Page 21 of Vicious
My mind spun at full force, and I grabbed the back of Randolph’s chair. “Why?”
Mase collected the moisture on his glass with a drag of his fingers and a sigh. “Once when we were both high…” His throat bobbed, and his gaze connected with mine, a mix of pleading anger. “He said he loved me. Definitely a one-way feeling since I don’t swing that direction. Shocking, I know, since the captain thought I was fucking a fourteen-year-old-boy named James, chef’s apprentice to Randolphhere.”
At the mention of his name in this conversation, Randolph tipped the bottle of wine on the table over his glass and filled it to the brim, the steadyglug-glugthe only sound in theroom.
Mase glanced at Poh by the kitchen doors. “James was Absidy dressed as a boy, by the way, in case you’re trying to keepup.”
I sank into my seat between Mase and Randolph, my limbs heavy, while I stared at Mase. Parker was in love with him. I didn’t think someone like that could be capable of love. But how could anyone not love Mase? Not even counting the rugged, scarred total lip-smacking hottie package, he was brave, funny, and had a heart bigger than the planets Mayvel and Wix combined. Still, I’d never learned to share. I never had any reason to since the ghosts clamoring to get inside me destroyed all mybelongings.
Mase was mine. Parker needed to learn that, and lucky for me, I had twice the ice picksnow.
“If anyone has been paying attention on this ship, then it’s no secret where my heart lies.” Mase pushed his hand across the table toward me, palm up, his public declaration mirrored in the way he looked atme.
I took his hand, melting into his rough skin and the way he loved me. He wasn’t apologetic or embarrassed over his feelings or his past, even in front of the rest of the crew. It took my breathaway.
“We know, Mason,” Captain Glenn said, a thoughtful line creasing between hiseyebrows.
Poh crossed her arms. “If Parker’s following us, can we losehim?”
“His ship is a lot faster than this one.” Mase stabbed at a potato piece covered in fresh butter-garlic sauce, his other hand still gripping mine. “Much newertoo.”
Captain Glenn turned to Poh. “Can you see about making some adjustments to theengine?”
“Yes, Captain.” Poh glanced at him while she drummed her fingers against her crossed arms. “I’ll push it as far as it cango.”
“Aren’t you hungry?” I askedher.
She stalked behind the captain to the hallway door, her white ponytail swaying behind her back. “I don’teat.”
Randolph chuckled, the hue in his cheeks about as red as his wine. “You don’t eat. You don’t sit. Whatdoyoudo?”
She gazed at him sharply from her stance by the hallway door. “I engineer things. That’s why I was hired. What is it you do, Tits, other than dribble wine down your shirt and take upspace?”
Captain Glenn’s eyes went wide, and he choked on his first bite of his marinated beefsandwich.
I dug my fingernails into the underside of my chair and level my gaze at Poh. “His name is Randolph. NotTits.”
“Are we not even gonna address the fact that she has scales?” Randolph shot back with slurs and spittle. “Are you planning on murdering us now or later? I bet it was youwho—”
I flashed out a hand to squeeze the holy shit out of Randolph’sarm.
Captain Glenn recovered and slammed his hand on the table. “That’s enough. Both of you are just trying to rile each other up.” He pushed Randolph’s wine glass toward Poh’s untouched plate of food. “Let’s lay off this for abit.”
Poh leaned against the doorframe, seemingly bored. “You bet it was me who what?” “Uh, no, Randolph.” I squeezed his arm harder, my mind racing for a cover story. It turned out I didn’t have to think very hard. “It couldn’t have been her who tampered with your phone this morning so it wouldn’t work. She wasn’t even hereyet.”
Captain Glenn leaned forward. “Hold on. Your phone didn’t workeither?”
“Wait. What?” Mase skipped his gaze around the table. “I checked them myself before I handed them out this morning. All of them were at full power, programmed to call each other with one button if shit hit the fan. Which it did, in case you weren’t payingattention.”
“Did you get a phone?” I askedEllison.
She carefully unfolded her napkin, her mind appearing somewhere far away. “I didn’t leave theship.”
“I know that…” I blinked at her. “Are you allright?”
“Just tired isall.”
Something was off about her, other than her gray complexion, something I couldn’t pinpoint. A strange sense of deja vu tied a worried knot into my gut. Doctor Daryl used to sit in her same spot and fuss over his napkin, too, while his Mind-I took his full attention. She hadn't found Nesbit’s Mind-I, had she? Surely she was smart enough not to insert it in her own head to communicate with Josh or someone else. She knew as well as anyone that it could be used for mind control, but sometimes love made us do crazy things. Like run to deep space and addict yourself todrugs.
