Lizzie chortled. “Sure you were. Did she have some in her mouth, too?”

Jeth scowled. “Did you get the tool?”

“Uh-huh.” Lizzie waved it at him. “You want to do the work for me? I mean, you two seem to be doing such a good job.”

“Very funny, Liz,” Jeth said.

Her grin broadened. “Well, if not, you could go for a romantic stroll through the ship. Just the two of you. Alone. In the dark.”

Sometimes Jeth despised having a little sister.

He risked a glance at Sierra, who’d gotten to her feet. To his surprise, she was grinning, too, her cheeks flushed and lips wet. He wanted to kiss her again.

With an effort, he pulled his gaze away. Don’t be an idiot, a voice whispered in his mind. That’s a bad idea and you know it.

Yes, he did. No distractions. Especially not on board his ship and with a girl that he had every intention of betraying—even if it wasn’t likely she would ever find out.

No, he needed to stay focused on the task at hand. Copy the project, get the metadrive, and move on. There would be a time for this sort of thing, but now wasn’t it.

Chapter 17

JETH SPENT THE NEXT DAY AND A HALF DOING HIS BEST TO avoid Sierra. It was hard, and not just because the living quarters were so tight with this many people aboard. No, trouble was, he wanted to see her. A lot.

Instead he made sure there was always someone else present whenever they were together. It wasn’t too difficult, given the attachment between her and Cora. And there was nothing like having a kid present to stave off romantic inclinations.

Not that Jeth resented Cora hanging around. Just the opposite. He was actually starting to enjoy it. He’d never realized how much kids laughed. And at the simplest things, like funny faces and corny jokes. Being around her made him feel light, oddly removed from himself and his troubles.

It was this lightness perhaps that finally gave him the courage to ask Lizzie for their mother’s data crystal that first night.

“Oh,” she said, eyes widening. “I don’t have it. Milton took it yesterday.”

“Huh.” The news didn’t surprise Jeth. He should’ve guessed it for himself. Milton had just as much interest in it as they did, and unlike Jeth, he wouldn’t fear facing the pain that opening those memories would bring back. Milton had never moved on, never buried it deep inside. No, he buried it deep in a bottle, only to have it rise up again and again, waiting to be drowned by more booze.

Jeth went to Milton’s cabin after saying good-night to Lizzie, but Milton wasn’t there. At the end of the corridor, the door into sick bay stood closed. Jeth knocked on it, leery of just charging in.

Rather than call for him to enter, Milton opened the door a crack and peered out. “What is it?”

Jeth shot him a penetrating look. What was his uncle up to? Surely there was nothing doctor-related for him to be doing. “Lizzie said you have the data crystal she found.”

An odd, guarded expression enveloped Milton’s face. “Yes, that’s right.”

“Well, I’d like to take a look at it.”

Milton shook his head. “I’m not done with it yet.”

Jeth opened his mouth to argue, but closed it once more at the sight of Milton’s watery gaze. He swallowed, realizing yet again that he wasn’t ready to face it. He might never be ready. And if Milton was offering him an excuse to delay, Jeth would take it.

“Okay. Just let me know when you are.”

Milton nodded, then closed the door without another word. Jeth retreated to his room, pushing all thoughts of his parents as far from his mind as possible.

Late the next evening, Flynn pronounced the job done.

“Done, done?” Jeth said. He, Lizzie, and Flynn were alone on the bridge. “Like, we can fly out of here now?”

Flynn raised his hands over his head, fingers laced. Several loud pops echoed around the room and he sighed. “No, not yet. I just initialized the system recalibration. Should be done come morning.” He patted his stomach. “I’m starving. And it’s my turn to cook.”

Jeth and Lizzie exchanged a grin, both of them knowing they were in for a feast tonight. The last few days had been tough on Flynn, and cooking was his favorite way to unwind—or, the eating that followed it was. It worked out great for everybody, except perhaps for the unfortunate souls stuck with dish duty afterward.

Ready by the morning, Jeth thought, doing a mental calculation. That left them four days before their deadline with Hammer. Such a short timeframe would make things tight for the meetup and exchange with Sierra’s contact, but still within the realm of doable.

Jeth entered the common room an hour later to find the atmosphere electrified, excitement a palpable, buzzing feel surrounding them. Word that they would be crossing the border had infected everyone with anticipation.

Jeth’s excitement swung closer to nervousness. He still hadn’t decided how to go about stealing the data cell from Sierra without her noticing. He had several scenarios in mind, but none of them were the perfect plan he hoped for. He supposed he’d have to settle on one tonight. He’d need time to go over it with Lizzie and anybody else he might require to pull it off. He intended to keep the job on a need-to-know basis.

Loud, fast music blasted out from the speakers in the common room. Lizzie was dancing to it, side by side with Cora, who was throwing her arms wildly in the air like she was a helicopter trying to take flight. It looked painful, but judging by the huge smile on her face, Jeth could tell she was having fun. And she was laughing, of course, that light, musical sound that seemed to fill him up, making him light, too.