allowing them entrance. “I’m actually glad you’re here,” he said in greeting.
“Scarlett!” Cami waved from her perch in the armchair and lifted her water glass in a one-sided toast. “Did you hear? I’m dead.”
Scarlett looked between Cami and Tariq. “Are you drunk? Is she drunk?”
“It’s been a rough day,” Tariq answered, waving her into the living room. “I gave her a sleeping mist to help her rest. She seems to be having…an adverse reaction to it.”
“I’m right here.” She was tired of everyone talking about her like she couldn’t hear them. “And I’m fine.” If her head would stop spinning, she’d be perfect.
“Right.” Scarlett quirked a manicured eyebrow at Tariq. “Anyway, I just brought these by.” She held up two large, purple shopping bags. “A lot of people in the atrium chipped in, so there’s clothes, shoes, toiletries. We had to guess at the size, and some of it is probably too big, but we thought our little bird might be happier with some things of her own.”
Jumping out of her seat, Cami ran across the room and launched herself into Scarlett’s arms, spilling water everywhere as she went. “Thank you! Oh, thank you.” Then she did something no one expected judging by the looks on their faces and burst into tears. “I don’t know what to say.” She hiccupped twice while clinging to the woman. “You are amazing. I love you, Scarlett. You deserve to be happy, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
“Okay.” Tariq took the glass from her hand and placed it on one of the end tables before gently prying her off Scarlett. “There we go. Okay, it’s okay, angel.” He patted her back as she sobbed against his chest. “Thank you, Scarlett.”
“Is she going to be all right? I thought these would make her happy.”
“I am happy,” Cami wailed.
“She’ll be fine in the morning.” Tariq chuckled as he led her over to the sofa. “Thank you, Scarlett. Let me know what I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. She’s made quite the impression with the vendors. Most of this stuff was donated.”
Cami wanted to offer further thanks for the wonderful gifts Scarlett had brought, but she couldn’t make her mouth work. Her tongue felt too thick, and her eyes burned when her lids began to droop.
Curling into a ball, she tucked her hands under her chin and yawned a “thank you” when someone draped a warm blanket over her. She had a lot to be grateful for, and right then, on the cusp of sleep, all of her problems seemed light years away.
CHAPTER SIX
Dressed in a black, long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of black boots, Cami would blend right in with the dock workers, which made their objective much easier. She’d never worn denim, though, and it bunched in places not spoken about in polite company. The boots, while functional, weighed a ton, and they squeezed her feet and ankles. The soft, casual top felt nice against her skin, but she didn’t really have enough in the chest department to fill out the top.
Pulling her sleeves down over her hands, she fidgeted as they stepped off the lift. “Are you sure I look okay?”
“Cami, relax. We’re going to the docking bays, not some gala.”
“I’ve never been to a ball.” Her mother had taken her into the Capital to watch the celebrations when she was nine, but she’d been too young to attend the Freedom Day Gala. “Okay, I’m ready. I think we should start in the cargo bays.”
Tariq nodded as he walked beside her. “Okay, but the ship was docked in Bay E. Why the cargo bays?”
“Well, Bay E is still on lockdown, so we can’t get in there.” It would be the logical place to start, but Cami didn’t think they’d find their answers there anyway. “Once supplies are unloaded into the cargo bays, what happens then?”
“We weigh the freight and the ship,” Tariq answered at once. “If the weight of the cargo doesn’t match what’s subtracted from the ship, we do a
“Scarlett!” Cami waved from her perch in the armchair and lifted her water glass in a one-sided toast. “Did you hear? I’m dead.”
Scarlett looked between Cami and Tariq. “Are you drunk? Is she drunk?”
“It’s been a rough day,” Tariq answered, waving her into the living room. “I gave her a sleeping mist to help her rest. She seems to be having…an adverse reaction to it.”
“I’m right here.” She was tired of everyone talking about her like she couldn’t hear them. “And I’m fine.” If her head would stop spinning, she’d be perfect.
“Right.” Scarlett quirked a manicured eyebrow at Tariq. “Anyway, I just brought these by.” She held up two large, purple shopping bags. “A lot of people in the atrium chipped in, so there’s clothes, shoes, toiletries. We had to guess at the size, and some of it is probably too big, but we thought our little bird might be happier with some things of her own.”
Jumping out of her seat, Cami ran across the room and launched herself into Scarlett’s arms, spilling water everywhere as she went. “Thank you! Oh, thank you.” Then she did something no one expected judging by the looks on their faces and burst into tears. “I don’t know what to say.” She hiccupped twice while clinging to the woman. “You are amazing. I love you, Scarlett. You deserve to be happy, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.”
“Okay.” Tariq took the glass from her hand and placed it on one of the end tables before gently prying her off Scarlett. “There we go. Okay, it’s okay, angel.” He patted her back as she sobbed against his chest. “Thank you, Scarlett.”
“Is she going to be all right? I thought these would make her happy.”
“I am happy,” Cami wailed.
“She’ll be fine in the morning.” Tariq chuckled as he led her over to the sofa. “Thank you, Scarlett. Let me know what I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything. She’s made quite the impression with the vendors. Most of this stuff was donated.”
Cami wanted to offer further thanks for the wonderful gifts Scarlett had brought, but she couldn’t make her mouth work. Her tongue felt too thick, and her eyes burned when her lids began to droop.
Curling into a ball, she tucked her hands under her chin and yawned a “thank you” when someone draped a warm blanket over her. She had a lot to be grateful for, and right then, on the cusp of sleep, all of her problems seemed light years away.
CHAPTER SIX
Dressed in a black, long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans, and a pair of black boots, Cami would blend right in with the dock workers, which made their objective much easier. She’d never worn denim, though, and it bunched in places not spoken about in polite company. The boots, while functional, weighed a ton, and they squeezed her feet and ankles. The soft, casual top felt nice against her skin, but she didn’t really have enough in the chest department to fill out the top.
Pulling her sleeves down over her hands, she fidgeted as they stepped off the lift. “Are you sure I look okay?”
“Cami, relax. We’re going to the docking bays, not some gala.”
“I’ve never been to a ball.” Her mother had taken her into the Capital to watch the celebrations when she was nine, but she’d been too young to attend the Freedom Day Gala. “Okay, I’m ready. I think we should start in the cargo bays.”
Tariq nodded as he walked beside her. “Okay, but the ship was docked in Bay E. Why the cargo bays?”
“Well, Bay E is still on lockdown, so we can’t get in there.” It would be the logical place to start, but Cami didn’t think they’d find their answers there anyway. “Once supplies are unloaded into the cargo bays, what happens then?”
“We weigh the freight and the ship,” Tariq answered at once. “If the weight of the cargo doesn’t match what’s subtracted from the ship, we do a
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