Galaxy's Way

by E. R. Paskey

  “Please don’t tell me you just happen have a closet full of women’s clothes,” Anna said faintly. “Because that‌—‌that — ” It was her turn to trail off, shaking her head. She didn’t have words for how much worse‌—‌and cliché‌—‌this situation kept getting.

  A dark, painful shadow crossed Colin’s face, momentarily turning it to granite. “Aye, I have a few women’s clothes, but I doubt they’d fit the likes of you. You’re a good deal taller than she was,” he added, before it could occur to Anna to feel offended.

  “For a one-handed pirate, you’re a suspicious one, aren’t you?” Deek shook his head in amazement. “You’d think you’d be grateful the Cap’n brought you aboard at all.”

  His words sent a spike of shame straight through Anna’s heart. She held out for a moment longer before abruptly deflating. “You’re right. I’m sorry‌—‌I’m not being very grateful.” She looked at Colin earnestly. “I am grateful you helped me get out of there; I don’t know what I would have done otherwise.”

  Some of the tension eased from the set of Colin’s shoulders; he flashed her that wicked grin. “Oh, I’m sure something would have occurred to you eventually, lass.”

  It was on the tip of her tongue to inquire if the clothes belonged to his dead wife, but instinct made her hold back. Now is not the time, she realized, taking in the relief that had also washed over Deek. But later‌…‌

  One way or the other, she’d learn what she needed to know.

  “As for clothes … ” Colin shrugged. “You can borrow a few of my things and we’ll wash yours.”

  The idea of spending any time aboard this freighter in nothing but a man’s shirt and pants did not particularly thrill Anna, but she knew there was little to be done about it. “Thank you.”

  Chapter 8

  STRUCK BY A SUDDEN THOUGHT, Anna addressed Colin. “How big is your crew, anyway?” Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Deek giving his captain an odd look, as though he expected Colin to have already gone over this, since he and Anna were both denying any other‌…‌ahem‌…‌activities.

  Colin shrugged, turning one hand palm up in a casual gesture. “Oh, we’re not a large crew, by any stretch of the imagination, but we get by. Aside from Deek,” he nodded to his first mate, “I have a cook and a mechanic. Husband and wife.”

  “I see.”

  A grin abruptly curved Colin’s mouth; he shot her a knowing look. “I know you’re dying to ask, darling, so I’ll spare you the trouble. Ferdinand Mondego is our galley cook, and his lovely wife Tatiana is our mechanic.” He paused. “They’re both very good at their jobs, I might add.”

  “Very good,” Deek echoed.

  Not entirely sure how to respond to that, Anna simply nodded. That’s four people, she thought. Not much of a crew, for a freighter of this size. It made her wonder what they would find for her to occupy her time. She tilted an eyebrow at Colin, sure she already knew the answer to her next question. “Who’s the pilot?”

  “Why, myself, of course.” Colin gave her another one of those devastating grins, and unlike a few of his other smiles since they’d boarded his ship, this one was real.

  “Of course.” Anna inclined her head, hoping her expression did not betray the way her insides were quivering. You don’t know him, she told herself sternly. You don’t know him, and despite this mess you’ve found yourself in, it is not likely that anything will go anywhere at all.

  Not that she wanted it to. Oh, no. One night escaping a cave and sleeping exhausted in a seedy motel room was nowhere near enough for her to start losing her mind.

  Sleep. The very thought was enough to make her body remember how fatigued she was. She held herself upright, however, by sheer force of will. This is not the time to look weak.

  She might have a prosthetic hand and half an arm, but she was not weak. Never had been, never would be, if she had her way.

  Anna’s gaze drifted back to Colin of its own accord and she found him looking back at her, a considering expression in his blue eyes. She forced herself to hold his gaze‌—‌but had to look away when he broke into a charming smile again.

  “Time to get you into the shower, lass.”

  She and Deek both choked on their own spit, but Colin seemed oblivious to the reaction he had‌—‌deliberately, Anna was sure‌—‌elicited from both of them. He placed a hand on her back and gave her a gentle shove in the direction of the hatch. “This way.” He paused long enough to give Deek a look over his shoulder. “Mind the controls while I’m gone, Deek. If you even suspect we’re about to encounter something suspicious, comm me immediately.”

  “Aye, Cap’n.”

  As they stepped into the corridor beyond the hatch, Colin indicated to the right with his free hand. “This way.”

  He led her through the freighter to an empty stateroom and Anna felt a little spasm shoot through the muscles in her back when his hand drifted down to the small of her back and settled there as if it was perfectly normal for him to be touching her. Get a grip, she scolded herself. You were practically glued to his side last night and this morning. What’s different now?

  She had to swallow again. The difference is that it was a ruse then, and this is‌…‌this is‌…‌now.

  Colin entered a few digits into a keypad beside the hatch and it opened with a well-tended hydraulic hiss. Anna almost envied that hiss‌—‌it had been a few years since all of the hatches aboard the Iliana opened as smoothly. I wonder what he does to them.

  He can probably afford replacement parts, she thought wryly.

  “Your cabin, lass.” Colin swept a hand toward the small compartment, which featured bare metal bulkheads, a bunk fastened to the length of one wall, a built-in closet, a chair, and a pull-out desk beside the bunk. “Should you require me, I have the stateroom next to yours.” He indicated another hatch. “Deek is over there,” he pointed down the corridor, “and my cook and mechanic share quarters through that hatch.”

  “Got it.” Anna committed the hatches and their corresponding tenants to memory; she had no intentions of accidentally trying to open the wrong hatch.

  “Refresher unit is at the end of this corridor.”

  “Thank you.” That was music to her ears; after being stuck in clothes grimy with cave water, Anna could hardly wait to scrub off again. She noticed Colin watching her with interest, but she was too tired to think about blushing.

  “Wait right here.” Colin pointed to a chair and disappeared out of the hatch. He returned less than a minute later with a soft, black long-sleeved shirt, a pair of thick drawstring sleeping pants, and two pairs of thick socks. “Once you’re in the refresher unit, just toss your clothes out and I’ll see that they get washed.”

  Anna did blush this time‌—‌a bright red that swept from her hairline all the way down her neck. “Oh, no, that’s not necessary.” The idea of him handling her dirty clothes was bad enough, but her underwear? She had to draw the line somewhere.

  He was married, you know, the non-helpful part of her mind supplied.

  “You’d rather they stayed dirty, hmm?” Colin inquired lazily, though a suspicious glint in his blue eyes told her he knew exactly what he was doing. “I dare say my crew would have something to say about that eventually.”

  Anna tried to will the color in her face back to normal. “I meant I can wash them myself once I’m done. If you’ll direct me to the washer and dryer,” she added. A ship this size, they couldn’t function without those machines.

  “Ah, well, if you insist … ” Colin raised and lowered his shoulders in an elaborate shrug.

  “I do, thank you,” Anna said firmly. He was laughing at her, she just knew it.

  Colin’s eyes trailed over the lingering traces of her blush before he shot her a good-natured grin. “I was teasing you, lass.” He placed a hand over his heart and opened his mouth again, but Anna hastily held up a hand to ward him off.

  “I gathered as much.” Her cheeks threatened to turn red again
. “Eventually. And my name is Anna, in case you’ve forgotten.”

  “One could hardly forget a name as lovely as that,” Colin assured her, turning to leave.

  “Then why don’t you use it?” Anna muttered under her breath.

  “What was that, lass?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Nothing,” she said automatically. “I’m just looking forward to wearing clean clothes again.” She tightened her grip on the clothes he had handed her; even if they were too big, they were clean and dry. On a freighter streaking through the cold black of space, that counted for more than one might think. “Thank you for the clothes.”

  Colin gave her a courtly nod. “You are welcome. Enjoy your shower.”

  Oh, I will, she thought, eying the refresher unit longingly.

  ~oOo~

  Anna emerged from the refresher unit feeling human again. Colin’s clothes were, as expected, too large for her much smaller frame, but she just tied the drawstrings of the pants as tight as she could, rolled up the legs, pushed the sleeves of the shirt up to her elbows, and let them be. She was grateful he had given her two pairs of thick wool socks; it was extremely thoughtful of him, considering her boots needed to dry out and the metal deck was chilly.

  Rolling her dirty clothes up into a ball, she set out in search of the laundry compartment. She suspected it would be in the same general vicinity as the galley, and she was not wrong. A few moments of padding through silent corridors on sock feet led her to the galley‌…‌which was empty.

  After loading her clothes into the washer, Anna poked around the galley. Everything was tidy and shipshape, but she had the feeling that all was not what it seemed. She couldn’t quite put her finger on why she thought something was off, but she had learned to listen to her gut.

  Instinct, after all, had saved her from losing her life instead of just her arm.

  Leaving the galley behind, Anna set off to find Colin and his first mate. She wanted to hug her arms to her chest for warmth, but she forced herself to let them hang loose‌—‌ready for anything and anyone. Her eyes darted from side to side, assessing everything, belying the casual purpose with which she strode through the corridors.

  She found Colin and Deek in the living compartment, their heads bent together in an earnest, though hushed, conversation. Deek waved a hand for emphasis and Colin shook his head, his expression grave. As though sensing her eyes on him, he turned his head slightly toward her.

  The change in his expression was instantaneous. His gravity melted away, to be replaced by an amused smile as he glanced over her outfit.

  Anna held out her arms, gesturing to the clothes. “They’re a little big, but thank you.”

  “Come, join us.” Colin motioned for her to take a seat.

  Anna sank into a corner of a large couch and tucked her feet underneath her. The feeling that something was not quite right continued to niggle at her. She deliberately looked around the compartment‌—‌the bulkheads were a warm beige that contrasted nicely with the dark red chairs and couch‌—‌before raising her eyebrows at Colin. “So, when can I meet the rest of your crew?”

  “You’ll meet them soon enough, lass.” Colin brushed her words aside. “For now, we have another, more pressing matter on our hands.”

  Something crystallized inside Anna. Deek did not strike her as the type to let something like his captain accidentally marrying a pirate go unmentioned. Unless those two have not an iota of curiosity between them, they’re not actually on the ship. Viktor usually had to threaten their crew within an inch of their life not to leave their posts whenever something interesting happened.

  Leaning back against the couch, she propped an elbow on the armrest. “Your cook and mechanic aren’t actually aboard the ship right now, are they?”

  To their credit, neither man’s expression changed. “What makes you say that?” Colin drawled, still looking amused.

  “Oh, please.” Anna waved her free hand. “People are people. One of them would be here just to see what’s going on.”

  Colin held her gaze for several prolonged seconds before one corner of his mouth twitched with a smile. “You’re a sharp one, I’ll give you that.”

  “Cap’n — ” Deek began, but Colin held up a hand.

  “My cook and mechanic are on an anniversary trip.” One broad shoulder rose in a shrug. “This was supposed to be an easy run in their absence.”

  “Tell me about it,” Anna muttered, before she straightened. “Are you going to be picking them up soon?”

  The amusement fled from Colin’s expression. His blue eyes grew shuttered; his mouth thinned into a grave line. It was a long moment before he shrugged again. “That remains to be seen.”

  Anna regarded him with narrowed eyes. “Because it’s too dangerous?”

  “Among other things.”

  Anna waited for him to elaborate, but that was apparently all he intended to say on the subject. She suppressed an irritated sigh. Men.

  “Your brother has to have noticed your absence by now.”

  It was Anna’s turn to shrug. “Of course he has. I just don’t know what Bear told him.”

  “He’ll figure it out soon enough, though, won’t he?”

  Anna gave Colin a sharp look; there had been an odd tone in his voice. “He will.” She started to say more, but hesitated. Not only had Lobai double-crossed them, but he’d ratted them out to Plimus authorities too. What kind of an impact has that had on things?

  She felt eyes on her and looked up to find Colin giving her an expectant look. She shook her head, but he only tilted his dark eyebrows further.

  Deek, whose expression grew more and more suspicious with every nonverbal exchange they shared, finally broke in with a gruff, “Just spit it out, will ya?”

  Anna flashed him a hard look, but obliged. “We’ve got a prearranged meeting place in case something goes wrong, but I don’t know if Vik will be there or not.”

  “Why wouldn’t he?” Colin asked lazily.

  The truth stuck in her throat; the sharp angles of every word she was about to say jabbed her painfully. “Because Bear knows about it too.”

  Colin did not seem to grasp the significance of this. “Don’t you have another backup plan?”

  Another backup plan?

  When Anna just looked at him blankly, Colin straightened in his seat. “Good heavens, lass. You can’t mean to tell me that your brother wouldn’t have arranged another meeting place with you, just in case something like this happened?”

  If we ever get separated, Anna, find your way to the Whirlwind and wait for me. Her brother’s voice drifted through her mind.

  The Whirlwind.

  Their place of last resort, should the worst ever happen.

  A bad feeling pooled in the pit of her stomach. He trusted Bear with my life. Will he think to look for me there?

  “You did,” Colin said quietly.

  Anna sucked in a breath, realizing she had been silent too long, and snapped her gaze back to Colin. His blue eyes were sharp as they looked at her, but not unkind. “We had another backup plan, yes.” She did not give him time to speak. “You can’t take me there.”

  Surprise flashed across Colin’s face, but he countered smoothly, “Who says I was offering?”

  At the same time, Deek demanded, “Why not?”

  “It’s nothing personal,” Anna hastened to assure them. “We just — ” she shook her head, we’ve never used it, she thought, “ — we never bring outsiders.”

  If anything, the amusement on Colin’s face seemed to deepen. “Outsiders, eh?” His expressive eyebrows tilted again. “Is that what I am?”

  How could you not be? Anna thought, before her brain kicked in. She narrowed her eyes at him, but Colin spoke before she could.

  “Surely your brother won’t consider your husband an outsider?”

  He was laughing at her now. Anna glowered at him. “I’m so glad you’re enjoying this.”

  Still chuckling, Colin settled
himself further in his seat and gave her an indolent look. He looked completely at home, a man who knows all is well with everything in his domain. “What of your crew, then? How many of them know about this meeting place?”

  “Can’t tell you that.” Anna shrugged, not even apologetic.

  “You can’t even tell your husband?” Colin feigned wounded offense. “You’ve cut me to the heart, lass, truly.”

  Deek choked on something‌—‌his own spit, as far as Anna could tell. She found she couldn’t really blame him. Unless she was very much mistaken, Colin was flirting with her.

  Flirting.

  With her.

  If you’re honest, said a very dry voice in the back of her mind, he’s been doing that since you were nothing more than a disembodied voice in that cave.

  Anna conveniently ignored that voice.

  “What’s your function on your brother’s ship?” Colin abruptly changed subjects.

  Relieved, despite herself, Anna relaxed a little. “I deal with people.”

  “Like Lobai?”

  She couldn’t restrain a scowl. “Yeah. Usually it doesn’t end in a double-cross.”

  “I would imagine.”

  Anna met his eyes briefly, and was astonished again by just how blue they were. Don’t think about his eyes, she scolded herself. You’ve got more important asteroids to mine. Aloud, she said, “I also help patch people up on occasion.”

  “Handy,” Colin remarked.

  Shrugging, she changed the subject. “You mentioned teaming up to track Lobai down and get our stuff back.”

  “Yes. What of it?”

  “Well … ” Anna swallowed. What she was about to propose might sound ludicrous‌…‌but the idea had just occurred to her and she couldn’t shake it. “Will it be worth it?” she asked bluntly.

  Deek’s brow furrowed in confusion, but Colin took her meaning instantly. “I don’t know about you,” he drawled, “but our payoff was enough to set us up for the next couple of months.”

  Anna nodded. “Ours too.”

  “I don’t believe we ought to let Lobai get away with outright theft,” Colin said bluntly. “Particularly when it’s rather out of character for him to go to such lengths.”