Page 60 of Between Earth and Eternity
“Why were you arguing with this supposed friend?”
Supposed. As if it’s hard to imagine me having friends. What a jerk.
“That’s personal.”
“Let me remind you, Miss Andrews, that you need to give me full, honest answers.”
Play the game.
“We were arguing over a boy. She got mad, so I left.”
Again not a lie, but simple enough, and the badge doesn’t want to get into my relationships. He glares at me before typing something into the datapad.
“Are you seriously taking notes about that?” I scoff and fold my arms. Runa shoots me a look of warning.
“It is my job to conduct a thorough investigation.”
I sniff a laugh, and he doesn’t like that one bit.
He leans in to make himself appear more intimidating. “I don’t like this attitude, Miss Andrews. Is it because you have something to hide? If you aren’t telling us the truth, we have ways of getting it out of you.”
Every single swear word I know rings in my head as I go into a version of fight or flight. Because first of all, how dare he, but second . . . I know this badge is completely serious in his threat.
“I don’t think we’ve reached that level yet, Kent,” Runa steps in, trying to protect me.
“I will make the call on this matter, Steward. This is my area of expertise, not yours.”
“And it is my duty to ensure that the passengers under my stewardship are being treated fairly and enjoying their time aboard Zenith. She is my passenger, and she has been clear in her answers. You have no proof that she is lying.” The badge narrows his eyes. “Do I need to include Mr. Hall in this matter to explain my role to you more thoroughly?”
He studies her wise face and accepts defeat. “No.”
“Good.” She leans back in her chair, and I give her a small nod in thanks.
“One last question, Miss Andrews,” he asks.
My heart beats nervously against my ribs. I’m almost home free. I can do this.
“When you visited Sega, did you notice anyone acting out of the ordinary or possibly participating in suspicious activities?”
The one question that I can’t wrap in a nice half truth.
“I did not.” I rub my fingers nervously under the table but keep my eyes locked with his. I hope they don’t have a hidden camera somewhere.
“Fine,” he says.
I release my breath slowly to prevent it from sounding shaky.
“But, Miss Andrews, one more thing.”
Runa furrows her brows at him. This isn’t part of the preplanned questioning.
“You have created quite a reputation with Mr. Mannox and his family, so he wanted me to pass along a message.”
My nostrils flare as my breath quickens.
“Whatever game you’re playing, you will not win. And you really don’t want to find yourself on the losing end, so it would be for your benefit to stop.”
The room goes deathly quiet. I don’t make a move or sound.
