“What, are you going to stab me?” Brox taunts me across the table, his fingers still curled around my wrist.
“It would serve you right,” I growl in warning.
Brox tips his head back, letting out a loud laugh, and my vision goes red.
* * *
BROX
* * *
“I can’t believeshe fucking stabbed me,” I grumble as I finish bandaging where she sank the tines of her utensil into the back of my hand.
Using my teeth, I tear the tape affixing the dressing and toss everything back into the medkit.
Bracing my elbows on my knees, I take a moment to sit and think about what happened, when my comm goes off. I glance at my wrist and groan. I’d hoped to have more than a rotation before being checked in on like a kit.
“Rovos,” I say in greeting, then send his comm from my wrist to the larger screen on the wall. “How are things on Pamia?”
Rovos’ eyes jump from me to the room I’m in, and he frowns. Green eyes flash gold. “Why are you in the medbay?”
“Who’s in the medbay?” I hear Anna shout from somewhere far off, then she’s pushing Rovos aside so she can see the screen. “Brox? Are you all right? Where’s Igid?”
“I’m fine. We’re both fine. I just—” I hold up my bandaged hand.
Her delicate brows knit between her eyes. “What happened?”
“Igid stabbed me,” I tell her, dropping my hand back into my lap.
Anna’s lips press tightly together, and beside her, Rovos lets out a loud bark of laughter.
“And what happened before she stabbed you?” Anna asks. She’s definitely trying to keep from laughing now.
My eyes drift to the ceiling, and I take a deep breath. “I asked her if she was going to stab me.”
Anna’s laughter is soft and tinkling, which complements Rovos’ hardier guffaws. “Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.” Anna straightens her shoulders and gets herself back under control. “Is it serious?”
I shake my head. Although the tines sank in deep enough that she left the utensil standing up in my hand when she stormed out of the galley, they are only a few milis long. The punctures aren’t deep enough to do more than bleed.
“Is everything all right on your side?” I turn the conversation away from me.
Anna steps back, and Rovos leans into the screen. “Everything is fine here.” His lips quirk up at the corners. “In fact, I have some good news. I received a comm from a couple bounties who found one of the missing women. She was auctioned off to a group of raiders, but bounty hunters were able to rescue her before they got too far with her. They are currently taking her back to Earth.”
“That is good news,” I say. “Did they happen to have any info on the two who are still missing?”
“No, but I wanted you to know that the one called Sasha is accounted for.”
“Thank you,” I say with a nod. “Is there anything else we need to know?”
Rovos shakes his head. “That’s all I have for now.”
I give him a nod. “I appreciate it. We’ll comm you when we reach the neutral zone.”
“All right.” Rovos’ eyes focus on something over my shoulder. “Don’t kill him. At least not before you reach the auction house.”
Turning to look over my shoulder, I see Igid leaning in the doorway with her arms loosely folded across her chest.
“No promises,” she says dryly.
