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Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
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  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
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  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Elle stared at him, wide-eyed.

He struggled on. “People decide what they want to believe, then they go looking for corroboration. I can’t... I can’t change that, and I can’t stand to witness such willful ignorance.”

“I understand.” She chewed a bite, swallowed and squinted as if trying to see into her past. “I don’t think I watch much of anything, either. I think I’m busy doing other stuff.”

I’m busy would have been a better answer. Not as revealing. He wished he’d thought of that.

That night, they sat in his small living room. The front door faced west, and was open. The screen door was locked, and as intent as Adam was on security, Elle would not have been surprised if it was electrified. The scent and sound of the Pacific wafted in on the breeze, but the only illumination outside was the twinkling stars and, far out on the ocean, the glow of a ship’s running lights.

Inside, she read the newspaper by the light of a standing lamp.

Adam studied a book on metallurgy in the Middle Ages.

At nine o’clock, he spoke softly to her, and when she lifted her head, he put his hand on her shoulder. “You’re asleep in your chair. Let’s go to bed.”

“Asleep again?” She had the uncomfortable suspicion her jaw had been hanging open. “I need to shower.”

“You don’t need to shower. You smell fine.”

“Silver-tongued devil. Stop trying to seduce me.”

“You can shower in the morning.” He directed her toward the bathroom. “Either in the tub or we can use the outside shower. That is, we can use it separately.”

Can I watch you?

Best not to ask. After she had washed her face and brushed her teeth and put on the pajamas Angelica had included in her package, Elle climbed into bed. But she wasn’t ready to sleep until Adam joined her.

He turned his back to her.

She snuggled up behind him, draped her arm on his shoulder, finding comfort in his warmth and strength, and smiled into the dark.

He had said she had a bright spirit.

A bright spirit. Adam Ramsdell, uncommunicative and austere, thought she had a bright spirit.

She remembered that compliment, sincerely given, and held it in her heart and polished and admired it.

She would do her best to keep the bright shining outward.

24

Aboard the Research Vessel Arcturus

DEANNA CHARGED THROUGH THE door of the sunlit comm center at the stern of the ship. “Has anyone seen that bitch Elladora Varela? She hasn’t used her crawl time for two days, and if she’s not going to use it, I want it. My project is a lot more critical than whatever secret mission she is on, and—” She stopped, aware that two pairs of eyes watched her, one pair coldly, the other wide with warning.