Page 25 of Rafe

The tattoos were permanent, etched into her DNA. The ships said this was to prevent signees from taking bonuses and fleeing. But it would have been easy to use time-fading ink, designed for the length of the sign-on.

Jade suspected the real reason the tattoos could not be removed was because the ship owners knew that no one who had survived the ships would ever be able to have a normal life again.

Those marks on her arm did not just indicate possession.

They were a warning to anyone who might love or trust her.

The man in black had seen them, and tried to warn Rafe.

She couldn’t be glad the judge was dead. But his death did mean she had another chance at keeping her secret.

“You okay?” Rafe asked, his voice tinged with real concern.

That concern and kindness would be gone in a flash if he ever got a glimpse of her bared arm.

“Fine,” she said without looking up.

Rafe whistled to the stag and the sleigh took off with a bump, sliding across the frosty ground toward her new home.

His warmth soaked into her, and she looked out onto the pretty little town she no longer deserved.

The version of Jade who had signed the cleaning contract back on Terra-14 would have been so happy here. Too bad that girl was long gone.

10

JADE

Jade was feeling calmer by the time they had passed the tiny town center and the little blue church.

She stole a glance over at Rafe.

His jaw was tense, eyes searching the horizon.

Was he on high alert, as always, in case someone wanted to harm the baby?

Or was this the furious visage of a cold-hearted killer?

Whether it was Rafe or not didn’t really matter.

She was passing through what barely qualified as a town - a few houses, a few shops, and then the unforgiving chill of the uninhabited tundra as far as the eye could see.

And somewhere, a killer…

If it was Rafe, she didn’t want to be alone with him.

And if it wasn’t Rafe, she didn’t want to be without him.

“I know you’re scared,” he said suddenly, his voice a deep rasp. “But we’re going to get through this.”

“How?” she asked, choosing not to voice her fears.

“We figure out who actually did it,” he said simply.

She let out a nervous little laugh.

But he didn’t crack a smile.

“You mean that,” she realized out loud. “You really think you can find the killer? Without any friends or resources here?”

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