back toward the kitchen. Jade meets me on the way there, her eyes wide and frantic. "Adiron, what if you're wrong? What if they're friendly? What if it's one of your brothers?"
"One of my brothers would have sent more than a ping. This is someone that's testing the waters to see what bites." I reach out and touch her cheek. "It'll be all right, love. I won't let anyone harm you." I'll die first.
I put my blaster in her hand. She gives it a horrified glance. "Adi, no."
"Yes," I say firmly, and steer her toward the wall. "There's a fusion component hidden behind the food processor. Stick as close to that as you can. I'm hoping it'll hide your bio-signature. I don't want you to come out until I give you the signal."
I half-expect Jade to protest more, but she's smart and cool in a pinch, my girl. She nods and takes the blaster, pulling it free from its holster and priming it before hefting it, and then turning it off again. "What's the signal, then?"
Gotta be something they won't think to use in normal conversation. I consider for a few moments, "I'll work out a way to bring up my list of five favorite things."
Jade nods. She moves forward impulsively, grabs the front of my tunic, and tugs me down toward her. Her mouth is on mine, fierce and desperate, and she kisses me so hard that her lips will likely be bruised in the morning. She pulls back, just a little, her gaze meeting mine. "I love you more than anything," she tells me.
I smooth her wild, puffy hair. I adore this female. "I'm going to keep you safe," I tell her again. Maybe if I keep saying it, I'll believe it. "Don't you worry about a thing."
She pulls back, takes a deep breath, and then nods. "You want a signal word for me to shoot them?"
Kef, I love her ruthless streak. "If we have too many signal words, we might get them all mixed up. How about if I say 'shoot' then you pick off the most dangerous-looking one and we go from there?"
Jade nods. "I can do that."
"And if it's a Threshian crew, kill me and then turn the blaster on yourself," I say. "You don't want them taking you alive."
She stares at me. "You're…serious?"
I nod once. "Just trust me on that. I don't think it'll be a Threshian crew but…yeah." I kiss her one more time and then move to the wall. I study it, looking for a good place to rip it open, and then grab one of the flat, strong metal sticks that serve as eating utensils, and then wedge it into the wall. I use it to pop up one corner of the wall, along the baseboard, and then shove my hand under there, dragging the entire thing up along the seams as I do. My hands get a little ripped up and bloody as I work, but I can deal with that later. "Quick. Hide." I gesture to Jade. "We don't have much time."
As if the ship's aware of the situation, it chimes with an alert. "Unfamiliar vessel initiating ship-to-ship docking sequence," the computer intones. "Please advise."
Jade crouches and slides into the hollow behind the wall. There's a mass of tubes and near-empty bags from the food supplies, but she sticks close to the fusion generator like I told her, blaster clutched tight in hand. I replace the panel, trying to remain calm as the ship recites the alert once more. I use the flat of my palm to smack the metal panel back into the housing, then wipe the blood away. There's a vent near the bottom, and I lean in close. "All right in there, love?"
"I'm good and I can see out," Jade whispers. "I love you. Stay safe for me, all right?"
I plan on it. There's no way I'm leaving my woman alone to face these bastards.
60
JADE
I clutch the blaster in sweaty hands, peering through the grate as the ship's hull groans and I can hear the distant hum of what sounds like the same tool that Adiron used to seal the doors. I'm nervous and worried, and my stomach churns all over again. I bite my lip so hard that I taste blood, but at least I don't puke. Puking in the wall? In this tight space that I might have to be in for god knows how long? Not a good idea. Luckily, the nausea ebbs.