Page 16 of Healing Creek
Samantha was so kind. It seemed like a million times today that she’d considered telling them about Ghost and about her sister. She could ask for their help.
Diablo set the refreshers in front of them and Samantha reached up to stroke his chest. “Thanks, love.”
He captured her hand and pressed it over his heart.
Grace turned her gaze away and sipped her drink. Her gaze landed on the next crewmember. The woman had twisted in her seat. She pulled a furry animal from her jacket. Grace’s heart thudded heavily when she realized it was a ringtail. A common comfort animal, but also trained for use by tool slingers. Their agility and ability to grasp things made them good for simple search and fetch tasks in tight spaces.
Grace ran her small fingers through the ringtail’s soft coat. Its body was warm against her chest as she carried it to the transport cage. “Please, Mother.”
“Gracey, we agreed. You were to take care of the animal and make sure it didn’t get out of your suite.”
“He was barely out at all. Jenny found him and brought him back.”
Her mother shook her head. “I told you that you wouldn’t be able to handle it.” She lifted the cage and started toward the door. “You said you could take care of it on your own. Not with Jenny’s help. She has her own responsibilities.”
Tears tracked down Grace’s cheeks.
“Grace?”
“Hmm?” Grace blinked. Samantha was handing her the tablet with the crew roster.
“Ready to get started again?”
“Yes, of course.” Grace gave herself an internal shake. She needed to handle her own problems, on her own time. For now, she would help her rescuers.
***
Creek’s second day of freedom had been long and exhausting. It had started with delivering Grace to Mercury and Samantha in the assembly hall where they were screening theAbundance’s crew and sorting out who could be trusted and who was needed to run the ship. Creek had spent the day working with the Dreat to maintain the security on the ship. He’d purposefully not thought about Grace. He hadn’t thought about her when Knock had ribbed him about having an admirer. He hadn’t thought about her when the familiar ache in his hand and shoulder had flared up again. And he definitely hadn’t thought about how the stars had reflected in her eyes last night when he walked past a viewport. It was late when he passed through the area near the assembly hall and decided it would be good to check in with Mercury. It was just coincidence that it allowed him to check in on Grace at the same time.
He found the pack leader supervising his mate’s interrogation of the crew—those who had been deemed safe enough to be around her. The hall was a large room with rows of seating. Grace was helping with the screening, sitting at a table with Samantha, a small portable tablet in her hand. Diablo stood at Samantha’s shoulder.
As if she could sense his presence, Grace looked up and their gazes caught. Creek had found a fresh change of clothes, but she was still wearing the same outfit from the day before. He scowled at the thought that she’d been stuck there all day. He should have done something about her clothes that morning. Grace looked away. Her action made his heart thud heavily, but it was for the best. She wasn’t his concern.
As Creek made his way to Mercury, he noted how the Dog stood straight and confident as he watched his mate sitting among the members of the crew at the other end of the hall. His eyes rarely left her despite his second standing guard next to her. There were fewer crew now than there had been that morning when he dropped Grace off with them. The freed slaves had accompanied those deemed a risk or not needed to the slave hold. Some had been cleared to resume their duties under guard.
The moment he arrived at Mercury’s side the Dog wasted no time focusing on the one topic Creek wanted no part of. “Samantha found Morgan’s file on her.” He meant Grace, of course. “It isn’t much more than basic facts. A description and a schedule of her movements.” Mercury turned to face him fully. “Morgan set out to capture her, but her file didn’t have anything about who he might contact for ransom. Nothing about her personal accounts.”
“She said her kin would pay the ransom,” Creek suggested.
Mercury nodded. “Samantha said her last name, Hobbs-Venter, suggests she is related to a wealthy family know for science, technology, and exploration. And yet, she is still here.”
Creek grimaced. Mercury was right to be suspicious. He knew that.
Mercury turned back to watching his mate. “When we offered to contact them, she said she didn’t want us to do that. Samantha and Lo think she’s hiding something.”
“She’s afraid.”
“Mmm,” Mercury made a sound of agreement. “But afraid of what? We haven’t harmed or threatened her.”
It wasn’t as if Creek hadn’t come to the same conclusion. But she was no threat to them. She was only a danger to his solitude.
Even now he wanted to go scoop her up into his arms and keep her safe. A good reason to stay as far from her as the ship would allow.
“What do you ask of me?” The pack leader wanted something. They’d fought together to take the ship, and the Dog had listened to Creek’s input on ship security, but they were not pack and he needed to remember that. It was just like when he’d been with the resistance. They’d tolerated him but did not see him as a brother.
“Samantha said Grace seemed comfortable with you,” said Mercury. “Encourage a friendship with her. Get her to talk, to open up. Give us enough reason to trust her as you do.”
He bristled at the too accurate reading of him, but how could he refuse the Dog responsible for his freedom?
