Page 8 of The Admiral's Daughter

Kit slings her arm around Cheddar’s shoulders. “So, what do ya think?”

I’ve no idea what she’s going on about.

“What’s wrong with her?” Kit asks Cheddar after she receives zero response from me.

“No idea. River, do you need the sick bay?”

I shake my head, which breaks me from my reverie of panic. “She’s here,” I hiss. Grabbing my girls, I walk them towards our cabin.

Kit pulls free of my vice-like grip. “Whois here?”

“Redhead from last night!”

Cheddar gasps dramatically and looks around the flight deck. “Where?”

“She was standing next to the admiral,” I choke.

Kit scrunches her face. “Are you sure it was her? Didn’t you say you blacked out?”

I nod. “Yes, but then I saw her and it all came back with frightening clarity. It was her. What the fuck is she doing here?”

“She’s a journalist.”

My head snaps to Cheddar. “How the hell do you know that?”

She scoffs. “Because the captain introduced her. Did you hear anything the captain or admiral said?”

Boot jogs over to us. “Hey, you ditched me.”

Kit yawns. “Nah, River’s just having a meltdown. You’d already left.”

“Oh, what’s happening?”

I let the others fill her in. I’m still processing.

Boot flicks me on the nose. “Earth to River. Why are you freaking out? She’s here to do a job.”

Cheddar smirks. “Because this is the first time she’s ran into a woman after running out on them.”

“I don’t run out on them. They know it’s a one-night-only thing.”

We all know I’m full of shit. I do run out on them, and I’m sure I need lots of therapy hours, but that ain’t gonna happen on the government’s penny.

“You keep telling yourself that, Romeo.” Kit laughs.

“Look,” Cheddar begins, “it’s likely you won’t run into her. If you do, just remain professional.”

“What if she wants to fuck again?” I murmur.

“Wow,” Boot coughs. “I have to admire your self-confidence, Romeo.”

“It’s called arrogance,” Kit replies.

I shrug. “I know what I’m good at. Sex is my forte.”

Cheddar slaps me upside the head, laughing. “It’s really hard to like you sometimes, Romeo.” Our banter helps me unwind a little.

“Okay, so can someone fill me in on what I missed?”