Page 108 of Tethered

Her voice is tight; I hear the emotion in every word. My fists curl again as I struggle to stay quiet in front of Vee.

“Mum, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, baby. Dev told me dinner was ready,” she says. “Go and eat; I’ll be there in a moment.”

Vee looks to me again, torn, biting his lip. I wish he were a little less intelligent—he knows Marlowe’s not okay, and he doesn’t want to leave her. But it’s obvious she doesn’t want him to see her like this, so I beckon him close. Crouching, I promise that if he goes ahead, I’ll make sure Marlowe comes to dinner. It takes some persuading to get him to leave. Then I let myself into Marlowe’s room.

She’s slumped on a chair. As the door slides shut behind me, she groans and launches a cushion across the room.

“Get out.”

I fold my arms and wait. With Marlowe’s face buried in another cushion, all I can see is the back of her head, but there’s a pile of tissues in a small receptacle at her feet. I swallow hard, trying to remind myself I can’t just bulldoze in and force her to talk to me. It doesn’t work.

“What did that prick say to you?”

She flinches so violently that it makes me feel ill.

“Mierda.” I scrub a hand over my face. “I’m sorry. I won’t pry.”

But I will smash theMidasdirectly into Gryphon’s million-watt smile so he wears his fucking teeth like they’re tonsils.

“Go away.”

For a moment, I consider honouring her request. Then Vee’s conflicted expression flashes into my mind, and I do the opposite. I don’t want to leave Marlowe like this. Crossing the room and kneeling by her feet, I push the bin away and take the hand I can reach. She sniffles, and it’s a relief when her fingers tighten in mine. We haven’t been alone since the observation deck when she almost broke my heart right then and there. The warmth of her touch soothes some of the agitation from earlier. I wish I knew what to say, how to make her feel better.

Marlowe pulls her hand away and presses it to her chest, burrowing deeper into the cushion.

“Please. I just need a moment. I’ll be at dinner soon.”

What happened on the bridge? I’ve never seen her this… hopeless, almost. I can’t fix it if she won’t tell me what’s wrong—and I want to make this right more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. It shouldn’t feel like rejection; I hate crying in front of others too.

Marlowe’s voice brooks no argument, so I don’t push, but I do take my time getting up in case she changes her mind. She doesn’t. I end up back in the galley, convincing Vee his mother’s just pulling herself together for dinner. He gives me a look so reminiscent of her that I have to turn away.

“What do we do until we dock?” Beau asks around a mouthful of food. Dev smacks them on the arm.

“What do you mean?” Maximus asks.

“Well.” Beau shrugs. “Our jobs have been taken over by that crew, haven’t they? So, what do we do?”

Khrys stretches her arms languidly. “I’m going to take the longest bath ever and then sleep in late.”

Devyaan shoots Julian a glance, and the man turns pink, though he can’t hide the curve to his mouth when he jerks his head away.

“I’ve got a high score to beat,” Beau says, making gun fingers at Vee. “What about you, Cap?”

I’m not going to tell them the only way I’ll be able to relax is if I get to personally kick every single stranger off our ship. Knowing they’re here is like an itch under my skin. All because Gryphon is a control freak with more money than sense. This is the last stretch of the trip; an escort was unnecessary.

I have a pervasive dread that once we land, the crew will be in trouble. Gryphon keeps proving himself a pathetic specimen—the odds are high he’ll try to make an example out of them. Never mind that he tried to abduct a little boy. If I were to report Gryphon to the authorities on Suryavana, how far would an investigation get?

I think about the times myNayyahad to collect my father from the drunk tank of our local station and cringe. The humiliation was made more acute by the fact that the officers were always kind to her about it. But I’m not naive enoughto believe that was a microcosm of the entire criminal justice system.

“Looks delicious, Dev.”

I’m ripped from my musings by the sound of Marlowe’s voice. She snuck in at some point and is curled up around Vee. They look about ready to topple off the seat, but I don’t think he’s going to let her go anytime soon. Her eyes are pink, her face slightly puffy, her lips bitten. She looks like hell.

I wish she’d talk to me—even now, she won’t meet my eyes. Everyone else pretends they can’t see how wrecked Marlowe looks, and the conversation carries on. But I don’t participate, mind racing as I think through my options. I have to dosomething.

Liz picks up on the second ring.