He’d heard our not-so-quiet conversation. I shifted uncomfortably. “I was only going to buy a few things before you waltzed in and started issuing orders,” I said. “Denting your bank account sounded good when I was angry, but then I calmed down, and you took care of that asshole, and . . .” I trailed off and shrugged. “Buying more just because you were paying didn’t seem right.”

He stared at me for a long moment, then his eyes went distant. My mental shields were not at their strongest, so I braced for the feel of his mind touching mine, but it never came.

His expression cleared. “Do you need anything else?”

I considered the food stacked on the levcart. If we had to stay on Valovia for the full eight weeks, we would be okay even if no one sold us supplies. We would be out of fresh food, but between the garden, the pantry staples, and the frozen food, we wouldn’t starve.

“I have everything I need,” I said. “If you’re done, let’s head back to the ship so I can put all this stuff away before it melts.”

He inclined his head in agreement, and we made our way back to Starlight’s Shadow. This time, the trip went smoothly, and Torran’s presence deterred anyone from getting too curious about what was under the levcart’s cover. An armored Valoff wasn’t a foe to take lightly, despite what the jerk earlier had thought.

Starlight’s cargo bay was empty when we arrived. The levcart was too wide to fit through the hatch into the main part of the ship, so I parked it as close as possible. I would have to carry the food to the galley.

The hatch opened, and Kee bounced out with her customary bright smile. Lexi followed at a more sedate pace, but her smile was just as bright.

“It’s good to see you, Lex,” I said as I pulled her into a hug.

“You, too,” she said.

I squeezed her tight, then stepped back to look her over. She was a half dozen centimeters taller than me and nearly a dozen taller than Kee, with the kind of sleek, flexible strength that people often underestimated.

This week, her chin-length, curly hair was a pure, gleaming blond, several shades lighter than her natural strawberry blond. Her pale skin had taken on a faint golden glow from time in the sun—she’d recently spent a significant amount of time on-planet.

Depending on her agenda, Lexi could go from pretty-but-forgettable to absolutely stunning in fifteen minutes flat. Today, her makeup played up her hazel eyes and minimized the rest of her features, and she wore a pair of slim charcoal slacks with a sapphire blouse.

I raised my eyebrows. “Did you come straight from a job?”

“Just wrapped it up,” she confirmed.

“Do I want to know?”