Starfall (Starflight #2)(52)

“Desperate people can always find the money.”

“But there has to be more to it than that. Maybe he’s tired of paying off politicians and wants to move his business where there aren’t any rules.”

“Politicians…” Arabelle repeated. “I just remembered something. It happened so long ago that I almost forgot. The night Zhang sold me to Fleece, I heard him mention a bill that had failed. I guess he wanted a law passed, but he couldn’t buy off enough politicians to do it. About a month later, Fleece and I were in the fringe.”

Cassia wondered if the bill was a matter of public record. She doubted it.

“I didn’t think much about it at the time,” Arabelle continued, and gave a sad smile. “I had other things on my mind.”

Cassia reached out and covered Arabelle’s hand. “Of course you did. Living with Fleece must have been awful.”

Arabelle stared into her tea, paling a shade. “It was.”

“I can relate, at least a little bit,” Cassia shared. “Renny probably told you about the bounty hunters who took me. It happened right here in this town, about half a mile away. That was the worst experience of my life, and it only lasted a few weeks. I can’t imagine how you stayed sane.” She squeezed Arabelle’s hand. “How long were you with him?”

“I don’t know. About a year, I guess.”

“Who did you work for before then?”

“Before when? I’ve always belonged to Fleece.”

Cassia wrinkled her forehead. Maybe she’d misunderstood. She thought Ari Zhang had taken Arabelle immediately after Renny had picked his pocket and left Earth. “You said Zhang came for you because he couldn’t find Renny. He wanted revenge, and he knew that Renny loved you, so hurting you was the next best thing.”

“Right.”

“How long did he look for Renny?”

“A day or two. At first he wanted me to lure Renny out of hiding. Once he heard Renny was long gone, he sold me to Fleece.”

“But that was more than two years ago.”

“No, it’s only been a year.”

“Belle…” Cassia tentatively tried out the nickname and was rewarded by a soft smile from her bunkmate. “I’ve lived on this ship ever since I ran away from home. That was more than two years ago, and Renny was already here as the first mate.”

“Are you sure?”

“Ask the crew if you don’t believe me. Or check the ship’s log.”

“Huh.” Arabelle stared ahead in confusion while wrapping a curl around one finger. “Maybe I lost track of time. That’s easy to do in space, right?”

Cassia nodded, though a year was a lot of time to lose. More likely Arabelle had blocked out large chunks of memories that were too painful to relive. “So what’s next for you?” she asked, changing the subject. “Do you have family on Earth?”

“A few cousins, but I can’t go home and risk Zhang finding me. I think I’ll stay here for a while.” Belle peeked up, and her cheeks turned pink. “It’s nice to have Renny back. I’m trying to take things slow, but it feels like a second chance for us.”

“What changed your mind about him?”

“The way he fought for me yesterday,” Arabelle said with pride. “He would’ve died before letting Fleece take me, or any of you. He’s always been like that, completely devoted to the people he loves.”

“You still love him.” It wasn’t a question. Words were easy to fake, but Cassia had never met anyone who could blush at will.

Belle propped both elbows on the table, leaning in as if to share a secret. “I never stopped. There’s no one like Renny. He’s the kind of man a girl can’t forget.”

Cassia agreed on all counts.

At that moment, the boarding ramp’s motorized pulley whirred from the level below, followed by the clattering of boots against metal. Doran and Solara reached the galley, with Kane right behind them. They brought the scent of fire on their clothes.

“Why do you smell like smoke?” she asked, and then instantly forgot the question when she saw Kane’s hands. They were swollen and streaked with blood from where the skin across his knuckles had split open. “What happened?”

He shrugged and peered longingly at her tea. “I fell.”

“Uh-huh,” she said, handing him her cup. “Fist-first into someone’s face.”

“No, really—”

“Save it.” She could tell he’d been fighting. Physical evidence aside, he had that drowsy sheen in his eyes, the mark of someone coming down from an adrenaline high. “You need sutures. Whoever you hit had a sharp jaw.”

“Yeah, well, it was worth it.”

The loathing in his voice made it clear that this had been no ordinary brawl over a missed payment at the warehouse. This fight had been personal.

“Oh no.” She began to see the real reason for this detour. “What did you do?”

He dodged the question by chugging her tea, and then Renny came power-walking through the galley like his boots were fueled by Infinium. Without a backward glance, he continued up the stairs to the pilothouse and called over one shoulder, “We ruffled a few feathers in town, so everyone hold tight and prepare for takeoff.”