Page 30 of Escape Velocity

“But I’m legal?” she whispered, looking a bit dazed and maybe a little apprehensive as she contemplated everything that had just happened.

“Yup,” Harry answered.

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“Do I get a card or something?” Amber asked.She was pretty sure she didn’t, but she was stalling for time, trying to decide what to do.

She was legal now. A citizen of Danalon, as far as anyone knew—if this man named Harry could be trusted.

She could disappear into the crowd of people on the station, and Max would never find her. But was that what she really wanted?

She might be legal, but she knew nothing about this place, nothing about life in the worlds outside Naxion besides a few things she’d learned from Max.

The man named Harry was speaking.

“No. The ID is in your hand and fingerprints—and in your retinas.”

She nodded.

Harry came up behind her. “Hold on a minute.”

“What?”

“Just adjusting your collar.” He touched the back of her neck, then stepped away.

When she turned, she saw Max staring at her face with a mixture of admiration and unease. “I didn’t bring more makeup. Do you by any chance have a cloak with a hood she could wear?”

“No. Sorry,” the print dealer said.

Max repressed a curse. He should have thought of this further precaution before they left the Golden Fleece. When he contemplated taking Amber back through the central bazaar area, he shuddered, then remembered a boutique where Amber had wanted to stop.

“Probably that dress shop will have something.”

“We can stop there?”

“Yeah. And I can get you something you’ll like better than my shirt and pants.

She couldn’t keep excitement out of her voice. “Real women’s clothes?”

“Yes.”

“Will it use a lot of my heavy?”

“I’ll pay.”

“Why?”

“My treat. But we don’t want to stay here too long. Let’s go.”

Amber turned to Harry. He was looking at her with an expression she thought was lust. It was another proof of what Max had told her. She was a desirable woman here.

She raised her chin. “Thank you.”

“No prob,” the man answered, and she wondered what he would have done if Max weren’t with her.

That reminded her once again that Max didn’t just lust for her. He seemed to care about her. And that was certainly worth a lot.

Out in the corridor again, she whispered, “Harry—you trust him?”

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