Page 4 of Swept By The Alien Pirate Prince

I didn’t let my guard down. I couldn’t afford to, not even for a split second. It was only a matter of time before the enemy fleets returned with a vengeance.

“I want to talk about what just happened.” Carmela’s voice was forceful and blunt.

“We’re safe for now.” I planted on my most believable smile and reached across the gap in our separate seats to stroke her arm.

“No, not about that.” Carmela lifted her somber eyes and stared at me as if she was afraid of something else but didn’t know how to address the topic now that she had my attention.

“What is it?” I frowned. “Did you get hurt when the ship jolted?” I leaned forward. “Is it your head?”

“No.” Carmela squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head with annoyance. “I’m not hurt. She opened her eyes again, wider than they were before. “It’s about Amada.”

My shoulders stiffened. “The guards are dealing with her, trust me.”

“How can you be sure they caught her before all that chaos started happening? For all we know, she could be running through the veins of the ship on a rampage.”

I pondered and tilted my head toward her. “I can’t prove it right now.”

Carmela released a heavy sigh. “You didn’t answer me before when I asked about her.”

“Asked what?”

Our eyes met, and there was a certain vulnerability in her expression that made me ache to comfort her.

“About whether she was on something.”

“Drugs?”

Carmela shrugged. “Anything that could be considered a mind altering substance.”

I sighed and leaned back in the seat. It felt good to release some of the tension in my neck and shoulders.

“She’s had issues before. I just couldn’t tell you in the middle of that whirlwind. I apologize.”

The hardness in Carmela’s eyes softened. “I know that. I’m not blaming you or anything. I just wasn’t sure if you were hiding something from me on purpose.”

I lifted the hand that was stroking her arm and grazed my fingertips across her cheek. “I would never hide anything from you on purpose.”

A hint of pink color returned to Carmela’s ivory complexion. “I didn’t think you would, but I still felt obligated to check.”

“She’s had a bad stimulant habit in the past,” I admitted. “She’s been put on suspension before because of it. Whenever she got clean, I allowed her to continue to her job responsibilities.”

Carmela’s forehead wrinkled with concern. “Weren’t you worried that it might happen again?”

“Of course, the thought was always in the back of my mind,” I said, “but we needed her to be the chief engineer because as much as it pains me to say it, she was the best out there.”

“And now she’s betrayed us to the enemy side.” Carmela’s shoulders wilted. “Sometimes having the best comes at a price.”

I gave her a sentimental smile. “Not when it comes to you.”

“You’re too kind.” Carmela’s eyelashes fluttered.

“As sketchy as Amada has always been, I never expected her to fall off the deep end that astronomically.”

“You must feel the betrayal most of all.” Carmela’s cheekbones sharpened with sympathy.

“I’m used to being stabbed in the back by Amada.” I scowled.

“Maybe that’s why she was acting so belligerent lately,” Carmela offered. “Maybe she has relapsed without you being able to catch it first.”

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