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“Maybe you meant well,” said Leland. “But you have no idea what you’ve brought here. The vrisha is attacking our people now.”

“That’s not true. He hasn’t harmed anyone!” Dani cried.

The others grew quiet. Nadine placed her hands on the table, leaning toward her. “That’s not true, Dani.”

“It is!” She wanted to scream, her composure slipping. “He got out once and a few crewmen might have seen him, but he didn’t touch them. He didn’t go near anyone.”

Leland made a noise of impatience. “Just tell her, Nadine.”

Nadine straightened. “A small crew went down to the lower decks some hours ago to investigate further. They have yet to return. They’ve been missing for some time. And all we’ve found so far is this.” Nadine reached under the table and pulled out a helmet with a smiley face on the side, blood splattered across it. Dani would recognize it anywhere. Garret’s helmet.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Dani

She sat in the conference room, staring at the wall.

Her crew was gone, forced back to their units. And the ship was about to go into full lockdown. She was not allowed to go with them since a team was searching her unit even now as she sat there.

She couldn’t move, could hardly think. Her emotions were tearing through her, but she couldn’t calm them if she tried. By now, they would have found Kryxis. By now…

“Dani,” Nadine said. Dani looked up and saw the concern on her superior’s face. “I can take you down to the medbay if you like. If you need a place to calm your nerves. Or to another safe place.”

Safe place. No, there was no safe place. She needed to go, to run. She needed to find Kryxis.

He wouldn’t have hurt Garret. No, hecouldn’thave.

And yet, she couldn’t suppress the dread twisting in her gut.

She slept ten hours. He didn’t. He could have gone…and come back. He could have…

No.No, he wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t. He wouldn’t do that to her.

Except there’s that small chance he might. He was angry when Garret came to the unit. Because it was clear Garret liked her. And to someone like Kryxis, who only knew his instincts, he saw a threat. He saw a competitor for her attention.

She shook her head. Kryxis was smarter than that. He had to be. He had to know harming Garret put him in danger of exposure. And know she would never forgive him if he hurt someone.

He had to know that.

You thought he would stay put too, said the doubting voice.But he didn’t. He went lurking, and he hadn’t seen anything wrong with that until you scolded him.

“Dani?” Nadine said.

She blinked away the tears. “I want to talk to my father,” she said shakily.

“You sure about that?” Nadine asked after a short pause.

“Yes.”

Nadine went up to the table and tapped on the surface to bring up a control screen. She sent a call out to Dani’s father, and they waited. When the call went through, a holographic image of a man stood before them with deep dark eyes, black hair slashed with silver, and a hard set mouth. Her father.

“Officer Miguel,” he addressed Nadine.

“Officer Pyne, your daughter wishes to speak to you.” She glanced over, fixing Dani with a pitiful look. “I’ll be outside.”

Once she left, Dani stood before her father. He did not greet her, only sized her up.

“I’m disappointed, Dani,” he started. “You had one job. You were heading toward a promising field. Yet, I learn you threw it all away for a—”