapped around her little finger, and she was excited to meet her. She was less thrilled that Ulrek had implied that she’d be meeting them as his…well, she didn’t know quite what he thought they were. But whatever it was, they weren’t.
But the only response she could come up with that wouldn’t make her seem like she was the one getting ahead of herself was, “I don’t need custom-made clothes to work in the greenroom.”
What else could she say?We’re not a couple?
It wasn’t like he’d explicitly said theywere. He was just…acting like it. Which was confusing as fuck.
Ulrek pressed his lips into a thin line but did not reply.
Their next stop was at one of the most expensive private residences on Reka 5.
“Put this on,” he said, handing Delaney a jacket.
“Wait. I’m coming with you? What if they recognize me?”
“Varan will not recognize you from the fuzzy image as long as we don’t use your name. Delaney was with Ulrek. I am Uzzar.”
“Okay. We can use Lana or Dee. I reply to both.”
There was no ship logo on it, but it looked like the ones she’d seen some of the other crew members wearing. At first, she thought it was Tahra’s, but it was cut even bigger in the chest than Delaney and would be far too big for the Tallean woman. Where had he gotten this?
