Break Out - By Nina Croft Page 0,29

could remember.

She picked up a photograph from the console in front of her. The man in the picture was as different from Rico as it was possible to get.

Though they did have one thing in common, Daniel was also dead, if not in quite the same way as Rico.

Daniel had been dead for many years now. But that had been his decision. A wave of old bitterness washed over her at the memory. He’d been given the chance to stay with her forever, and he’d rejected that chance. He had made his choice, as she had made hers. She didn’t regret it.

Just sometimes, she wished...

She sighed and pushed the memories away. Reaching across, she switched on one of the holographic screens, brought up a game of solitaire, and started playing.

Maybe she’d just stay shut in here for the next five days.

Chapter Nine

Rico switched the ship to automatic pilot and sat back in his chair, booted feet on the console, arms behind his head. His favorite position. They were on course to intercept the transport ship, and there wasn’t a lot they could do now but wait.

Dios, he hated waiting.

Daisy sat in the co-pilot’s chair, but her eyes were shut. She was dozing—too many late nights playing poker. She’d been hanging around even more than usual lately, but he found he didn’t mind, and at least she was safe from him. He’d never liked his food green—even when he was human.

Across the room, Skylar and Al huddled on the floor, cross-legged, faces close together. They’d pinched a pack of his cards and were playing some sort of game. These days, he never saw the two of them apart. The boy stuck to Skylar like an unwanted burr.

Al whispered something in her ear, and Skylar threw back her head and laughed. Rico’s irritation flared. With a jolt of shock, he realized he was jealous of a scrawny boy. He couldn’t ever remember being jealous before, not even when he’d been human.

For a moment, his mind flailed in panic. What the hell was happening to him? What was it about Skylar that made him feel this way? She was beautiful, but there were beautiful women everywhere. What made her different? He had his suspicions. Perhaps it was time to share them with her.

Skylar chanced a peek at him, as if she could feel the intensity of his gaze. She raised an eyebrow when she found him watching her, and then turned, dismissing him.

He rose to his feet. Definitely time to have that chat.

As he stepped toward them, the door slid open. Janey hovered in the doorway, peering into the room. As usual, her clothes were tasteful, her hair and makeup perfect, four-inch heels supporting endless legs. Now, there was a beautiful woman—who did absolutely nothing for him.

Janey caught sight of him and sidled into the room, taking a circuitous route so she wouldn’t pass Skylar and Al.

She came to a halt at his side, almost touching, and tiptoed to whisper in his ear. “I need to talk to you.”

“Well, talk.” Rico returned his attention to Skylar, who was doing her best to pretend she wasn’t watching him with Janey.

“It’s about that thing you asked me to do.”

Reluctantly, he focused on Janey. “That thing?”

Her brows furrowed, and she glanced around before starting, “You know…”

When he didn’t answer, she glared at him. “You asked me to check if that space cruiser was still hanging around, and you told me to be discreet.”

The words were spoken loud enough to waken Daisy, and she jumped up. “Space cruiser? Where?”

“Now look what you’ve done,” Janey snapped.

“There’s no space cruiser. Go back to sleep,” Rico said soothingly to Daisy. He turned back to Janey. “You, come with me.” He put a hand on the small of her back, mainly because he knew Skylar was still watching, and steered her from the bridge. Once the door closed behind them, he faced her. “Well?”

“Actually, there is a space cruiser.”

He looked at her sharply. “You found it?”

She gave him a smug smile. “Of course. It was easy once I knew where to look. You were right—it was following us, just beyond our normal sensor range.”

Rico shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to fathom the implications. This was one of those rare times he’d actually hoped he was wrong. But even knowing, he still couldn’t work out what was going on. He paced the narrow corridor while he tried to decide what his next move should be. Whether he should even