There was no question of preprogramming in the location. If one ship got captured, the navigation log would lead the Dark Watch straight to the others. On Nickleback, we’d transfer the food into our own cargo holds, ditch the empty military containers, reload my star cruiser through the freed-up back entrance, and bring everything to Mooncamp 1 for unloading. If everything went well, Raz would have his work cut out for him.
Tess and I were going to have to hit four different levels on the spacedock to detach four separate cargo holds. At least the stairs running up the back spine of the station between the inner and outer walls meant we didn’t need to go back to the lifts to access each new level. That would speed things up and reduce the risk of running into the-Powers-knew-who as the station repopulated. But then Tess would have to go back into the heart of the security hub to pick up the Queen Bee on the landing platform—a scenario that made me break out in a cold sweat every time I thought about it.
Gabe seemed capable of working air locks, and his prison-miner build told me he’d be able to do his part when it came to lifting and transferring the food items. What other skills he had remained to be seen. Turning Tess into a comatose zombie whenever she wasn’t fully focused on this heist appeared to be one of them. In his favor, he seemed ready to follow Tess’s lead and defer to a crew he hoped to become a part of, probably permanently. He didn’t know the crew was in total upheaval anyway, with recent additions and devastating changes all over the place.
Apart from me, Fiona seemed the most reticent about taking him on. The way his presence affected Tess clearly didn’t sit well with the scientist. I knew it fucking didn’t sit well with me.
A serrated weight plowed into my chest.
“I love you, Tess. No matter what.”
“I love you, too,” she’d whispered back.
I curled my hands into fists, wanting to grab something and rip it in half. Those should have been my words to her. Maybe Tess would’ve given them back to me as easily as she’d given them to him. They’d passed her lips for Gabe, for the man she’d pined for and hoped to find again for seven years. What did I have on that? On that kind of devotion? A few weeks?
After the plans were final, we went our separate ways for a few hours of downtime. I wanted to spend it with Tess, but she immediately disappeared on me, taking off to one of the food warehouses with Raz instead. I ended up on my own, tinkering with my cruiser and doing a lot of banging and muttering. It didn’t help.
Now, I cursed under my breath as I approached the Endeavor’s bridge. Everyone had agreed to meet there for final preparations, and I still hadn’t managed to get a second of alone time with Tess.
The retracting doors opened with a swipe of my palm. My eyes instantly found Tess even though she barely looked over at my entrance. The others were up front already, including Fiona. She looked like herself again, her lab coat buttoned up to her neck and her hair scraped away from her face in a tight ponytail that turned her cheekbones into sharp little lines. She looked severe and formidable, and Jax snuck a glance like he was fifteen and fascinated. I gave him a month until he cracked. Maybe less if Fiona wore that outfit from this morning again.
Frank and Caeryssa were also on the bridge. They’d make the jump with us on my cruiser. The Queen Bee was ready to go.
The door whooshed shut behind me as I moved toward the captain’s chair. Gabe’s jaw hardened when I joined Tess at her console. Ignoring his stony stare, I gave her a smile I had to push past the jealousy clawing at my throat. Here I was, and right over there was the man she’d wanted for years. It made me queasy.
“The cruiser’s all set.” Casually, I rested my arm along the back of her chair without touching her.
Her glance up at me was fleeting. She focused on dials and switches and checking the systems.
I shifted my balance. “All three ships are set to arrive out of sight of the Ewelock station but within sight of one another. We’ll fly in together, which’ll look normal enough with the influx of new people to the spacedock.”
“Thank you, Shade.” Tess’s voice couldn’t have sounded any more impersonal if she’d been a robot.
“The personnel change going on today will mean ships all over the place. No need to worry about them picking us up on their scanners.” Frank stood with Caeryssa next to the portside window panel, letting her adjust the gun holster on his stolen Dark Watch uniform. We all wore them, courtesy of Raz. Frank asked and Raz produced. Nightchasers left more than just food at the Mooncamps.
“The hard part won’t be getting in this time,” Caeryssa said, checking her own uniform. It was a little big on her, and she tucked the shirt in tighter. “It’ll be getting out before they realize what we’re up to.”
Gabe moved closer, hovering on the other side of Tess. He didn’t touch her, but my hostility grew as he tried to lay claim to a part of her space, just like I had. She didn’t look at either of us and wrapped up her systems check, either not noticing or successfully ignoring the chill in the air between her ex-lover and me.
She turned to Frank. “Asher’s flying for you guys, right?”
Frank dipped his chin in confirmation. “The Ewelock coordinates are locked in, and he knows where to meet on Nickleback.”
“Good.” Tess checked her watch. “We’ve got about thirty minutes before takeoff.”
She looked around, and I followed her gaze. Everyone was organized. Dressed to blend in on the security hub. Knew their roles. We were ready.
So why did I have this enormous knot in my chest?
Tess stood, vacating the chair she’d been occupying and choosing to circle around it on my side rather than Gabe’s. It felt like a small victory. “The ship’s yours, Merrick.”
Merrick took his place at Tess’s console, but it was hard to miss the frustration pinching at his features. It must suck to be a super soldier and not get in on the action.
Tess found herself in the center of a whole group that obviously orbited around her. “Gabe and Sanaa, follow Merrick’s lead and do whatever he needs. He’s in charge of the ship until either Jax or I get back. Fiona knows the drill. If you have to leave without the cargo and without us, you leave,” she said firmly. “If for some reason Nickleback doesn’t work out for one or any of us, the ultimate rendezvous is back here, on Mooncamp 1. Sometime, somehow. For whoever can make it.”
Fiona sat heavily on one of the side chairs that folded down from the wall. “I hate this speech.”
My nostrils flared. I was pretty sure I hated it, too.
“It’s not fun to think about losing, or making mistakes, or getting caught,” Tess said. “But they’re not out of the realm of possibility. Just do your jobs, stay focused, and watch each other’s backs. We’ll do our best to move quickly and be out of there in no time.”