“If you have time, but your current project is higher priority.” She, Eli, and Anja were quietly looking for signs the FHP had operatives on-planet. If we could find them, then they would likely lead us to Cien. And at this point, we needed to follow every possible lead.

My stomach rumbled and a glance outside confirmed it was fully dark. Midday had arrived, if it could be called that. I stood and stretched. My arms were already tightening up. “Has anyone seen Luna?”

My team shook their heads. It wasn’t too odd for her to disappear, but it was strange that she hadn’t let me know about her lack of lunch. That probably meant that she’d conned one of the Valoffs into feeding her, so I started my search in the kitchen.

I heard Luna before I saw her. When I rounded the final corner, I found her sitting on Torran’s shoulder, watching him cook. She turned and chirped at me in greeting, then sent me a wave of affection that nearly buckled my knees. At least one of the monsters in the room was happy to see me.

The bubbling pot on the stove smelled delicious and my stomach rumbled louder. Torran glanced at me without ever meeting my eyes. “This is ready if you are hungry.”

Pettiness warred with hunger.

When Torran didn’t say anything else and didn’t press, hunger won. “I could eat,” I said stiffly. “Thank you.”

Rather than lessening the tension in Torran’s spine, my words seemed to make it worse. He pulled two bowls from the cabinet and filled each with rice and what looked suspiciously like my favorite tomato and chickpea curry.

Someone on my team had sold me out.

Rather than handing me one of the bowls, he carried them both to the table. He murmured something to Luna, and she jumped down and returned to her food bowl, which was filled with the same meat and veggie mixture that had been on the tray for her yesterday.

“Captain Zarola, please join me.”

I narrowed my eyes and remained where I was. “Who told you about the curry?”

One corner of Torran’s mouth tipped up. “Your recovery specialist might’ve mentioned something about it after Eli attempted to break my face this morning.”

Lexi was giving Torran a chance to explain himself, and a reason for me to stay long enough to listen to it. I wondered if he knew that she’d provided him with an opening, and if he’d use it or throw it away.

Eli, on the other hand, had just wanted to smash in Torran’s face, and right now, I was firmly on Team Eli. I stopped avoiding Torran’s gaze and traced my eyes over his features. Sure enough, a bruise had started to darken his jaw. “You let him hit you.”