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Tinsley nodded, and they turned back to the door. Once again, Dante inched it open, and when it appeared the coast was clear, they ran down the hallway again, trying to remain silent.
They didn’t get far, though. Three more times they heard pirates coming down the corridor, and three more times they had to throw themselves into random rooms, praying they were empty.
Miraculously, they got lucky every time. But on the third time, they found themselves inside a bathroom. They had to jump into a stall together when someone opened the door, and they only made it inside just in time.
Dante crashed down onto the toilet, gesturing frantically for Tinsley to jump up onto his lap in case the pirate spotted their shoes.
Luckily, the visitor stayed only long enough to relieve himself before heading back out. Dante noted that whoever it was, they didn’t wash their hands.
“Typical,” he muttered under his breath.
But once again, they had other things to worry about.
And things were about to get worse.
“Prepare for launch!” came a raspy voice over the ship’s intercom as they remained huddled in the bathroom stall.
Dante’s eyes grew wide, and Tinsley’s, too. A second later, they felt the soft whir of the ship’s engine starting up.
“We need to go,” she said. “Now.”
Dante nodded, and they scrambled to get out of the stall. This time they bolted through the hallway, hoping that most of the crew would be strapped in by now and out of the way. But these were pirates, and it soon became clear there was very little regard for protocol.
As they rounded a corner, they almost came face to face with a couple of Jorvlens heading into what appeared to be a rec room. Dante and Tinsley were only spared because the Jorvlens were so busy arguing about who owed whom money that they were entirely oblivious to anything else.
“This way,” Dante whispered, pointing to an adjoining corridor. He only hoped they’d be able to find a way back to the exit in time.
They raced down there but came up behind another group of pirates heading in the same direction. Again, they ran into the closest door and soon found themselves in the ship’s kitchen.
Thankfully it was empty, but Dante knew they were running out of time. The ship would be launching any second now, and they were nowhere near an exit as far as he could tell.
“Trash!” Tinsley suddenly whisper-shouted.
“I know. It’s bullshit,” he agreed, shaking his head at their predicament.
“No,” Tinsley said, shaking her head and laughing. She pointed toward a giant chute on the kitchen wall. “Trash.”
Dante suddenly caught on. With one last look at each other, the two of them ran toward the chute and clambered in. Luckily, it was large enough that the two of them could fit side-by-side. How much trash do they generate if the chute is even larger than the ducts? Dante thought, but he was grateful regardless. The stench, of course, was horrible, but it was their only chance of escape.
“Ready?” Dante asked, holding Tinsley tightly.
She nodded, and he reached outside the chute, slamming his hand down on the EJECT button. A sudden sucking sensation and rush of air came next, and Dante felt himself and Tinsley rocketing through the chute, only to be deposited on the space station hangar floor a second later. A pile of rotten vegetables and animal bones came tumbling with them, just as the pirate ship rose above them and disappeared into the airlock.
Dante took a deep breath, but he immediately regretted it. He put his hand over his mouth and nose to keep from retching.
“First order of business—a shower,” he said, standing and helping Tinsley to her feet.
“Agreed,” she told him, a sour look on her face.
The two of them rushed into the space station in search of some soap, and Dante felt relief flooding his chest, knowing how close they’d just come to being caught. They were one step closer to finding Maraliza, though, and that made everything worthwhile.
Even the part where they smelled like trash.
Chapter 21
“That was pretty crazy.” Tinsley strapped herself into the pilot’s seat of the Thunder Bolt. Her hair was still wet from the shower she’d just taken with Dante. She was technically clean, but she was sure she could still smell the stench of garbage.
“We got what we needed, and we didn’t die, so I’d consider that an accomplishment,” Dante told her. “We make a good team.”
