sweep of the craft.”
“And if it does match?”
Tariq shrugged. “We sign off on the cargo and the ship prepares for departure.”
It all added up. “If a supply ship came in with cargo but also needed repairs, what happens then?”
“We unload the cargo in the repair bay and then manually move it to Docks A or D to be distributed.” Tariq slowed his pace, and he turned his head to look at Cami with a sexy smirk. “Which is why a cargo ship would have been in the repair bay when you arrived. Smart, angel.”
Beaming with pride, Cami followed Tariq through the sliding doors of Cargo Bay D. “Like I told General Whitmore, it seems naïve to think this is the first time the logs have been altered. Then I remembered what you said about that smuggler, Jahara, and I just kind of followed it to the logical conclusion.”
Cami knew she didn’t have much real world experience, but she read anything and everything she could get her hands on back home. Her father even had an entire library of actual print books that had survived the war and been handed down through his family. Romance novels, horror stories, crime thrillers, biographies, and books about space and alien races—she’d read them all, many of them more than once.
The mystery novels had intrigued her from an early age, and she’d often imagined herself in the hero’s place, solving crimes and saving the day. Of course, she’d never thought to have the opportunity for such things, but that hadn’t stopped her from inventing her own mysteries to solve. Maybe because of her gift with linguistics, she’d always possessed an aptitude for solving puzzles and remembering details. Now, she’d been given an outlet to put those skills into practice.
“Holy macaroni, what is that?” Cami pointed through the enormous bay windows to the freighter on the center landing pad.
Tariq rolled his eyes. “Angel, we really need to work on your use of profanities. And that is the Mex Riga .”
“How do you know that?”
He held his tablet up. “Docking logs.” The grin on his face stretched a little wider. “And I may have heard some of the dock workers talking about it yesterday. Some female from G-Mex Robotics is here today to do updates on the cargo droids.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Cami had only been on the station for two days, but as far as she could tell, the droids weren’t the only thing that needed upgrading. “Maybe she can get you guys some wrist units.”
“We have them.” Tariq huffed when Cami looked at the tablet in his hand. “I’m a mechanical engineer. A wrist unit would only get in the way.” His eyes took on a faraway look, and he rubbed absently at his wrist. “Are you ready for this?”
Cami didn’t miss the dullness in his tone or the way his expression darkened. Though she worried about what had caused the sudden change in mood, she also knew he wouldn’t want to share. “Yes, okay. What’s our cover story?”
“I work here.”
“Yes,” Cami snapped, “but I don’t.”
Tariq blinked at her, and a slow smile formed on his lips. “I knew you had some fire in there.” He nodded to his left and started walking. “Just stay beside me. No one will question it.”
Judging by the way everyone in the bay kept casting glances at her, she begged to differ. Still, she had a job to do, and she couldn’t manage it if she kept arguing with Tariq. As she’d suspected, most of the thoughts in Bay D revolved around her.
“I wonder who she is. I haven’t seen her here before.”
“She looks so fragile. Females like that are too high maintenance.”
“Stupid bitch. She’s not even that pretty. He can do so much better, but it’s not like he’d ever give me the time of day.”
The uncharitable speculation froze Cami in her tracks, and she scanned the area, looking for the owner of the voice. It didn’t take long for her to locate the woman. Standing beside the nearest airlock, the curvy redhead glared at her with so
“And if it does match?”
Tariq shrugged. “We sign off on the cargo and the ship prepares for departure.”
It all added up. “If a supply ship came in with cargo but also needed repairs, what happens then?”
“We unload the cargo in the repair bay and then manually move it to Docks A or D to be distributed.” Tariq slowed his pace, and he turned his head to look at Cami with a sexy smirk. “Which is why a cargo ship would have been in the repair bay when you arrived. Smart, angel.”
Beaming with pride, Cami followed Tariq through the sliding doors of Cargo Bay D. “Like I told General Whitmore, it seems naïve to think this is the first time the logs have been altered. Then I remembered what you said about that smuggler, Jahara, and I just kind of followed it to the logical conclusion.”
Cami knew she didn’t have much real world experience, but she read anything and everything she could get her hands on back home. Her father even had an entire library of actual print books that had survived the war and been handed down through his family. Romance novels, horror stories, crime thrillers, biographies, and books about space and alien races—she’d read them all, many of them more than once.
The mystery novels had intrigued her from an early age, and she’d often imagined herself in the hero’s place, solving crimes and saving the day. Of course, she’d never thought to have the opportunity for such things, but that hadn’t stopped her from inventing her own mysteries to solve. Maybe because of her gift with linguistics, she’d always possessed an aptitude for solving puzzles and remembering details. Now, she’d been given an outlet to put those skills into practice.
“Holy macaroni, what is that?” Cami pointed through the enormous bay windows to the freighter on the center landing pad.
Tariq rolled his eyes. “Angel, we really need to work on your use of profanities. And that is the Mex Riga .”
“How do you know that?”
He held his tablet up. “Docking logs.” The grin on his face stretched a little wider. “And I may have heard some of the dock workers talking about it yesterday. Some female from G-Mex Robotics is here today to do updates on the cargo droids.”
“Oh, that’s good.” Cami had only been on the station for two days, but as far as she could tell, the droids weren’t the only thing that needed upgrading. “Maybe she can get you guys some wrist units.”
“We have them.” Tariq huffed when Cami looked at the tablet in his hand. “I’m a mechanical engineer. A wrist unit would only get in the way.” His eyes took on a faraway look, and he rubbed absently at his wrist. “Are you ready for this?”
Cami didn’t miss the dullness in his tone or the way his expression darkened. Though she worried about what had caused the sudden change in mood, she also knew he wouldn’t want to share. “Yes, okay. What’s our cover story?”
“I work here.”
“Yes,” Cami snapped, “but I don’t.”
Tariq blinked at her, and a slow smile formed on his lips. “I knew you had some fire in there.” He nodded to his left and started walking. “Just stay beside me. No one will question it.”
Judging by the way everyone in the bay kept casting glances at her, she begged to differ. Still, she had a job to do, and she couldn’t manage it if she kept arguing with Tariq. As she’d suspected, most of the thoughts in Bay D revolved around her.
“I wonder who she is. I haven’t seen her here before.”
“She looks so fragile. Females like that are too high maintenance.”
“Stupid bitch. She’s not even that pretty. He can do so much better, but it’s not like he’d ever give me the time of day.”
The uncharitable speculation froze Cami in her tracks, and she scanned the area, looking for the owner of the voice. It didn’t take long for her to locate the woman. Standing beside the nearest airlock, the curvy redhead glared at her with so
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