Kayla looked up as Carl entered and flashed him a huge smile. He nearly stumbled, entranced by the way she lit up the room. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by equipment, and her eyes sparkled in excitement. Her earlier reservation was gone in the face of new technology.

“You guys have got some amazing toys here. Carl, I want to show you something.”

She jumped up and crossed over to him, handing him one of the sensors. He took it and flipped it over the way she instructed. Leaning over him, she rested her hand on his arm to point out some of the displayed readings. He took a deep breath, capturing her alluring scent. Having her this close was distracting, but her enthusiasm was infectious. He found himself smiling while she explained the settings she had configured.

“That’s great work, Kayla.” He handed back the sensor. She reached up to put it back on one of the higher shelves, and Carl noticed her shirt creeping up, barely stopping at her breasts. He inhaled sharply but couldn’t bring himself to look away.

Cruncher sat down and said under his breath, “Hot little number is right.”

Carl forced himself to breathe normally. “Kayla, if you’ve got a few minutes, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Sure. Let me just clean up this mess.”

She bent down to grab another piece of equipment, awarding them with another spectacular view of her curves. Carl cleared his throat and wondered if he should stop to take a cold shower himself.

“Uh, just leave it. Cruncher can take care of it.”

Cruncher gave him a pained look. “I can?”

Carl smirked at Cruncher. The older man was enjoying the show a little too much.

Kayla hesitated, looking between them. “I don’t mind.”

“That’s nice of you, but let Cruncher do it. I’m not sure his heart can take it otherwise.” Carl took her hand to lead her out of the room. “Let’s go to my office.”

“I’ll remember this, Boss. You owe me!” Cruncher called out.

Carl snorted and continued walking.

“What was that about?”

Carl looked down at Kayla’s confused expression. “You have no idea the effect you have on people, do you?”

She threw up her hands in exasperation. “Well, shit. I pissed him off already?”

Carl chuckled. She really was adorable. Unable to resist, he tucked her hair behind her ear. “Not even close. It’s just distracting having such a beautiful woman around.”

Kayla raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything further, Xantham walked around the corner and called out to them.

“Hey, you two! There’s a solo rider on the radar. Looks like your boy, Veridian, will be here any second. At least I hope it’s him and not one of Ramiro’s punks.”

Looking pleased by the news, Kayla turned to Carl. “It probably is. He sent me a message saying he’d be here around this time. Mind if we talk a bit later?”

“Sure. It’ll wait. I’d like to say hello to Veridian too.”

Taking a detour, they reached the entrance just as Veridian stepped inside and dropped a bag on the ground. He pulled off his helmet and ran his fingers through his disheveled, light-brown hair, his eyes lighting up when he saw Kayla. She let out a squeal and flung herself into his arms. He dropped his helmet in surprise to catch her and hugged her tightly before setting her down. Kissing the top of her head, he teased, “So how much trouble did you manage to get into so far?”

Kayla laughed. “Not enough. But the day is young.”

He looked skeptical. “I’m not surprised. But I’m glad you’re safe.”

Carl waited until they were finished before stepping forward. He found their dynamic interesting. Kayla wasn’t as reserved around Veridian, and he obviously doted on her. Carl extended his hand in greeting. “Glad you made it, Veridian. Do you need help bringing anything in?”

“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I’ve got a few boxes with me. They’re on my bike.” Veridian gestured to the bag on the floor. “Kayla, that’s some of your stuff. Where do you want me to put it?”

She picked up the bag and slung it over her shoulder. “I’ll take care of it while you grab the rest of the stuff.”

Xantham stepped forward to help, and each of the men grabbed their jackets and helmets to bring in the rest of the supplies. Once they came back inside, Carl directed Veridian down the hall. “We set up your private area in the crew’s quarters.”

Carl looked down at his box as they entered the crew’s quarters. “Is this box yours or Kayla’s?”

Veridian glanced at it. “That one belongs to Kayla.”

Hefting the box, he carried it over to Kayla’s private area where she was unpacking her bag. She looked up as he walked in and put the box on her desk.

“Thanks, Carl.”

“No problem. Let me know if you need any help.”

She opened up the box he had brought into the room. A picture of the young man from Kayla’s commlink rested near the top.

Deciding it was a good opportunity to bring him up, he gestured to the image. “Is that Pretz?”

Kayla froze. “How do you know him?”

“I’ve heard about him,” he replied neutrally, watching her expression. “Wasn’t he part of Ramiro’s crew?”

“Yeah, he was.” Kayla squeezed her eyes shut and turned away from Carl, shoving the picture in the back of her locker.

Her visceral reaction surprised him. He hesitated, debating how far to push her. Unfortunately, if Pretz was tied to the situation with Ramiro, he needed to know. The more information he could provide to OmniLab, the more likely Ramiro would be punished.

“I heard he was great with locks,” he prompted, hoping she would open up a bit more.

Kayla whirled on him. “You seem to know an awful lot for someone who didn’t know a damn thing about the Aurelia Data Cube the other day.”

Taken aback at her sudden anger, he held up his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize he was a sensitive subject.”

Kayla slammed the locker shut and stared at the closed door for a minute. She took a deep breath before turning around and resting the back of her head against the door. “Forget it. It’s in the past.”

Carl frowned. The look in her eyes was haunted, and he felt the sudden urge to comfort her. Before he could move toward her, Xantham poked his head in. She immediately straightened and forced a smile.

“Hey, girl. You need some help?”

Kayla shook her head, glancing at Carl. “Nah, think I’ve got it covered.”

“Okay, cool. Hey, Boss, I’m going to get Veridian set up on our frequencies, unless you needed me for anything else?”

“That sounds good. Thanks, Xantham.”

Xantham winked at Kayla before heading to the communications room. Carl studied Kayla thoughtfully. As Cruncher predicted, she wasn’t going to be forthcoming with information, and he didn’t want to push her away. Deciding it was better to retreat while they were still on a positive note, he said, “I’ll let you finish unpacking then.”

He turned and paused when he saw Lisia in the doorway watching them. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but she turned on her heels and stormed off. His lips pressed together in a slight grimace.

Kayla touched Carl’s arm to get his attention. “What’s the deal with Lisia? Every time I see her, she looks like she wants to throw a screwdriver at my face.”

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Lisia’s childish behavior needed to stop. He’d been hoping her attitude would have improved by now, but it seemed to have gotten worse over the past few days.

“It’s not you. It’s me. I, ah, got involved with her a few months back. It was a mistake, and I ended it almost immediately after it began. She didn’t take it well.”

Kayla’s eyes widened as she looked down the hallway where the girl disappeared. “She still has a thing for you?”

“It looks that way. I’m hoping she’ll get over it soon.”

“Hmm…” Kayla crossed her arms and studied him. “I guess I can’t blame her. You’re kinda nice to look at.”

Carl chuckled, returning her assessment with a long look of his own. He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “I could definitely say the same.”

He brushed her hair behind her ear and trailed his fingers down her cheek. When he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, her cheeks flushed, and her mouth parted slightly. Although he wanted nothing more than to pursue her, he recognized the need to give her some time to adapt to her new surroundings. Summoning his willpower, he took a step back, giving Kayla a long perusal.

“I need to take care of a few things. If you need anything, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you a bit later.”