Page 15 of Healing Creek
“The crew who are critical to running the ship will do so under guard.”
“Is that safe?”
He hadn’t realized she might be afraid of the crew, but he supposed it made sense. They had been a party to her kidnapping just as they had been culpable of imprisoning the slaves.
“They’re being held in the slave hold for now. Tomorrow, we will work it out.” Creek swallowed another bite of his meal. “Mercury believes we can free all Arena Dogs one day.”
“I’d like to see that.” Her words were sincere. He was sure of that. But one hand had drifted to her thigh to tap, something she seemed to do when stressed. When she realized that he’d noticed it, she forced her hand to still, rubbing her palm against the fabric of her pants instead.
“You’ll be home safe with your family long before then.” Creek chugged down his water then eyed her meal. “You’re not eating.”
“Sorry, sometimes I think too much.” She bit into her protein bar again and chewed.
Creek studied her a moment then said, “I’ll make certain you’re safe before I leave you.”
“Thank you.”
He couldn’t read her expression as she met his gaze, but he sensed his words had not comforted her as he’d meant for them to.
As they finished their meals, Grace gathered the empty containers and took them to a nearby waste recycler. His eyes tracked her movements and he realized he wanted her to sleep next to him on the mattress and that was a very bad idea. In a ridiculously short span of time this woman had become important to him. He could not afford to let that bond strengthen. She was not like the other human females he’d known. She needed a protector, and he had nothing to offer her. His body was broken and his future was uncertain. Even if Mercury’s pack managed to free the other Arena Dogs, that did not guarantee their safety. They would likely be hiding and running for the rest of their lives.
Creek gathered some blankets and pulled them onto the floor, leaving the soft mattress for Grace. He had no business longing for her warmth. Change had come and he was grateful it had provided him a new purpose—freeing his kind from the masters of Roma. Tonight, he would breathe in Grace’s almond cookie scent as she lay nearby, and he would watch over her sleep. Tomorrow, he would turn her over to Mercury’s care.
Chapter Five
TheAbundance
EarthAllianceBetaSector
2210.191
Grace watched crewmember number thirty-two walk over to where two former slaves were gathering a group to return to the ship’s slave hold. Number thirty-two, Nimish Adams, didn’t look happy about it. But with two Arena Dogs, one Dreat, and several armed humans in the room, he and the other crew that had been allowed into the assembly hall weren’t likely to resist.
“These prisoners have already been screened for aggression,” Samantha had explained that morning. “Those that resisted or gave our people any trouble during the takeover are being held separately.”
Creek had still been at her side when she’d provided that explanation. Grace wasn’t entirely sure whose benefit it had been for. Regardless, it had helped her stay calm when Creek left her there to be questioned by Samantha. She didn’t feel singled out. Samantha was questioning everyone…except those deemed unsafe. Was Ghost among those still locked up or was he even still alive?
The next crewmember on the roster was already getting up from her chair when Grace raised a hand to signal a pause.
Grace put the tablet she’d been holding on the table in front of them then looked to Samantha and Diablo, standing over her shoulder. “Do you mind if we take a short break?” She’d noticed Samantha was looking tired again. The woman had flagged several times during the day. It was possible with everything going on that she hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before. It hadn’t been the best night’s sleep for Grace. She’d stared worriedly at the shapes of the men and women all around her even though she knew Ghost was unlikely to be among them. Still, she’d watched, waiting for him to slip out of the shadows until she couldn’t keep her eyes open. Then she’d tossed and turned with nightmares about Jenny until Creek had reached out and taken her hand in his—the rough, scarred skin of his fingers tickling against the pulse in her wrist. Only then had she been able to truly rest.
Samantha looked over her shoulder. “Lo, could you get us some refreshers?”
Diablo gently tugged a few strands of her hair as he nodded and walked toward the array of beverages set out on a table along the wall. Samantha waited until Diablo was speaking with Mercury, who’d also been watching over them from that side of the room, before speaking. “Thank you. If I’d asked for a break, they’d have called everything to a halt for the day. We’d be a day later in getting this hulk of a ship underway and we really need to get her moving again.”
If they went into skipspace, faster than light travel, Ghost wouldn’t be able to get her off the ship until they returned to regular space again. “Why is that important?”
Samantha put a hand on her lower back and stretched. “Just in case Morgan had friends in the area. We don’t want to be sitting in the same spot if they come looking.”
“Oh. That makes sense.” It wasn’t the first time she’d surprised Grace with her knowledge. All day she’d been interviewing the crew like a pro. “Where did you learn so much about running a ship like this?”
Samantha chuckled. “My father ran an indie freighter and, I know I don’t look like it, but I’m a trained pilot and I’ve worked on ships bigger than this one. And smaller. I intend to get our own crew before we use theAbundanceto free the Arena Dogs back on Roma.”
It was an ambitious goal, but they were confident. Maybe they could really do it. Samantha’s plan to get her own crew explained why she’d told the current crew they wouldn’t be held for long. Grace needed to find Ghost before that happened and was afraid of what that would mean. He was her only hope of saving her sister.
Grace didn’t even know if Ghost was still alive. He could have been killed during the takeover. Or he could be hiding somewhere on board. He could even be hiding among the more dangerous prisoners. She hadn’t mentioned Ghost to Samantha that morning. She’d done her best to be as vague as possible about…everything.
She was sure Samantha had been suspicious, so she’d been surprised when she asked her to help out by keeping notes as they questioned the crew, looking for people who had useful skills and would be cooperative.
