The Lost Ship of the Tucker Rebellion - Marie Sexton Page 0,31
the bay at Laramie. “What do you care?”
Cherry Cola looked confused, but let it go. “It’s fine. I don’t want to cause trouble or anything, but I knew you’d be worried about the wallet.”
“Thanks.” Denver hated to let him go. Watching him walk away felt like waking from a perfect dream. He remembered their kiss the night before, and the way the boy’s trim body had fit against him so perfectly. “Wait!”
The young man turned on his heel, and Denver could tell he was pleased that Denver hadn’t been able to let him leave. “Yeah?”
“I’m going to sound like a total jackass, but I don’t remember your name.”
“I’m not sure we ever got that far.”
Well, at least he hadn’t just forgotten it in his Rave haze. “How about now, then?”
“It’s Spence. Why does it matter?”
“Because I was thinking… Another time, maybe?”
The smile Spence gave him sent a warm shiver down Denver’s spine. “We’ll see.”
His words may have sounded like a maybe, but his tone sounded a lot like a yes.
Denver tried not to smile too much as he made his way back to Marit and Laramie. He tried not to let Laramie sense the way the encounter had left him feeling like a moonstruck teenager.
“Who was that?” Marit asked.
“Nobody.” He shot Laramie a warning glance, hoping his brother wouldn’t contradict him. “I guess I left my wallet at the club. He was just returning it.”
Marit didn’t necessarily look convinced. She glanced at Laramie, a question in her eyes, but Laramie just shrugged.
“Well,” Denver prodded, “you were in such a big hurry. Why are we just standing here? Let’s go.”
Of course Laramie couldn’t let him off the hook completely, but he waited until they were deep in the hubbub of Titan X’s market district before speaking into Denver’s head.
Denver slowed his steps, and Laramie followed suit, allowing Marit to pull a few steps ahead of them. “She ought to know about Ginn,” he said, pitching his voice low so only Laramie could hear.
“He didn’t steal it.”
“Why would he steal it, then return it with nothing missing?”
“Like what?”
“Oh, the way you let it slip to Ginn, you mean?”
“I didn’t tell him anything!”
They fell silent again. The seething bitterness emanating from Laramie matched Denver’s mood completely. But quick on its heels was the surety that neither of them wanted to argue again. Not after last night.
Denver nodded. “Fine.”
That left Denver with a shared sense of wary relief, tinged with a bit of regret, on both sides.
They went another half block in silence.
“I have no idea.” Nor did he know what he might have said to that person. Even high on Rave, he didn’t think he would have mentioned the pod to anybody, but he hoped Laramie didn’t think he needed to point out how reckless Denver had been.
Luckily, Laramie didn’t seem inclined to press the matter. he said eventually,
Denver laughed, pleased to finally be able to surprise Laramie somehow. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure I did, either.”
Denver thought once again of the dance floor.
And the kiss.
And the possibility of it happening again. He didn’t bother trying to hide the rush of pleasure that surged through him at the thought.
“Jesus,” Laramie groaned out loud. “Forget I asked.”
Denver was too busy laughing to be annoyed.
Chapter Seven
The bustle of the docks fell behind them as they entered the Scab. Here, there was no simulated daylight. Only a dusk-like, orange-tinted glimmer that never wavered. About half the buildings seemed abandoned. The people who remained were survivors who valued a modicum of independence more than things like reliable lights, plumbing, or a clean living space. They eked