Page 56 of Alien's Love Child

"Well, while they were stuck there, I called in the authorities. Those pirates spent the next ten years in a very small cell, thinking about their life choices."

"Is that really true?" Leo asks.

"Cross my heart." I draw an X over my chest.

Leo sprawls on the floor,surrounded by random trash that sticks together as he constructs what he claims is a spaceship.The starlight streams through the window, casting rainbow patterns across his silver hair.

"He has your focus," I murmur to Jesse, who's curled up next to me on the couch. "Won't stop until the job's done."

"Mmm. But that scowl? Pure Davin." She pokes my side. "Speaking of focus, what's eating at you?"

My jaw tightens. "The Lightyear gang won't stop. Not until they get what they want."

"About that." Jesse shifts, lowering her voice. "I have something that might interest them. A backup of Xander's data."

The muscles in my back tense. "You kept it?"

"Insurance." She shrugs. "Old habits. It's encrypted, stored on a secure drive. We could trade it for our safety."

"That data..." The words stick in my throat as I watch Leo make whooshing noises, flying a block through the air. "It's a bioweapon, Jesse. People could die."

"People will die anyway. The gang will find another way to get what they want." Her fingers find mine, squeezing. "But right now, they're focused on us. On Leo."

"Daddy, look!" Leo holds up his creation. "It has lasers!"

"That's great, kid." I force a smile. "Very tactical."

Jesse's voice drops lower. "I know this might be selfish, but what choice do we have? We can't keep running forever. Not with him."

The weight of the decision settles on my shoulders like a gravitational anchor. Military training screams about duty, about preventing mass casualties. But Leo's laughter cuts through those thoughts, sharp and clear as a warning siren.

"You're right," I concede. "But we do this smart. Set conditions. Make sure they can't trace it back to us."

"Already ahead of you." Jesse's lips quirk. "I didn't survive this long by being careless."

I turn to Jesse, taking in the familiar constellation of freckles across her nose, the way her red hair catches the starlight. My fingers trace her jawline, remembering how I'd first noticed that particular shade of green in her eyes aboard her ship, before everything went sideways.

"Thank you," I whisper, leaning in close.

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me. For raising our son. For..." The words catch. "For giving me a family when I didn't know I needed one."

Her lips curve up. "Even when you were playing hitman?"

"Especially then. You saw through that facade pretty quick."

"Hard to forget those brooding looks of yours." She taps my nose. "Though the scar adds a certain roguish charm."

I capture her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. "I mean it, Jesse."

She shifts closer, her breath warm against my lips. "You've got the rest of our lives to show your gratitude, spaceman." Her fingers thread through my hair. "And I plan to collect. With interest."

"That a threat or a promise?"

"With me?" She grins. "Usually both."

CHAPTER 21

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