Page 55 of Vicious
“Mmm, doubtful since they’ve waged a war against letting drugs through to Mayvel and Wix. They say it’s a taint on the universe we were so blessed with. Theirwords.”
What a load of holier-than-thou what-the-fuckery. The Ringers’ taint on the “blessed” universe had destroyed Earth and billions of lives. They had zero room to talk about what was tainted and whatwasn’t.
“Rusted hypocrites,” Imuttered.
“You sure you want to save humanity?” heasked.
“Not everyone is an asshole,” I said, shrugging. “Some people do good without even trying, though there’s only like ten ofthose.”
“Then those ten might be good enoughreason.”
I frowned at the pilot-turned-philosopher, who spun back toward the controls, a touch of color on his beardedcheeks.
“Have I seen you around somewhere?” His lightning gaze flitted to mine in the reflection of the window screen. “You lookfamiliar.”
I sighed down into my lap, weighing the risk of whether to tell him the truth or not, while I scratched absently at my broken, gloved hand. Since we were on course for Poh to “turn me in,” I supposed it didn’tmatter.
“No, I remember now,” he said. “There’s people who look just like you all over deep space. They keep winding up missing. Or dead. I don’t know why because I only looked at the pictures, but…does your humanity-saving have anything to do withthat?”
“Yeah. It does.” I didn’t say anything more so I wouldn’t put his life in danger like I had a habit of doing. The less he knew, the better probably. Besides, other than his initial stupidity, he seemed like an okayguy.
I dug my fingernails into the glove’s fabric and scratched harder, then stopped and stared at it, my heart thudding between my ears. The last time I’d been all itchy, I’d grown scales. Pushing my lips together, I peeled the glove back for a peek. Gray scales curved up the base of my thumb and across my knuckles, but I snapped the fabric back before I could see more. Unease shot through me, but I forced it to the back of my head. Now was not the time to freak out. At least it didn’t hurt. I flexed just to be sure. Nothing, not even pain from my brokenbones.
Poh charged back onto the bridge then, her arms loaded with breads, a basket of fruit and sliced meats, and a jug of bluish liquid. I blanked my face of all my worries as she set it down next tome.
“You should go see the kitchen.” Her yellow eyes held to my face until I met her gaze. “Seriously.”
I shook my head and eyed the stars streaking past the ship. “Not until this isdone.”
Shrugging, she stepped down the stairs and circled around the side of Crispin’s chair. “Did you miss me,Crispy?”
“Umm.” He did a double take up at her. “I don’t know how you want me to answerthat.”
She patted his head. “Goodboy.”
“What about you? Did you find any titanium?” Iasked.
“I figure I’ll live for a little while. You do you and…” She ticked her gaze to my midsection andnodded.
I didn’t quite know what to make of Poh when she flashed her protective side, which admittedly she’d showed quite a lot since day one. Especially toward me. It was an odd characteristic for an assassin hired to kill me. Still, I didn’t trust her, even now. Lately I had severe trust issues with strangers. Rusted balls, I didn’t trust myself mostdays.
Before I ripped into the food, I threw a loaf of bread into Crispin’s lap, which earned me a disappointed twist to Poh’s mouth. Apparently my kidnapping skills could use less empathy. Then I dived head-first into the sliced meats and fruit. My stomach clamped up as soon as the first bite of food hit it, but I plowed through anyway. The jug of bluish liquid danced sugary feet over my tongue, and I drank and ate my fill until my stomach swelled over the button on my leatherpants.
I blinked at it, at the way my breaths pushed my belly up even more. As I slid my hand over it, I swallowed back a rise of panic. Ellison said I was fine. If my theory about the ghosts still inside me was correct, Red would be fierce in her protectiveness, too, as she always had been. Of course, I needed to protect myself as well, and today wasn’t the best example of that. But how was I supposed to do what needed to be done while pregnant? If I’d been put here for a purpose, then why put one more roadblock in my way to achievingit?
No, the baby—mybaby—wasn’t a roadblock. I couldn’t think like that. She or he hadn’t asked for any of this. I would deal, like I always did, and fail spectacularly a large chunk of the time. But I prayed to Feozva that I might succeed a little bit, just this once, so I might live to give my baby a fightingchance.
Poh crossed toward me and leaned against the stair railing, keeping Crispin in her sights. “Have you told your pretty boyyet?”
I shook my head at my feet. “There are a lot of things I haven’t told himyet.”
She gazed out at the starlight streaking by us, her expression as far away as theVicious, her voice low enough for only me to hear. “There’s a man named Don Summertack at the space station. He’s the director of ring operations and our kidnap target to get us through therings.”
“You know him?” Iasked.
Her jaw muscles tightened as if she were cracking down on titanium. “He knew myhusband.”
It was such an unexpected thing to hear her say, yet I couldn’t pinpoint why exactly. Whywouldn’tshe have a husband? Sure, she was a rough-around-the-edges assassin, but assassins needed lovetoo.
