The little green cutie pulled her thumb out of her mouth. “Okies.”

“She’s the spitting image of you.”

Mordacity smiled. “I know. But I see some of her father in her, too.”

By the way she said it, it was obvious that Mordacity had loved the girl’s father.

A lot.

Jayne smiled at her. “You two take care.”

“You, too.”

And with that, Jayne made her way to the hallway. Honestly, she was hoping to catch sight of Hadrian as she left.

He was nowhere to be found.

And that hit her so hard that she actually felt punched. It didn’t make sense.

Yet there was no denying how she felt.

Have a nice life, Hadrian. She meant it. Someone deserved to have their dream. If it couldn’t be her, she wanted him to have his.

Hadrian paused as they reached Nero’s fighter. He’d kept looking back, wanting Jayne to be there.

She wasn’t.

Why should she be?

Really. What could he offer her? Everything he owned was in the backpack he hated.

One that seemed to get heavier as he climbed Nero’s fighter ladder and settled himself into the backseat.

Memories of Jayne haunted him.

Nero climbed up. But instead of taking his seat, he sat on the side and stared at Hadrian. “What are you doing?”

“Waiting on you to take me to whatever backwater hell hole you can find.”

“What about your ship?”

“What about it?”

Nero arched a brow. “You’re actually leaving it?”

“Why not? I’ve no attachment to it. If I use it, you have a stroke.” He adjusted his backpack in his lap. “I’m through fighting you. I’m just going to go with the flow. Dump me wherever.”

“Well, that would have been nice a few years ago. Now . . .”

“Now what?”

“You heard what Jinx said. You’re free. Or dead. But basically the same thing. You don’t have to hide anymore. You can use your fake ID, or have Syn create a new one for you, and you can live wherever you want.”

Hadrian didn’t know what to say to that. All this time, he’d lived under Nero’s shadow. The thought of being able to step out into the daylight . . .

He had no reaction for it.

“Seriously?”

Nero swept his arm around the bay. “The universe awaits. Just please keep in touch. ‘Cause if I have to hunt you down, I will kick your gargantuan ass.”

Hadrian snorted. “All right.” He got up and started down the ladder.

Sadness haunted Nero’s eyes. That expression wrung a deep ache inside him.

“I’ll keep in touch.” He pulled his brother in for a tight hug.

Nero clapped him on the back. “You better.” He released him.

Hadrian took a second before he left and headed across the bay to where his own ship was docked.

Freedom. It’d been the only thing he’d ever wanted. To make his own decisions and not hide himself.