Vel squeezes my hand. “It is nearly over, Sirantha.”
“No shit it’s almost over, we—”
Keller depresses a button on the arm of his chair. “What’s the problem, Mat?”
“Why are you chatting with me then?” Keller demands. “Get us out of this mess and then update me.”
I shift in my chair. “That’s not true. When Vel was chasing us, I jumped us eight days out.”
“Not into the middle of an asteroid field,” she mutters.
“Mary,” Jael groans. “I hope I don’t puke before we die.”
“Relax.” Keller sounds irritated. “Mat’s good. He’ll get us out.”
A distant boom and a grinding sound belie his words.
“We’re hit,” the pilot announces. “And we have breach. Droids are sealing off the second deck.”
Damn. Good-bye, spa. Maybe I’d better kiss my ass good-bye while I’m at it.
The pilot sounds oddly, inappropriately chipper. “Your funeral.”
Everyone swivels to look at me, the same question burning in their eyes.
“How can you be sure?” Keller asks.
“I’m not. Forget I said anything.” Why give people another reason to think I’m a crazy egomaniac?
Maybe we’ll get out of this after all.
I think Grubb speaks for all of us when he says, “Damn.”
“Madame Kang’s best,” Boyle agrees with a sigh. “We should recruit her.”
Uneasy with the intensity of his regard, I try to smile. “What a day, right?”
“Know what?” I begin a slow progress toward my room, which I hope will be as nice as I imagine.
“That the jumper messed things up. Somehow, you went out there with him. You saw . . . something.”
I sigh. “Good luck with that. I’ll be in the shower.”
With that, I start getting naked.
lt’s funny how fast he averts his eyes.
“Well, let’s see what this thing can do.”
Midway through my shower, Jael calls, “You all right in there?”
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be? It’s pure bliss.”
Sound of throat clearing. “No reason.”
“What?” I check the tie to make sure I’m not showing skin.
“Have a good time?” he chokes out. “You were . . . loud.”
“Mmm. It was wonderful.” Just to tease him, I add, “You did say you’d know the next time—”
“So I did.” If anything, his embarrassment intensifies.
“You’re mad, Jax.” But he smiles.
“What if I’m allergic to fish?” he asks as he joins me at the small table near the kitchen-mate.
I grin. “Good thing this isn’t real fish.”
“What do you want to know?” I ask with a sigh.
“What happened out there?” He touches my cheek, forcing me to look at him.