She didn’t give us time to argue, disappearing again before I opened my mouth to protest. “Well,” I sighed, “I guess we’re going that way.”

“So it seems.” Alexei gestured for me to precede him. I wasn’t sure if he brought up the rear to protect me or monitor me. Either way, I wasn’t thrilled with the development.

And yet, a tiny part of me appreciated having him at my back. I’d never had anyone stand behind me, not ever. My parents were firm believers in the sink-or-swim philosophy.

I stopped short at the revelation. I might have lost my family, but for the first time in my life, I wasn’t on my own.

“Kenzie?” Worry laced Alexei’s voice.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing.” Nothing I wanted to talk about, at least not here or now.

The ship was small and dim, utilitarian, with lots of exposed ductwork and grating. There were signs that the people who inhabited it might be more professional than their prolonged argument indicated. Omnistellar would have approved of the neat racks of weapons storage, all carefully locked, unlike the ship, wrecking my ideas of appropriating a gun or two. The living quarters might be another story, but we hadn’t made it that far.

How did bounty hunters live, anyway? My parents had always treated them with distant scorn. They served the corporations but lived outside them. Even though any bounty hunters working for Omnistellar were on exclusive contract with my old corp, they weren’t citizens. They didn’t have the rights and benefits of everyone else. My parents said that was because most bounty hunters were ex-cons: dangerous people who should be grateful for the opportunity to serve a purpose. I pictured the Silver Oni, and a chill raced down my spine. Who was that guy? And why did he have to wear that mask? Bounty hunters were frightening enough on their own. I’d never heard of one running around masked before.

I kept my eyes peeled for security cameras, but either they didn’t have them—unlikely, especially on a ship like this—or they were very well hidden. I only hoped the hunter was too busy with his captives to monitor them, or that if he did notice us, it would be after Mia noticed him.

A couple of seconds later, Mia appeared, her fist raised to halt us. She hesitated at a branch in the corridor, then consulted a nearby panel. “I think this leads to the holding cells,” she said.

A single glance at the display told me she was right. “Yeah.” I indicated the correct spot. “This is the ship map. We’re here. Holding cells this way. And at a guess, that’s where we’ll find the Silver Oni.”

“The silver what?”

“Kenzie has a cosplay fetish,” said Alexei dryly.

“I don’t . . . Never mind. The guy in the mask.”

“I’ll see him before he sees me,” Mia replied grimly. “Let’s get moving.”