Read Online B785 by Eve Langlais - Free Book Online Page B

found there, he delayed the return to his quarters as long as possible, ostensibly to give her some privacy even if the definition of cowardice kept taunting him.
    Dressed, exercised, and unable to remain in the gym any longer without question, Einstein left only to veer down the corridor away from his room. I should check on the bridge. Never mind he held a direct wireless link to the shipboard computer, a visit in person seemed called for.
    He heard Aramus bellowing before he reached the bridge.
    “This area is off limits.”
    Why did it not surprise him to hear the dulcet voice of his dilemma reply, “Why? Is it for boys only? Are you all hanging around in your underwear telling fart jokes? I can fart on demand if I have to. Heck, I can even belch the alphabet. Want to hear?”
    “No!”
    A tiny chuckle escaped him at Aramus’ disgusted retort. Swinging around the corner, he came across the arguing pair. Bonnie saw him before his captain did and smiled. “Charming, there you are. I’ve been looking all over for you. Grumpy pants here wouldn’t tell me where you went.”
    “Onboard personnel locations are private. In other words, if Einstein wanted you to fucking know where he was, he would have told you.”
    Bonnie stuck her tongue out at Aramus and Einstein stepped between them when it looked as if Aramus might forget she was a lady—albeit a mouthy one determined to get throttled.
    “I was in the gym. Sorry. I forgot we’re not linked on a neural level and I didn’t yet have a chance to program you for onboard communication access.” Just another deficiency to add to his growing list.
    “You are not giving her access.” Aramus crossed his arms over his chest and glowered at the petite female.
    “Why not?” Einstein asked.
    “Because for all we know, she’s a military spy.”
    “A spy?” She laughed. “What part of I hate those bastards and they were glad to be rid of me did you not grasp?”
    “Says you.”
    “Says anyone. If you could access my files, you’d know the general abhorred me. He’d never use me as a spy because I am more likely to feed him false information so I can watch him fail than to give him anything he could use to hurt anyone.”
    “Again, says you. Besides, even if you are telling the truth, it doesn’t mean you’re not a secret spy. How do we know you’re not a carrier of some bug, or tracking device?”
    “Now you’re grasping,” she said with a roll of her eyes, a disconcertingly human motion given their robotic gleam. “You found me in a box gathering dust in a brothel. I’d say the chances of your theory panning out are slim to none.”
    “But possible.”
    Einstein watched them argue back and forth, staying out of the heated debate until they both turned to him and said, almost in unison, “Can you show him/her wrong?”
    Stubborn, meet equally stubborn. And lucky him, they’d chosen Einstein to mediate. “I’ve yet to detect anything out of the ordinary.”
    “However, it’s possible, right?” Aramus pressed.
    “I guess.”
    “Oh, you would take his side,” she huffed, crossing her arms. “Men always stick together.”
    “I said possible, but in my opinion, unlikely,” he added, wiping the smirk off Aramus’ face only to plant a smug expression on Bonnie’s.
    “So how do we settle this? I don’t want this female , ” Aramus sneered, “having access to our secrets until we know for sure.”
    “I’m already monitoring for signals. I ran all the scans I could when she was inert.”
    “But none since she woke up.”
    “No.”
    “So test me then,” she offered, opening her arms wide. “Strip me naked and probe me, charming. I’ve got nothing to hide.”
    “Here? Now?” His high-pitched squeak didn’t resemble his usual voice at all.
    “Of course not here, silly. Back in your lab. As if I’d give Mr. I-Think-I’m-So-Mighty a peek at this body after the way he’s treated me.”
    “Treated you? You’re lucky I didn’t lock you