Page 116 of Tethered

“You’re gonna just let her go, just like that?”

I spin on my heels and eat half the distance between us before I rein myself in. “Marlowe left, as is her right to do. We don’t get to question that. I’ve known the woman for all of two weeks. It’s sad, but it’s not the end of the world.”

If I keep saying it, maybe it’ll be true. How maddening to feel like this about someone I barely know.

“You’re notthinking,” Beau shouts, shoving hands through their hair until it all sticks up. “Why would Marlowe bring Vee to Dominik, knowing he abducted the boy? She was trying to stop him. You’re telling me she was presented with an opportunity to turn right back around and go home, and she just... said no?”

“That’s exactly what she said.”

“It doesn’t make sense, Cap! “

I never thought I’d see the day when Beau could make me angry. I want to wrap my hands around their neck and squeeze. Instead, I gulp down air and try to calm myself.

“Marlowe was already worried about having to say goodbye to us. She started pulling away even before Securitas boarded theMidas.”

There they go, exchanging glances again.

“What?” I snap.

“What if I can access the ship’s logs?” Beau asks hesitantly.

“To do what?”

“To play back her call with Dominik.”

I shake my head as if I can clear the cobwebs in my brain. “You want to spy on Marlowe’s conversation? What will that achieve?”

“I don’t think Marlowe would leave the way she did unless something happened during that call,” Khrys says gently. “I saw how heartbroken she looked. I think Dominik said something that scared her.”

It’s the hope that hurts more than anything. Hope that they might be right, that Marlowe didn’t decide to just leave like that. It rushes at me so quickly, I sway on my feet. Putting my back to the bulkhead, I survey my two troublemakers. Possibility makes my pulse pound.

“You think so?”

Beau nods furiously. “Marlowe loves Vee too much to do this. I don’t think she’d even hesitate to kill for him. After the stunt Dominik pulled, I think he has something on her.”

Khrys shrugs. “We should at least take a look.”

“But I have to do it now, before the logs are wiped,” Beau continues. “TheMidasonly keeps twenty-four hours of logs. Gryphon is a paranoid fucker.”

“What if you get caught?” I ask.

A smile lights up Beau’s face. “That’s the thing; until Dominik wipes the employee access records, it’s perfectly legal. This event must be hogging all his attention—he hasn’t reviewed them yet.”

I give them the go-ahead. We huddle into Beau’s cabin, and Khrys and I watch as they access theMidaswith agility. Manoeuvring through the mainframe with ease, they find the video logs, and my heart starts to slam against my ribcage. I snatch Beau’s hand before they can start the playback and let myself spiral for a moment.

What if Marlowe just didn’t want to stay?

Or, what if she needs our help?

What if she wants nothing to do with me?

Or, what if she was expecting me to do more?

Beau and Khrys watch me as my mind races. I’m supposed to be their captain, the person they chose to follow because they trust and have faith in me. I lengthen my spine and step away. With a nod from me, the video starts to play.

It’s split screen, and Marlowe’s face fills one half of it, sending shards arcing through me. Her dark eyes and wayward curls hit me harder than I expected; but the longer she speaks with Gryphon, I notice she folds in on herself more. Something isn’t right.

“—my ultimatum: come home, or the only ground you’ll touch on Mars will be a prison yard.”