endangered their ship, if the Hollbrd pursued them or registered a complaint, just so she could reach for freedom. It had seemed like the only option, but in reality...
EJ gritted her teeth as Harzt shoved her into the loading bay and she faced two more crew members she vaguely remembered. One was Gemma’s mate. EJ gave him a hard stare, hoping he had some kind of conscience, but no emotion crossed his scales. Hypocrites, all of them.
She held her breath and faced the inevitability of a terrible future. The transfer arm rumbled and shook the ship as it extended and attached to something else; one of the crew operated the machinery, not looking at her at all.
EJ rolled her shoulders and ignored when the big security dude tensed next to her. As if she could fight her way through four of them. EJ watched where the transfer arm gaped like an open maw behind the airlock. The Xaravians put on survival suits. She clenched her hands behind her back as the security officer restrained her arms with electric cuffs and a metal belt around her waist, then made her step into a bulky survival suit.
Faros conversed with one of the other crew members as he monitored a comms station. EJ waited until they finished before she cleared her throat. “What’ll it take to keep me on your ship?”
“You don’t have anything I want,” Faros said. He barely looked at her.
“You don’t know that,” EJ said.
The pirate captain glanced at her, then back to the portal for the transfer arm. “No, you really don’t.”
“Violet would beg to differ.” It was a calculated risk to bring up the other Earther, but it wasn’t like EJ had anything else to lose. She tensed as the pirates began the slow process of unsealing the airlock.
Harzt’s grip tightened on her shoulder and he grumbled in warning, like he expected her to fling herself at the portal. It was the absolute most unlikely scenario and made EJ want to roll her eyes and lecture them all on being stupid and shortsighted and just male. Breathing grew more difficult as her chest constricted, her simmering panic starting to boil.
Time ticked away from her. EJ clenched her fists. Turned to look at Gemma’s mate where he lingered near the door. “And Gemma? What’s she going to say when she realizes you threw me away like this?”
“These Earther females,” Faros said, sighing in exasperation. “They act as though they are all loyal to each other, regardless of how long they have been acquainted. My Earther has been aware of your existence for less than three days. You expect her to go against her mate and her entire crew to save you? To sacrifice everything we have in order to keep a stowaway?”
EJ’s heart sank and her sinuses burned. It was absurd. She knew she didn’t deserve anyone’s loyalty, not after what she’d done in her life. Not just with the Fleet, but in stealing from people, destroying ships, sabotaging ports and equipment for Thula. But with the Xaravian staring at her, hard-eyed, she only had one answer. “Yes.”
His dark eyebrows rose, and it was a small comfort that she’d truly been able to surprise him. The pirate’s eyes narrowed in suspicion. “Why? Why would you possibly expect that of strangers?”
She didn’t have a good answer beyond a gut feeling. She didn’t have to admit that to him, not if it meant buying a little more time. The longer she stayed on the Sraibur, the greater the likelihood Violet might find her.
Not that EJ knew what time it was on the ship. Maybe everyone else slept. It was what she would have done if she needed to get rid of someone quietly.
EJ didn’t take her attention off Faros, even though the airlock shifted and hissed. “Because we’re not really strangers.”
They all tensed. All four of them. Silver eyes found her and scales rattled in alarm, slowly turning orange and yellow and shades of red. EJ didn’t blink, didn’t take it back. Let them wonder.
EJ shrugged. “I know enough. I know enough to know they won’t forgive you for this.”
The captain shook his head. “You—”
“She’ll leave,” EJ said quietly. Even not knowing Violet very well at all, EJ knew that the lawyer had been straightforward when she admitted threatening to leave if Faros didn’t behave himself. Maybe he didn’t believe the other Earther would do what she’d said. EJ could