Page 46 of Obsessed

"Listen." The captain raises his hands, palms out. "We both know you can't turn me in without exposing yourself. So why don't we make this profitable for everyone?" He licks his bloody lips. "I'm down a pilot now, thanks to you. But I've heard stories about your skills. Fifty-fifty split on whatever's in those crates. We could make a fortune.

"Bring your girlfriend along if you must, I don't see the harm if you can keep her on a tight leash. But you'll be splitting your half, I won't be taking any less after everything you two have put me through." The captain licks his lips, seemingly pleased with the offer he's made.

My head spins. I look between them, pieces clicking into place that I don't want to acknowledge. "Davrik?" My voice sounds small. "What's in the cargo?"

"Nothing that concerns you." Davrik's jaw clenches.

"Oh, but it does." The captain's grin widens. "You see, sweetheart, your boyfriend here is carrying-"

The gun fires. My ears ring as blood sprays across the ship's hull. The captain's body crumples, his secrets dying with him.

I stumble backward, my hand pressed to my mouth. The acrid smell of gunpowder mingles with the jungle's natural perfume, making my stomach turn.

CHAPTER 24

DAVRIK

Alice stares at me, her face a mix of horror and disbelief as she processes what I've done. The pirate's body lies still at our feet. I holster the weapon and take a deep breath.

"I need to tell you something." My hands shake as I reach for her, but she steps back. "Please."

"You just killed him." Her voice trembles. "In cold blood."

"Because men like him would kill you without hesitation. I know because..." I run my fingers through my hair. "Because I work with men like that. Not pirates, but criminals all the same."

She crosses her arms, waiting.

"I'm a smuggler. The best in the business. That's why my cargo is so valuable - because when people like Freynal need something moved discreetly, they come to me."

"Freynal?" Her eyes widen. "Wait, I know that name. The syndicate boss? The one authorities have been trying to pin down for years?"

"Yes. I've moved everything - drugs, weapons, stolen data cores. Even people sometimes, though I don't ask questions." I gesture in the direction of my crashed ship. "That cargo? Freynalpaid triple my usual rate. Whatever's in those containers, it's worth more than either of us want to know."

"So you just... transport anything? For anyone?"

"As long as they can pay." The words taste bitter now. "I'm very good at what I do. The most dangerous people in the Athenaverse trust me with their secrets because they know I'll get the job done."

She hugs herself tighter. "And you never wondered what you were enabling? What these people do with the things you transport?"

"I made it a point not to think about it." I step closer, and this time she doesn't back away. "Until I met you."

"Why tell me now?"

"Because I love you. And because that pirate was about to tell you anyway. I wanted you to hear it from me first."

"I…I need time to think. About everything." She starts to leave, and I instinctively follow. "By myself. For now, just…please."

I watch Alice disappear into the dense foliage, her steps quick and deliberate. The jungle swallows her whole, leaving me alone with the cooling body at my feet and the weight of everything I've done.

A soft beep emanates from my pocket. "You really stepped in it this time, boss."

"Not now, Navi." I drag my hands down my face, the reality of the situation settling in my gut like a stone.

"Oh, I think now is the perfect time. Let's review: you killed a man in front of your mate, confessed to being a criminal, and she walked away looking like she'd seen a ghost. Did I miss anything?"

"You forgot the part where I'm stranded on this planet with cargo worth probably billions." I kick a nearby rock, sending itskittering into the underbrush. "And now the only person who might have helped me probably hates me."

"Might hate you? She definitely hates you. Though I have to say, watching you fumble through emotions has been highly entertaining. Much better than our usual routine of 'dock here, don't get caught, collect credits.'"

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