the life support failed. So I bided my time and hoped for a day when I could get away.” He paused. “Your thoughts will turn to escape, and I won’t blame you. I’ll just have to outthink you, if it comes to that, to prevent both of us from being hurt or killed.”
Then, without another glance, he crossed the room and left.
Hailey took a seat on the bed, stunned by everything he’d said. Blade had just pretty much admitted he expected her to do everything in her power to escape…yet he hadn’t locked her up. It made no sense.
Unless he was serious about not wanting to hurt her.
Exhaustion dragged at Blade as he lie down but sleep didn’t come easy. He had too much on his mind. He needed a safe location to hide out for a while but the pirates had hauled his damaged ship back to the hub. He hadn’t scrubbed his recent travel history, unable to do so with the damage the explosion had caused. Most of his systems had been destroyed, but it was possible that the pirates had managed to gain some information from the computer. His previous home base—on an abandoned, isolated planet—could be compromised.
The pirates would begin searching for him when the Cracker didn’t return, and they’d track it, finding it floating in space with a dead crew. They might even discover the bodies he’d floated.
When the owner of the Morgan reported it stolen at some point, that meant all port authorities and law cruisers would be on the lookout for the shuttle.
And he also had to worry about Hailey. She was an attractive, healthy woman…and anyone with a flaw in their morals would view her in profit margins.
He needed to return to the only place he’d called home. It had been almost two years since he’d gone off on his own to make his way in life, but he’d kept in contact with his friends from time to time. He even considered them brothers.
The other clones who’d escaped with him from Clone World.
It had been difficult for all of them to learn how to live with their newfound freedom. Arguments had broken out when they’d disagreed, occasionally resorting to physical fights. Their core ethics were the same, but it was impossible to clump strong personalities together without clashes. They’d needed separation at the time, and all but one had gone off on their own to start individual lives. Big had remained at the abandoned mining station on an isolated moon.
Big wouldn’t harm Hailey or attempt to kill Blade to take her for his own. None of his clone friends were capable of that kind of betrayal, nor could they stomach the abuse of a woman in any way. They’d seen enough of that shit on Clone World. It had bonded them in ways that blood never could. Trust had been earned, and they watched each other’s backs, despite their arguments.
Now he needed their help.
Blade eased out of bed and gave up on sleep. He debated putting on a shirt…but he’d found it nice when Hailey kept glancing at his chest. He didn’t see fear when she’d admired his physique, just awareness of him as a man.
But then, that might be wishful thinking.
He left the sleeping cabin and remained on alert for Hailey’s presence. It would be good for her to leave the captain’s cabin. She’d been trapped in there for two weeks.
It didn’t take long to reach the cockpit and unseal the door. He entered and took a seat, checking the autopilot and the long-range sensors. Everything seemed fine. He closed his eyes and took a few breathes.
What if Big said no? It would be a risk to take Hailey their base, especially since he planned to find a way to return her to her planet when it was safe to do so.
It was possible to hide the location from her if he kept her on the Morgan the entire time they were there and locked her inside. That way, she wouldn’t enter the mining station or be able to identify it to authorities. He’d have to share that risk with Big, but he’d do it once they’d safely arrived. Pirates would never find him there. It was too far out of their territory and the location hadn’t been logged on his old shuttle.
He hadn’t spoken to Big or any of the other clones in a long time, not since he’d been enslaved by the pirates. They probably all believed that he’d