Page 92 of Tracked and Taken

The word tries itself on.

I do not let it finish.

He is at the co-pilot’s console running the pre-breach check. I look at him for two seconds. That is all I authorize. Two seconds is enough to remember his face when he came apart. Two seconds is a mistake.

I look at the scope instead.

SENTRY, private: “Officer Torres.”

“What?”

“The file tagged Mate: priority has been active for fourteen hours. I am receiving a volume of biometric updates from Tracker Vosk’s overlay that, under standard protocol, would already have triggered a file status change from Mate: priority to Mate: confirmed. I am asking for clarification because the ambiguity is affecting my ability to file his biometric data in the correct category.”

My face goes hot.

“SENTRY.”

“I have three hundred and forty-seven entries queued under the priority tag. The backlog is becoming operationally complex.”

“SENTRY, we will talk about this later.”

“Copy, Officer Torres. I am leaving the file at Mate: priority. Please update when convenient.”

I can feel Tael’s eyes on me.

I turn my head.

He is not running the check now. The half-grin is the one he uses when he has overheard SENTRY through his overlay.

“Don’t.”

“JINX asked the same question forty minutes ago.”

“Tael.”

“I told him to leave it at priority.”

“I am going to throw you out of the airlock.”

“Copy, sweetheart.”

The sweetheart lands exactly where his mouth was last night. I am already pink. I hate he can see it.

“Natalie.”

“Don’t.”

“You are the most operational officer in the Velarkis sector who is also the pinkest.”

“I am going to put a blade in you.”

“Noted.”

He goes back to the check. The grin does not leave. Neither does the tracking. After last night he does not stop knowing where I am. I should mind but I do not.

I want him to keep knowing.

That is also not going in a report.