Adrift by Erica Conroy Read Free Book Online Page A

work on him. He decided to adopt the same approach as Norik and dared her to do it. Sulky goaded her, to the point where she was screaming at him to stay back. When he didn't, his own screams became shrieks of agony when she'd been forced to act on her threat.
    Jasmine ran all the way back to the bunkroom. Tears almost blinded her as she tore into the room and threw herself onto Norik. The sudden weight woke Norik and thinking he was being attacked, he defended himself.
    Jasmine found her face squished into the deck plating and a very heavy weight on her back trying to press her through to the deck below. She choked as she tried to call mercy to Norik. He had her arm wrenched so far up behind her she thought it would snap.
    It took Norik several blinks of his eyes to realize his attacker wasn't an attacker at all, but Jasmine and he quickly let go of her. He lifted his knee from her and sat heavily on the floor. "I am sorry," he said, bewildered as to what was going on.
    Jasmine scooted away from him, across the floor. Her crying hadn't abated, only quieted in shock.
    "I'm sorry," he repeated and reached for her. She jerked away from him and the fear in her eyes cut through him just as surely as the knife had his shoulder. He dropped his hand and put more distance between them. He had scared her.
    Jasmine's heart felt like it was trying to escape her ribcage. The physical strength that she had admired in Norik had just been used against her. She had been so sure that he wasn't a threat, until he had done that. She had convinced herself that he was the good guy in this giant mess. She didn't want to be wrong but the man had just scared the shit out of her.
    "Good reflexes," she breathed.
    "Sorry," he said again.
    "Stop doing that," she told him. "You only apologies if something is your fault and if you really mean it."
    "Sorry," Norik said before he could stop himself. He raised a cautious eyebrow at her and said, "I must mean it."
    "You must," she agreed slowly. Jasmine continued to stare at him, waiting to see what his next move would be.
    Norik watched her just as intently. The look in her eyes, which eerily matched Lilah's after he had attacked her, was slowly starting to dissipate. He found he was able to breathe a little easier as it did. He licked his lips and asked, "Was there a reason for you jumping on me?"
    "Jumping on you?" Jasmine asked, confused. The tears started to spill quietly down her cheeks once more. "I shot him."
    Norik started to ask who, but then remembered that there was just the two of them and the prisoner left alive. Or perhaps just the two of them. "Oh."
    "I didn't kill him," she said and wrapped her arms around herself.
    Norik closed his eyes briefly, a mannerism that Jasmine had learned to mean he was either truly annoyed or very frustrated. "Give me the plasma blaster," he told her as he climbed to his feet.
    "I don't have it," she wailed, "I dropped it and ran."
    He didn't say anything as he retrieved the knife and then left the room.
    Not wanting to be alone, Jasmine propelled herself up from the floor and followed him, at a safe distance. She provided directions and he glared at her when they reached the room. She took that to mean she should stay where she was. The silence unnerved her.
    Jasmine waited outside. She wrung her hands and berated herself for being a horrible murderer. A torturer. She was in the wrong line of work and told herself that if she survived this ordeal she would change careers. Something much more sedate where she wouldn't be a menace to anyone. Maybe an author. That way the only people she could butcher would be her characters.

    Norik walked into the room and found the injured man sprawled out on the floor. Jasmine had inflicted a horrific and fatal wound. The man had severe burns to more than half of his body and was now in shock. Nothing they could do would save him. They didn't have the medical equipment to do so or even the drugs to sedate him for more than a few