Page 13 of Alien's Love Child

"Someone's got to keep this ship running."

"And you do it beautifully." There's that look again, like he's seeing straight through me.

I clear my throat. "Right. Well, I should check on Par. Make sure he hasn't rewired the whole engine room."

I hurry away from the cargo bay, my cheeks burning. What's wrong with me? I've dealt with attractive crew members before without turning into a stammering teenager.

The ship lurches suddenly, throwing me against the corridor wall. The metal grating bites into my palm as I catch myself.

"What the hell?"

I sprint toward the cockpit, my boots clanking against the floor. The door slides open with a hiss.

"Rena?"

"We're fine." Her fingers dance across the controls, making minute adjustments. "Just had to make a quick course correction."

I drop into the co-pilot's seat, scanning the readouts. "Talk to me."

"Alliance patrol showed up on the long-range scanners." She taps the screen, bringing up the radar display. "Weird thing is, they shouldn't be out here. This is way outside their usual territory."

"Could be a random patrol."

"Since when do Alliance ships randomly patrol smuggler routes in Unaligned territory?" Her blue eyes narrow. "It's like they were waiting for us."

My stomach tightens. "That's impossible. Nobody knew our route except?—"

"The crew." Rena finishes my thought. "And our passenger."

"We vetted everyone." I lean back, running through the possibilities. "And Xander's the one running from them. He wouldn't..."

"Maybe." She shrugs, adjusting our trajectory slightly. "But something about this stinks worse than Paraxan."

"You're not wrong." I check the readouts again. "How's the backup route looking?"

"Clean so far. Should add about six hours to our trip, but better than explaining ourselves to an Alliance boarding party."

"Good call." I squeeze her shoulder. "Thanks for staying sharp."

"That's what you pay me for." She smirks. "Well, that and my sparkling personality."

Leaving the cockpit, I nearly collide with a solid wall of blue. Davin steadies me with a hand on my elbow, his touch sending an electric current through my skin.

"Whoa there, Captain. Everything alright? That was quite a shake earlier."

My mind races through the implications of telling him the truth. A new crew member during a sensitive job, and suddenly Alliance patrols show up? The timing's too convenient to ignore.

"Just some space debris." I shrug, trying to appear casual. "Hazard of taking the scenic route."

His silver eyes narrow slightly. "Must have been some pretty big debris."

"Nothing we can't handle." I step back, putting space between us. "Though the hull could probably use a once-over when we dock next."

"I'm pretty handy with external repairs." He leans against the corridor wall, a small smile playing at his lips. "Military training comes in useful sometimes."

"Does it now?" I cross my arms, fighting a smile of my own. "And here I thought you were just good for teaching Taluk how to throw a punch."

"I contain multitudes, Captain." He pushes off the wall, closing the distance between us again. "Though I notice you haven't taken me up on any training sessions yourself."

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