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Authors: Shelly Crane
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exasperation. “Let’s go.”
He watched me for a second before he put me behind him. I felt an odd sensation in my belly at the protectiveness. “Stay behind me,” he whispered as he opened the door.
He tucked the handheld metal detector into the back of his belt and opened the door, standing solidly like he belonged there. He nodded to someone. “Pike, how’s it going?”
“Good, sir,” I heard from the hall before Maxton took my hand and tugged me from the room. My wrist burned, making me hiss.
“Sorry,” I heard him say and looked up expecting to find him looking down the hall, but he was looking down at me instead.
“What?” I said self-consciously, feeling the blush creep up my skin.
He must have seen it, too, because he smiled and chuckled a little as he looked down at our feet. “Uh, I was just going to say that I was sorry, but it’s so weird having a girl around.” He chuckled again, making me look up. His eyes were filled with mirth. “I shouldn’t have to apologize for that, should I?” He actually grinned as we stood in the middle of the hall, as he helped me escape his boss who wanted to turn me in for processing, he grinned like the rogue he was.“Girls are different than guys and I’ve only ever been around guys. Mostly. In fact, I can honestly say that I’ve only ever been within hearing distance of a handful of girls my entire life.”
“Shocking,” I deadpanned.
“That doesn’t surprise you?”
“Nothing surprises me anymore.” I pushed against his chest, surprised at the bulk and hardness I found there—calling myself a liar with the fact that I was definitely surprised .
“What’s the matter?” he asked, his tone condescending. It was the reason that I didn’t answer him or look up at his face as I cleared my throat.
“Let’s go,” I hissed.
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him chuckle as he led the way down the hall. It was a typical small ship, that he obviously knew his way around very well. He held up his hand as we reached the end of the hall and looked around the corner, standing up straight so as not to look strange if someone saw him. Then he murmured, “Let’s go.”
We went through the door there and then up a flight of stairs and around two more corners. Then things started to look familiar because I’d been there before. “Maxton.”
“I have to get something.”
I huffed as he opened his door with a click. “What could be so important—”
“It’s important.”
He’d said it so abruptly that I didn’t say anything in return. I slipped in the room with him and waited just inside and watched him go to a panel in the ceiling. I smiled to myself at—irony. He hid things in the ceiling just as my mom and I had.
Then the mumbling began before he punched the wall and brought me out of my musing. I jumped and he looked at me. He was angry. At me?
“What’s the matter?”
“They took it.”
“What? What did they take?”
“They took it because they know I helped you,” he replied as he realized. He thought for a moment. “We have to go. Now!”
We took off the way we’d come as fast as we could, him leading the way and checking halls quickly. We went down more flights of stairs to the bottom of the ship. I could hear the engines running. I remembered this from when I snuck in.
As soon as we reached the end of the next hall, we were home-free. I knew it. The departure door was in sight. But when Havard popped out in front of the door, we skidded to a stop.
“Thought it was going to be that easy, did ya?” He looked at me with a smile that made vomit threaten to creep up. “Haven’t we already had this discussion, poppet?”
“Enough, Havard.” Maxton tugged me behind him a little. I actually balked at him. Why was he so…why did he care? Hadn’t I just bulldozed in and practically destroyed his life? “Stay there.” I realized he was talking to me.
“Okay,” I whispered because I didn’t know else
He watched me for a second before he put me behind him. I felt an odd sensation in my belly at the protectiveness. “Stay behind me,” he whispered as he opened the door.
He tucked the handheld metal detector into the back of his belt and opened the door, standing solidly like he belonged there. He nodded to someone. “Pike, how’s it going?”
“Good, sir,” I heard from the hall before Maxton took my hand and tugged me from the room. My wrist burned, making me hiss.
“Sorry,” I heard him say and looked up expecting to find him looking down the hall, but he was looking down at me instead.
“What?” I said self-consciously, feeling the blush creep up my skin.
He must have seen it, too, because he smiled and chuckled a little as he looked down at our feet. “Uh, I was just going to say that I was sorry, but it’s so weird having a girl around.” He chuckled again, making me look up. His eyes were filled with mirth. “I shouldn’t have to apologize for that, should I?” He actually grinned as we stood in the middle of the hall, as he helped me escape his boss who wanted to turn me in for processing, he grinned like the rogue he was.“Girls are different than guys and I’ve only ever been around guys. Mostly. In fact, I can honestly say that I’ve only ever been within hearing distance of a handful of girls my entire life.”
“Shocking,” I deadpanned.
“That doesn’t surprise you?”
“Nothing surprises me anymore.” I pushed against his chest, surprised at the bulk and hardness I found there—calling myself a liar with the fact that I was definitely surprised .
“What’s the matter?” he asked, his tone condescending. It was the reason that I didn’t answer him or look up at his face as I cleared my throat.
“Let’s go,” I hissed.
I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him chuckle as he led the way down the hall. It was a typical small ship, that he obviously knew his way around very well. He held up his hand as we reached the end of the hall and looked around the corner, standing up straight so as not to look strange if someone saw him. Then he murmured, “Let’s go.”
We went through the door there and then up a flight of stairs and around two more corners. Then things started to look familiar because I’d been there before. “Maxton.”
“I have to get something.”
I huffed as he opened his door with a click. “What could be so important—”
“It’s important.”
He’d said it so abruptly that I didn’t say anything in return. I slipped in the room with him and waited just inside and watched him go to a panel in the ceiling. I smiled to myself at—irony. He hid things in the ceiling just as my mom and I had.
Then the mumbling began before he punched the wall and brought me out of my musing. I jumped and he looked at me. He was angry. At me?
“What’s the matter?”
“They took it.”
“What? What did they take?”
“They took it because they know I helped you,” he replied as he realized. He thought for a moment. “We have to go. Now!”
We took off the way we’d come as fast as we could, him leading the way and checking halls quickly. We went down more flights of stairs to the bottom of the ship. I could hear the engines running. I remembered this from when I snuck in.
As soon as we reached the end of the next hall, we were home-free. I knew it. The departure door was in sight. But when Havard popped out in front of the door, we skidded to a stop.
“Thought it was going to be that easy, did ya?” He looked at me with a smile that made vomit threaten to creep up. “Haven’t we already had this discussion, poppet?”
“Enough, Havard.” Maxton tugged me behind him a little. I actually balked at him. Why was he so…why did he care? Hadn’t I just bulldozed in and practically destroyed his life? “Stay there.” I realized he was talking to me.
“Okay,” I whispered because I didn’t know else
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