Page 6 of Last Chance to Save the World

Even if it’s for a good cause.

“You’re going to have to get over the kidnapping thing eventually,” I grouse.

Glorylurches, and my stomach does a little swoop as the grav generators catch up to reentry and the ship evens out.

“See? Nothing to worry about.” I shoot Rian my best winning smile, which does absolutely nothing to him. His mouth is a tight line as I toss aside my harness and turn to look at him. Autopilot is on now, and I can’t really do anything until I get the landing coordinates.

I lean forward, no mean feat, given our relative positions in the cramped bridge. “So,” I say, “let’s talk plans.”

Rian sucks in air and lets it out so forcefully that his nostrils flare.

“Okay,fine,we can have the argument again,” I say somewhat impatiently, “but we both know that in the end, you’re going to agree with me. Because I’m right. And you know it.”

“I know,” Rian says, and when I shoot him a look, he says it with more conviction. “Iknow.You’re right.”

God, he’s hot when he says that. Music to my ears.

A red light starts blinking on my console.

Rian frowns at it. “Do you need to—”

“No, it’s fine. Let’s talk more about how I’m right.”

Rian gives me a glare. “I see the point you made. I can even concede that...” He looks around atGlory’s bridge. “That extreme measures are needed.”

“See? Even kidnapping has a place.”

Rian pinches his nose. “It’s just...”

“No.” I shake my head forcefully. “What we’renotgoing to do right now is second-guess the plan. The plan is good.”

“Fine,” he snaps. Grumpy. Ugh. He would be so much more relaxed if he had bothered being seduced. Rian looks around. “What are we doing right now?”

I also look around, confused. “Waiting to land.”

We broke orbit, burned through atmo, but the landing sequence that will take us directly to the port will have to be linked to us from the ground. So what’s his issue?

Oh—I get it. Rian’s not used to waiting. Passenger ships, especially cruisers, and government business gets priority.

Gloryis not priority.

“Could be five minutes, could be an hour or two,” I say. “Depends on the Maltese port boss and their order of ops.”

“How did you even get landing codes close to Malta? I helpedwritethe port orders for that sector. No ship can land anywhere near the island without prior authorization for this entire month.”

“Yeah,” I say. “I have that.”

“You have...”

“That. Prior authorization. I have that.”

Rian shakes his head. “I inspected the docking manifest myself. Your ship wasn’t on it.”

“I don’t know why you’re questioning my methods now,” I say. I turn back to the console, flicking a button to turn off the red flashing light. Very distracting. “I clearly have the means to do what I want.”

“Yes, but—”

The red blinking light is replaced with a beeping.

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