Starfall (Starflight #2)(78)

Her fingers touched bare skin, reminding her that she’d left her bracelet on the ship. She jogged outside to the cruiser and made her way to the master quarters. As soon as she rolled the tension out of her neck, she sat on the edge of her bed and tapped her wristband.

Jordan accepted after the third ping instead of the first, but she tried not to let that worry her. He was probably in public and needed to find a quiet place to talk. Once his hologram appeared and their eyes met, his whole face lit up with joy. She let go of the breath she’d been holding. She never should’ve doubted him.

“This is a nice surprise,” he said. He stood in front of a faded cream-colored wall that seemed to be part of a home, an old one judging by the scuff marks on the paint. “Are you all right? I didn’t think we had a call scheduled today.”

“We didn’t. I’m touching base to see if there’s anything new to report.”

He peered around her, observing her surroundings inside the ship. He must have assumed she was still traveling. “How soon will you be here?”

“Oh, I’m al—” She cut short. “Almost on the ground. We should land in about five minutes.” She didn’t know what had prompted her to lie. Maybe it was because he hadn’t mentioned the alliance meeting. Or maybe it had something to do with the niggling familiarity of the wall behind him. She could swear she’d seen it before. “Where are you?”

He scratched his chin and flicked his gaze to the side. “Just checking in on the families of the men we lost on New Haven. I’ll wrap up soon and head back to the station.”

Cassia felt a pinch in her chest. He was lying. “Good. Meet me in the cell block. I want to see for myself how Marius escaped.”

“Be there in a few,” he said, and disconnected.

Once his image vanished, she slouched over and rubbed her forehead while her heart sent a surge of panic through her veins. She didn’t know what Jordan’s intentions were, but regardless, Renny had been right. Jordan could dethrone her before lunchtime if he wanted to.

She bit the inside of her cheek and wondered what to do. She’d sacrificed so much for this colony—her family, her heart, even her best friend—and she refused to let it go without a fight. She had a few minutes to figure out a strategy and take back what belonged to her.



She was waiting for her general when he walked into the security station.

If he had seemed glad to see her before, it was nothing compared to the brightness in his gaze as he locked eyes with her and crossed the floor in strides so long they threatened to split his pants. She stood at the doorway leading to the jail cells, leaning a shoulder against the wall and smiling at him. When he reached her, he guided her backward a few steps, out of sight of the lobby and offices. Then he scooped her into his arms in a hug that lifted both her boots off the floor.

She laughed, clinging to his neck for a moment before returning the embrace. “Well, hello to you, too.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, even as he squeezed her tighter. “I know this is completely out of line, but I missed you so much.” He buried his nose at the base of her neck. “You have no idea how glad I am to have you home.”

Once he set her down, she linked an arm through his. “We have a lot of catching up to do.” She winked and led him toward the prison block. “Let’s start in here. We’ll have plenty of privacy.”

“Anything for my queen,” he said with a grin.

The jail was dark, which seemed to intensify the echo of their footsteps as they proceeded deeper into the room. All the cells were empty, as was the guard station. They strolled leisurely to the center cell, the one that used to belong to Marius, and then she untangled their arms and switched on a single light.

“How did the locks disengage?” she asked. The cell door was ajar, so she opened it further, inspecting the latch.

“Someone hacked the system and triggered the universal release switch. Then they cut the main power and the backup supply to keep the doors open.”

She stepped inside the cell and peered at the door hinge. “But this cell had extra protection.” She thumbed over her shoulder at the bed, still rumpled from Marius’s final night there. “What about the charged floor panels?”

“All of it is electrical.” Jordan crossed the threshold to join her. “It happened in the middle of the night during a shift change. The guards barely knew what hit them.”

“Any suspects?”

“We think the rebels are behind it.”

“Is the power restored now?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” In a flash of motion, she spun around to the other side of the door and slammed it shut. The lock engaged with a buzz-click and trapped Jordan inside. Then she held out a hand, nodding at the pistol holstered at his hip. “Give me your sidearm.”

His lips curved in a hesitant smile, as if he didn’t understand the joke. “What’s this?”

“You and I are going to talk,” she said, extending her palm. “After you give me your sidearm.” When he didn’t move, she added, “Your queen just gave you an order. I am still your queen, aren’t I?”

By way of answer, he unfastened the safety strap, then removed his pistol and passed it through the bars, handle first.

“Your com-devices, too.”