Had she said that out loud? “Explain.”
“Pretty sure the situation on Cassan was an opportunity that presented itself. Varik’s obviously got a problem with Captain Cyra, The Treasure, and you.” His gaze was pointed, and Blaize dropped her gaze, still embarrassed to have been intimate with such an ass. “He saw how upset you were by the kids being taken. He likely also had a big credit investment in the purchase, and you ruined that for him.”
“Me? What about you?”
“I was locked in the cage, remember?”
She couldn’t forget. Cifer incapacitated, caged like an animal. “We should notify the authorities.”
“And tell them what?” Cifer asked. “That some guys want to buy some produce we’re trying to sell?”
Blaize frowned. “We have to do something.”
“Maybe we should wait for Cyra and Dez.” Veda twisted her fingers together.
“What if they leave before we can do anything?” Blaize didn’t believe waiting was the right answer. The situation required action. If only she knew what action. She didn’t have a checklist for rescuing abducted kids, having only done it once before. “If this keeps happening, I’m going to need an SOP and a checklist.”
“SOP?” Cifer’s wrinkled brow was kind of adorable.
“Standard operating procedure.” How could anyone not know that?
“I don’t think there’s a standard procedure for retrieving people or objects that have been stolen. It’s more of a respond-in-the-moment kind of situation.”
Blaize clenched her jaw. There had to be best practices. Maybe she could do a search and get advice. Write down her takeaways from the previous event and lessons learned from this one, assuming Varik had abducted kids again. And that she and Cifer could free them.
“It’s more important to know your own capabilities. Trust your instincts and be ready to respond to the unexpected.”
She’d avoided the unexpected as much as possible for most of her life. Danger filled the gaps around the unexpected.
“We just need to decide what the next step is,” Cifer said.
“Keep them from taking the kids.” That was obvious.
“And how are we going to do that?” Cifer’s tone was calm and respectful.
“Keep the ship from leaving. But you don’t think the authorities will help.” What other option was there?
“They probably would if we could prove our assumption. But we can’t.”
Blaize pursed her lips. There were lots of ways to keep a ship from flying. “I need to know the class, manufacturer, and model of the ship. If I have that, I can get the schematics and figure out what part to remove or sabotage to keep Varik from taking off. But even if I had that, I’m not sure how we could execute the modification. Most of the critical parts are deep inside, and you have to get on the ship to access those sensitive areas. It seems like a long shot.” Not to mention totally illegal, but so was stealing kids.
“I’ll get you the exact information you need. Give me an hour. In the meantime, get some rest. We’ll need the cover of night to hide this gorgeous flame.” Cifer ran his fingers through a tendril of her hair. His gaze was filled with admiration and longing.
She’d missed him. Anger and hurt had masked the longing, but over the past few cycles, the mask had lifted. The shiver that went through her at his nearness had nothing to do with anger. “I’ll, uh, go. Now. Rest. Like you said. Get me as soon as you have the information.”
“Okay, Beauty.”
Blaize glanced at Veda, whose smile was so big it made her eyes crinkle. Heat bloomed over Blaize’s face, and she darted out of the sick bay and back toward her room. A pink glow filled the hallway, and even though she shouldn’t, she crept into Cifer’s room, drawn to the source of the light.
Pink illumination filled the room, making everything appear soft and inviting, especially Cifer’s bed. Was his bed nicer than the one she had in her quarters? She pressed a hand to the mattress. Maybe a little softer. She sat. Not too soft. She kicked off her boots and laid out. The mattress hugged her. His scent on the pillow reminded her how well she’d slept in his bed on Cassan. She closed her eyes and breathed him in, letting herself revel in the reminder of the night they’d shared. Her anger at him made no sense. Not there in his room, bathed in the pink light and cradled in his bed. In a few minutes, she’d get up and leave. Go back to her own quarters. She curled around and hugged his pillow. Soon, but not yet.
Cifer raced back to The Treasure, pausing only to revert his blue skin back to the coppery color he normally used. The mission to gather the data Blaize needed had been a success. He’d even managed to get a serial number. Silent emptiness greeted him as he entered the ship that had started to feel like home. He checked the galley. No one there. No one on the bridge. No one in medical. Veda rarely left the ship. She was probably in the greenhouse. But she wasn’t the person he searched for. Blaize. Had she taken his advice and rested, or was she crawling around the engine room with a checklist in one hand? He glanced at the corridor to the quarters and turned toward the cargo bay.
The engine room was completely silent. If Blaize was in there, she’d be talking to the machinery. He retraced his steps and proceeded down the hall to her door. Before he got there, pink light streamed into the hall from the vents and micro-openings around his door. That wasn’t fucking normal. What the hell was going on with the orb?
He smacked the panel that controlled his door, and as it slid open, a breathtaking vision met him. Red hair splayed over his pillow. His woman curled in his bed. The lighting made her seem ethereal. She moaned, and Cifer entered his room, closing the door behind him.
“Cifer.” Her body undulated in a sensual move that made his cock stiffen. Her hand twisted between her legs.
